DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/fas.2026.10031
تاريخ النشر: 2026-02-18
المؤلف: Max Haiven
الموضوع الرئيسي: الإسكان والتمويل والنيو ليبرالية
نظرة عامة
في هذا القسم، يستكشف المؤلف مفهوم الغش في سياق الرأسمالية المالية، arguing that it is not merely an aberration but rather central to the system’s ideology and operations. The essay posits that the normalization of cheating is intricately linked to neoliberalism and imperialism, suggesting that the rhetoric surrounding cheating often misidentifies the true culprits. Instead of targeting the economic elites who engage in significant malfeasance, societal outrage is frequently directed towards marginalized groups, such as welfare claimants and migrants, who are scapegoated as “cheats.”
The conclusion draws on the distinction between “cheats” and “spoil-sports,” as articulated by historian Johan Huizinga. While cheats are tolerated for their ability to navigate the game’s rules, spoil-sports threaten the very existence of the game by exposing its inherent flaws. This dynamic fosters a reactionary political climate where far-right actors exploit feelings of being cheated, redirecting anger towards vulnerable populations rather than addressing systemic injustices. The author argues that this misdirected resentment stems from a collective discomfort with the acknowledgment that the game itself is rigged, leading to a societal inclination to vilify those who challenge the status quo. Ultimately, the text highlights the complexities of agency and competition in a financialized world, where the allure of the cheat complicates our understanding of fairness and legitimacy in economic interactions.
مقدمة
تستكشف مقدمة هذه الورقة البحثية استعارة الاقتصاد كلعبة، وهو مفهوم تم قبوله على نطاق واسع ولكنه تم فحصه بشكل نقدي عبر مختلف التخصصات. It highlights how this metaphor suggests that capitalism is competitive and ideally fair, particularly through notions like a “level playing field.” ومع ذلك، argues that, despite the neoliberal promise of fairness through trade liberalization and deregulation, widespread perceptions of unfairness and cheating have emerged, undermining this ideal. The essay aims to demonstrate that cheating is not merely an aberration within neoliberal capitalism but is instead embedded in its ideological and operational framework.
The author identifies three key cases where cheating is central to capitalism: the imperialist foundations of modern capitalism, the role of game theory in neoliberal decision-making, and the normalization of cheating in financial practices as illustrated by influential financial narratives. The paper posits that the contemporary political landscape, characterized by reactionary figures who mobilize public anger against perceived cheaters, is deeply intertwined with the experiences of individuals who feel cheated within a financialized neoliberal system. This sense of betrayal, compounded by economic precarity, renders individuals susceptible to reactionary rhetoric that scapegoats marginalized groups while ignoring systemic injustices. Ultimately, the essay seeks to complicate existing critiques of capitalism by framing cheating as a fundamental aspect of its operation, challenging both neoliberal and Marxist perspectives on fairness and justice in economic systems.
نقاش
في هذا القسم، يتم استكشاف مفهوم الغش من خلال عدسة الفلسفة القانونية والبحث التجريبي، خاصة في سياق الألعاب. Stuart P. Green’s definition of cheating emphasizes the violation of fair, mandatory rules within cooperative relationships, highlighting the intentionality behind such actions. This perspective is complicated by Mia Consalvo’s ethnographic work, which suggests that cheating in video games reflects a negotiation of social values and status among players, rather than a strict definition. Boluk and Lemieux further contextualize cheating as a form of metagaming, where players reclaim agency against the commodification of games, suggesting that bending rules can enhance the gaming experience.
