Are You A Cheater?

By Joanne Celi

It’s come to my attention recently that I may be a cheater. I’m very surprised by that because I’ve always considered myself someone with integrity.

Of course there are all types of cheats. We’ve got the serious type – marital cheaters , tax cheaters, LSAT stand-ins…And then we have those who cheat at something that has no real consequence. These are situations that are not black and white.

For instance, are you cheating when you’re doing the NYTimes Sunday puzzle and you get stuck on the main thread and you go and take a peek at what Rex Parker is saying? Are you a cheater when you’re only cheating yourself?

When I was in 6th grade (long, long, long before the internet), there was a nun who sent us home on the weekend with a trivia question. It was usually about geography. Most of the kids in my class either had encyclopedias or parents who were knowledgeable or involved.  I had neither.

But I did discover that if you called a 212 number of the New York Library, you got a human who would look up your answer. All you had to do was hold.

Was I lazy? Maybe. Was I resourceful?  I think yes. Was I cheating? You tell me.

My friend, Fred, posts a twice-daily picture online of a famous person. Usually, they are pictures that make it difficult to tell who the person is. The first one who gets it right, gets a Bingo. No money involved. Just praise for the right answer.

Yesterday, I got called out on guessing the names of two people in a picture – one very famous, the other almost impossible to guess…unless you did some research. I did just that not knowing it was cheating. It was like being on Cash Cab and using a shoutout.

They say “let your conscience be your guide”. I’ve looked deep into my soul and I feel no guilt. Anyone could do what I did and gotten the answer before me. But maybe I’m just jaded from tricking those nuns into thinking I’m smart?

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