Being Accused Of Fraud Is Worse Than The Actual Infringement

When deception becomes the rule, honesty suddenly looks very stupid.

a crowd fights in the mud, throwing dirt at each other, dystopian, futuristic, digital art — by DALL·E

Recently, I have been reading about election fraud. The practice, as nefarious as it is, carries a passenger that often remains hidden until it is too late. This stealthy, almost undetectable presence is the virus that will remain, the bacteria responsible for the rotten system we will be left with. I refer to the accusations of cheating. How could the accusation be worse than the act itself? Well, the action happens once, while the allegation becomes the nature of the context henceforth.

Accusing people of fraud is one of the most insidious tools used by fraudsters. They will cheat, get caught and then decry the flaws of the system in which they operate. They will point fingers at everyone, with no regard for evidence or logic, and they will claim they were also the victims of a corrupt establishment. How could they not cheat when everybody else did it?

Once the dirt is out, nobody can be clean. Regardless of our transparency and track record, once the game is tainted, all the players will be by their association. There is no escaping cheating when we perceive it as part and parcel of what we do. Indeed, in some sports, parents encourage their children to fake injuries or…