Term 2 Assesment Piece 1. Reqeust: Please leave comments, praises welcome. Critiques even more..

Category: Societal/Universal Issues

Summary of Article:

Through this article where Tabitha Wang recounts her experiences with various conmen, and her subsequent realization that she might as well give the money to someone who’s “honest about being dishonest” then an outright conmen. She fleshes out several of her thoughts through this illuminating article. Firstly the poignant point about how in this day and age, it is becoming difficult to trust fellow Homo Sapiens. Secondly, she articulates that, though we are wiser to their ways, conmen always manages to come up with something new. Finally, she reaches the afore-mentioned saddening self-realization.

Reflection:

The issue of dishonesty and decadence of human nature is universal and cannot be classified as current or antiquated, because it is inherent in all of us. This problem is rooted deep within humans. This is why this issue will haunt us, as long as humans are flawed, this shadow will always remain.

Tabitha wrote this in the context of a whole rocked by scandals, Enron, NKF, and more. Her rumination; “I’d like to think life in the big city has not killed my faith in human nature. But it’s getting harder when you have to be on your guard all the time”* illuminates her difficulty in keeping the faith, in the innate goodness of humans. In this materialistic world, humans have indeed become more corrupt.

Me? Guilty as charged. In RI, I’ve lost count of how many times have my friends asked me to send my homework to them, answers to that Mathematics TA, “tips” on the next test and guiltily, vice versa too. As she laments, “even as we become wiser to their scamming ways, the hustlers are already devising new cons”. “When there’s a will, there’s a way”, no matter how many versions of a particular test there is, students will always find a way.

A case in point would be the recent article on how Ipods have been banned in examinations halls due to students uploading of notes and test answers onto it. "They come up with new and creative ways to cheat pretty fast." ** "I think you should still be able to use iPods. People who are going to cheat are still going to cheat, with or without them (cheating devices).”** This showcases the unfortunate interpretation of the motivational phrase “When there’s a will, there’s a way”

However, the experience of being a victim could have coloured my view. The “scammers” could have no malicious intent, as there have been cases of desperados turning to crime to save their families. To fully understand this issue, I would have to become a scammer, sadly, I’m.

The main assumption is that all scammers are dishonest and villainous. Is this the case? In my opinion, dishonesty and a tad of manipulation and scheming are essential for survival, in this world today. “White lies”, “lying for the greater good”, does the end justify the means? Lying has become a commodity, the only one we can place unerring trust is, ourselves. Thus springs the Chinese idiom, “Have not the intention of hurting others, wariness and guardedness of others is a must-have”.

Tabitha’s last point about trusting an honest dishonest man might be better than an honest dishonest man really presents a bleak view of the state of humans now. She tries to make us see her utter disappointment in this situation, unto which she has resort to this sort of “resolution”, to this issue of dishonesty.

By Ockham’s Razor, the best solution would be to just disregard the rest of humanity and not place any trust in anybody, thus preventing us from being scammed. Obviously this solution is not practical at all. However, what alternative do we have? Tabitha’s one? Or personal discretion?

However, maybe my lens have been too coloured. I feel nothing but gloom and doom, perhaps it would be better for me to understand and appreciate the positive facets of human nature and have a more mature understanding of the 3-dimensional complexity of the issue, will I then be able to comment in a more balanced way.

I learn best through experience, with a personal connection, it is easier to reflect rather than fabricate. However, there is the pitfall of being too judgemental.

(502) words. Quote: “cunningly sidesteps mark penalty”.

*Quotations from Article not included in word count.

** Quotations obtained from sources not included in word count.

Sources

http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/04/27/ipod.cheating.ap/index.html