The discussion then shifts to the historical interplay between colonialism and capitalism, as articulated by Hannah Arendt. The “Great Game” metaphor illustrates how empires manipulated relationships for resource extraction, often cloaked in the rhetoric of fairness and free trade. This manipulation is linked to contemporary perceptions of cheating, particularly regarding marginalized groups, who are often unfairly labeled as cheats within socio-economic systems. The section concludes by addressing the pervasive influence of game theory in modern capitalism, arguing that it reinforces a neoliberal ideology that reduces human behavior to self-interested rationality, thereby shaping public policy and economic practices in ways that perpetuate inequality and distrust among different societal actors.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/fas.2026.10031
Publication Date: 2026-02-18
Author(s): Max Haiven
Primary Topic: Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism
Overview
In this section, the author explores the concept of cheating within the context of financialized capitalism, arguing that it is not merely an aberration but rather central to the system’s ideology and operations. The essay posits that the normalization of cheating is intricately linked to neoliberalism and imperialism, suggesting that the rhetoric surrounding cheating often misidentifies the true culprits. Instead of targeting the economic elites who engage in significant malfeasance, societal outrage is frequently directed towards marginalized groups, such as welfare claimants and migrants, who are scapegoated as “cheats.”
The conclusion draws on the distinction between “cheats” and “spoil-sports,” as articulated by historian Johan Huizinga. While cheats are tolerated for their ability to navigate the game’s rules, spoil-sports threaten the very existence of the game by exposing its inherent flaws. This dynamic fosters a reactionary political climate where far-right actors exploit feelings of being cheated, redirecting anger towards vulnerable populations rather than addressing systemic injustices. The author argues that this misdirected resentment stems from a collective discomfort with the acknowledgment that the game itself is rigged, leading to a societal inclination to vilify those who challenge the status quo. Ultimately, the text highlights the complexities of agency and competition in a financialized world, where the allure of the cheat complicates our understanding of fairness and legitimacy in economic interactions.
Introduction
The introduction of this research paper explores the metaphor of the economy as a game, a concept that has been widely accepted yet critically examined across various disciplines. It highlights how this metaphor suggests that capitalism is competitive and ideally fair, particularly through notions like a “level playing field.” However, the author argues that, despite the neoliberal promise of fairness through trade liberalization and deregulation, widespread perceptions of unfairness and cheating have emerged, undermining this ideal. The essay aims to demonstrate that cheating is not merely an aberration within neoliberal capitalism but is instead embedded in its ideological and operational framework.
The author identifies three key cases where cheating is central to capitalism: the imperialist foundations of modern capitalism, the role of game theory in neoliberal decision-making, and the normalization of cheating in financial practices as illustrated by influential financial narratives. The paper posits that the contemporary political landscape, characterized by reactionary figures who mobilize public anger against perceived cheaters, is deeply intertwined with the experiences of individuals who feel cheated within a financialized neoliberal system. This sense of betrayal, compounded by economic precarity, renders individuals susceptible to reactionary rhetoric that scapegoats marginalized groups while ignoring systemic injustices. Ultimately, the essay seeks to complicate existing critiques of capitalism by framing cheating as a fundamental aspect of its operation, challenging both neoliberal and Marxist perspectives on fairness and justice in economic systems.
Discussion
In this section, the concept of cheating is explored through the lens of legal philosophy and empirical research, particularly in the context of gaming. Stuart P. Green’s definition of cheating emphasizes the violation of fair, mandatory rules within cooperative relationships, highlighting the intentionality behind such actions. This perspective is complicated by Mia Consalvo’s ethnographic work, which suggests that cheating in video games reflects a negotiation of social values and status among players, rather than a strict definition. Boluk and Lemieux further contextualize cheating as a form of metagaming, where players reclaim agency against the commodification of games, suggesting that bending rules can enhance the gaming experience.
The discussion then shifts to the historical interplay between colonialism and capitalism, as articulated by Hannah Arendt. The “Great Game” metaphor illustrates how empires manipulated relationships for resource extraction, often cloaked in the rhetoric of fairness and free trade. This manipulation is linked to contemporary perceptions of cheating, particularly regarding marginalized groups, who are often unfairly labeled as cheats within socio-economic systems. The section concludes by addressing the pervasive influence of game theory in modern capitalism, arguing that it reinforces a neoliberal ideology that reduces human behavior to self-interested rationality, thereby shaping public policy and economic practices in ways that perpetuate inequality and distrust among different societal actors.