The temptation to turn to crime when the system rewards the clever
Record taxes, politicians with impunity and benefits for those who don't contribute: the perception that being honest is for suckers is gaining ground in Spain. Does crime pay?
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
When being honest is for suckers: the temptation to switch sides
In a country where, according to an increasingly widespread feeling, "those who play by the rules are suckers martyred by a corrupt state," the temptation to break the rules is gaining trinc. A fifty-year-old citizen, who hands over most of his salary in taxes, describes a bleak picture: politicians going to prostitutes and taking drugs during the pandemic with total impunity, while he is denied a dignified old age and resources are diverted to "welfare-milking foreigners." The feeling of being a victim of a regime that robs you to your face and rewards cheaters raises the uncomfortable question: does it pay to stay legal?
Rising taxes, shrinking services
The narrative of a "regime" that loots the taxpayer while sustaining a privileged caste keeps repeating itself. It's not just a tax complaint: it's the realization that individual effort doesn't even guarantee a decent retirement. Civil servants and pensioners who vote to keep their privileges are singled out as accomplices. The result is an erosion of trust in the rules of the game. "Crime is the career most rewarded by our government," it is claimed, and the perverse logic spreads: being vulnerable too (not schooling your children, having many underfed children) becomes a rational strategy because the system subsidizes it.
Justifying the unjustifiable
Some go further and suggest that committing crimes against the property of politicians or senior officials is even good for your self-esteem, as long as there are no direct victims. Stealing the valve caps from the mayor's car is presented as an almost cathartic act. Others point to NGOs as the perfect vehicle for diverting taxes and laundering income under a veneer of solidarity. The conclusion: in a system that turns illegality into a business, honesty is an irrational choice.
But the debate leaves an uncomfortable gap: if so many citizens reach this conclusion, the social contract is broken. The question nobody has answered yet is whether the solution lies in purging the system or in surrendering to widespread cynicism. For now, the scales tip toward the latter. And while the executive committee of the PSOE (Spain's ruling Socialist Party) laughs, many wonder whether it wouldn't be smarter to join the party.
Related discussions in the forum
In a country where, according to an increasingly widespread feeling, "those who play by the rules are suckers martyred by a corrupt state," the temptation to break the rules is gaining trinc. A fifty-year-old citizen, who hands over most of his salary in taxes, describes a bleak picture: politicians going to prostitutes and taking drugs during the pandemic with total impunity, while he is denied a dignified old age and resources are diverted to "welfare-milking foreigners." The feeling of being a victim of a regime that robs you to your face and rewards cheaters raises the uncomfortable question: does it pay to stay legal?
Rising taxes, shrinking services
The narrative of a "regime" that loots the taxpayer while sustaining a privileged caste keeps repeating itself. It's not just a tax complaint: it's the realization that individual effort doesn't even guarantee a decent retirement. Civil servants and pensioners who vote to keep their privileges are singled out as accomplices. The result is an erosion of trust in the rules of the game. "Crime is the career most rewarded by our government," it is claimed, and the perverse logic spreads: being vulnerable too (not schooling your children, having many underfed children) becomes a rational strategy because the system subsidizes it.
Justifying the unjustifiable
Some go further and suggest that committing crimes against the property of politicians or senior officials is even good for your self-esteem, as long as there are no direct victims. Stealing the valve caps from the mayor's car is presented as an almost cathartic act. Others point to NGOs as the perfect vehicle for diverting taxes and laundering income under a veneer of solidarity. The conclusion: in a system that turns illegality into a business, honesty is an irrational choice.
But the debate leaves an uncomfortable gap: if so many citizens reach this conclusion, the social contract is broken. The question nobody has answered yet is whether the solution lies in purging the system or in surrendering to widespread cynicism. For now, the scales tip toward the latter. And while the executive committee of the PSOE (Spain's ruling Socialist Party) laughs, many wonder whether it wouldn't be smarter to join the party.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (6 replies).
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