Basic game theory at work right there. You only need a few bad apples to cause the entire system to devolve.

Yup, a few bad apples start things off, and then after that many others who would have never been the first to do this decide to jump on the bandwagon (lest they be left behind). If it weren't for the shameless folks at the beginning, it wouldn't happen. But once they kick things off, it's a domino effect from there.

Perhaps the fundamental issue isn't the apples; it's the barrel.

If everything is a competition, then of course people will leverage personal advantage for personal gain. But why is everything a competition?

[dead]