Cheating

Is cheating more common today than was so in previous generations? You know..like illegally downloading that song you like, or copying from a source without giving attribution when doing a research paper, fudging on your business expenses or taking those ink pens from the office or school.
Those are little, even insignificant things but they do constitute what has traditionally been called "cheating"? According to an article I read (ok, I better give attribution to the author..he is Dr. Morgan Griffin) many experts believe that cheating has become more common and even more accepted in recent years.
So if it is true that people cheat more today, why? And hat harm does it cause to society? Some people today cheat to become famous. Take those Olympic athletes who pump themselves with drugs to win that gold medal. Surely, the pressure to win is much higher today, give the instant communications of the age that can identify people as "celebrities" so quickly.
The Paris Hilton phenomenon is one example of this. But there is the bigger reason for cheating, not the "I want celebrity status" cheater, but rather the person who cheats just to get by. You know, as in the student who cheats to get by rather than to be an honor student. In a world that emphasizes material goods and money, and also instills a fear of financial failure, the "I must cheat to get by" attitude is more prevalent today.
Societies that place a great emphasis on become rich while having few avenues to achieve wealth are also societies with more cheaters. A third reason for an increase in cheating is the "Everyone is doing it" mode. When a person thinks that many others are cheating he tends to cheat more himself because he believes he will fall behind if he does not. How does cheating affect us?
It is like acid, eating away at the society because all societies are based on members accepting and obeying the rules. In the same sense that Rome is alleged to have fallen because of moral decay, cheating breaks down individuals and the entire society. It may be a contagious phenomenon.
Further, it forces us to become liars, to lie to ourselves that we have to cheat to get by. The article I read suggests that we put less stress on ourselves (and parents on their children) to achieve individual milestones, to relax more and obsess less.
Oh..by the way..can you believe that I have never, ever cheated in anything? Hehe..er... but I an not going to write about liars today.