legal sanity

There’s been a lot of discussion about lawyers bending or distorting the truth in the name of zealous representation. If it’s hard for some lawyers to tell where the zealousness ends and dishonesty begins, this article from the Christian Science Monitor suggests that the difficulty reflects a growing trend in our country. According to the piece, in “the high-pressure, high-stakes environment of 21st- century America, lying has for many apparently become a way of life.” While people know that lying is wrong, the piece relates, they do it anyway because they feel it’s the only way to get the success they want. From doctoring resumes to plagiarism to defrauding investors, the “cheating culture” has taken firm root and, glorified by such consumer staples as reality T.V., shows no sign of decay. What can be done to counter the trend? One solution, according to the article, is to fix “winner-take-all” incentive systems that engender excessive competitiveness and insecurity. Another is to educate “the next generation” about the high costs of deception and shame.