“Are they brainwashed?”
In a sense we are all brainwashed by our culture. The Koran tells them they can lie. The Koran is specific that they should lie to further Islam. But they generalize that they can lie all the time and that furthers Islam. An Iranian who was up before the dean for the third time for cheating wailed, “What is the big fucking deal!?” The State Department got involved and the college was told to stop catching Iranians cheating.
I had taking a group under my wing and was tutoring them. Basically, they copied my homework with no intention to gain understanding. I missed the last class before the final and the professor told us exactly what would be on the test so we could prepare an equation sheet. They told me that the test would cover XY and Z, but not AB and C. It was exactly the opposite. When I asked later why they’d done that one of them poked me in the chest and said, “You look bad. We look better.” I never again even associated with Iranians.
Brother. My college students in Accounting say the Chinese students, with a few exception, cheat for grades in the Business College. They seem to have no problem. Better grades are all that matters.