The Rules About Integrity

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Jason Ng Professor Aveni English Composition 101 8 December 2010 The Rules of Integrity What defines an individual with integrity? Is it the way we attempt to perform acts of altruism or is merely a virtue we can only speak of and never achieve? To many Americans the word “integrity” holds a very vague meaning thanks to its many portrayals by various outlets. In his work The Rules About Rules, Steven Carter goes through the topic of integrity, its definition and what it truly means to be integral. An Animal’s Place author Mike Pollan assesses the implementation of morality on American soil, specifically within industrialized animal factory farms—and integrity with regards to animal rights and interests is examined. The word “integrity” itself produces an innumerable amount of positive response from Americans. The use of the word is worn out by politicians, religious advocates and the general public. America has an insatiable thirst for integrity—but exactly what is it? Carter introduces his work with his first lesson in integrity: a stern public lecture from his first-grade teacher. I do not remember many of the details of the “public” lecture that I received from my teacher. I do remember that I was made to feel terribly ashamed; and it is good that I was made to feel that way, for I had something to be ashamed of. The moral opprobrium that accompanied that shame was sufficiently intense that it has stayed with me ever since, which is exactly how shame is supposed to work. (Carter 179). One of America’s faults that Carter pointed out was the emphasis on through-any-means-necessary victory rather than honest triumph and/or defeat. Starting out his discussion with a painful childhood memory, Carter reminisced about his determination to win, and the cruel lesson of dealing with the consequences of cheating. Through this Carter defined
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