Is cheating EVER acceptable?

[jacob marley]

I take it that we would not be discussing this if it had been done by Maclaren or Red Bull i am not a Ferrari fan by the way...jacob

[Glutton4...]

Whether there are EVER circumstances that cheating is 'tolerable' depends on the definition of 'cheating', and what (if any) gain there is to be made from it.
If there is something to gain by cheating, then it is wrong. On the rare occasions when something isn't exactly as it should be, but there is no benefit (even indirect) to the person who has bent the rules, well then it depends on precise circumstances. Is it cheating when an adult lets a child win? Probably, but if it results in the child continuing to be interested until they can win on merit (when otherwise that child might have given up completely), is that entirely wrong, or the lesser of available evils?

I couldn't have put it better myself. Well, I may have, but only after about a month of rethinks and rewrites! LOL

He who pays the piper.....

Sadly very true.

[SarzWix]

IF McLaren or Red Bull had done it, there would have been points docked at the very least...

[lizzylemon]

I've been thinking about the cheating question, not as a sports based query but on a general 'life' level and have come to the conclusion that it's essentially the same question as the post that Bren posted the other day; the 'do you follow or break the rules' one (because basically that's what Ferrari have done; break a rule).

So it's interesting for me to see that when it was posed as; 'do you bend or break the rules'? many of us said we bend or even blatantly break them, which is another way of saying we're cheating.

Yet posed with a "do you agree with cheating?"query, most of us have emphatically said it's wrong.

Funny how the same thing seen from a different angle can produce such opposing answers from the same person.

My answer is: depends what the consequences are.

If it's a silly game of cards for instance, then yes, it's part of the game. Cheat some one out of money, or be unfaithful to a partner, no.

[Glutton4...]

Lizzy, I think we all have a line that mustn't be crossed. It's just that everyone's line is in a different place to the next person's.

[Alison]

Cheating is always wrong, how can you be proud of an achievement built on falsehoods. However all our definitions of cheating will vary, if you do something to take advantage of any situation and put somebody else down then it's quite simply wrong. However, there are circumstances which aren't cheating but aren't truthful either, like white lies, when you do things for the good (giving a kid a head start for example), that's not cheating, it's being a nice person if done for the right reason.

[lizzylemon]

Lizzy, I think we all have a line that mustn't be crossed. It's just that everyone's line is in a different place to the next person's

Yes I agree totally - it's what make us unique and interesting as people, something I'm all for (as long as we're nice with it ), I just found it very interesting that when we're presented with one situation but from different angles, we can give very different answers.

I include myself when I say people / we, I realised I said yes to breaking rules (according to consequences) but didn't want to say I'd cheat because it's wrong in most circumstances (silly card game cheating is fine imo), but surely breaking the rules is cheating, hence me arriving at a light bulb moment. I don't have many so felt the need to share.

I'll be quiet now

[piskieinboots]

.... of England playing, for example in the rugby world cup final......

I love it when you talk dirty
YAAAAAAY next year - whoop whooop

[northepaul]

Besides sport, cheating is just plain wrong.
Eg if you sat an exam, after working hard studying etc, then at least you know you have given it your best shot.
Its to do with morals I guess.

[Hilary B]

I posted earlier, but the post-eating monsters must've eaten it.

If an international athlete, running in the Olympic games, stopped and let a team mate pass and win the race, what would everyone say!!!?

Ferrari are a 'dirty' team, and should be disqualified. More fool the idiot who obeyed the order too! A race is a race. This makes the whole thing a farce.

I can't see that one happening somehow, mainly because it probably wouldn't be the team-mate who won.....
It's 'cheating' for the back-stage team to give the order. For the rest......
The question might be, how many people were betting on the result? In a horse race, it would definitely be grounds for serious trouble......

[pjh75]

I'm not a huge sports fan o don't know much about it, but didn't something similar happen in the Tour De France? One rider was obstructing (head butting I think) a rider in another team to give his own team mate an advantage, or secure his lead... something like that anyway. Guess if they can get away with cheating they will. I don't think it's ever acceptable.

[rana]

Referring to the F1 incident - how would punters feel if they had put money on Massa to win. I don't suppose the bookies will be giving back their place money. So one way or another fans and enthusiasts have been cheated.

[jacob marley]

I take it that we would not be discussing this if it had been done by Maclaren or Red Bull i am not a Ferrari fan by the way.

I did not know about the fine when making this statement it should have been a lot more and points deductions ....jacob

[Nicos]

Where money is to be gained- isn't cheating a form of theft?

Bad form.

[Hilary B]

where money is to be gained- isn't cheating a form of theft?

bad form.

yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!