 |
| A simple graphic explaining the differences between plagiarism and copyright issues (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Plagiarism is not a blurry line. It is not a mistake. It is a conscious action done by one person to steal the intellectual property of another person. Everyone DOES NOT do it and it’s a shameable action.
But you know what’s worse? The bullying. The bullying not done by people calling Kristi out onto the carpet as she is accountable for her actions to anyone that was misled into believing that the articles were her own which isn’t bullying at all, but the bullying done by her supporters.
Kristi has now gotten authors to come on to her blog and talk about how her actions are acceptable when they aren’t. At all. Kristi has not once said, “I deeply apologize for plagiarizing the work of another. Please do not insult the victims of my theft or those who are rightly calling my integrity into question. I made an error in judgment.”
Getting not only her supporters, but also authors to condone her actions is not owning up to her actions. It is attempting to justify the unjustifiable.
A note about IMM:
IMM is not a creation of Kristi, but adapted from another blogger. Memes that have been reactionary are not plagiarizing IMM, but are simply an adaptation of a meme that no longer worked for them as many memes are.
ETA: A lot of commenters are commenting about the authors participating in Kristi's plagiarism week. I do not blame the authors for anything. Some of the articles have been well articulated on why it's not okay, but one author saying it's understandable or a common mistake is simply too much. If it sounds like I'm attacking the authors it is NOT how I meant this, but simply that Kristi is double downing on a sentiment that feels like "Plagiarizing could happen to anyone." and is pulling in author's to defend that viewpoint. That I feel is despicable.
Categories: Random
Hear, Hear! Very well said.
ReplyDeletePlagiarism is taken so seriously at the university I currently attend, that ONE offense is grounds for dismissal. ONE. There are no second chances (unless it's proven that it was a matter of incorrect citation-if the student at least attempted to cite, they're given a warning and made to take a course on proper citation).
As an academic this action is one of the worst. It can ruin your career forever. When intellectual property is your main source of brand, money, and general respect to take someone else's that is the highest of crimes.
DeleteWell said, Rie!
ReplyDeleteWhat authors are going on and saying this is okay??? I don't believe I'll be reading THEIR work any longer.
ReplyDeleteAnd what is the Plagiarism Awareness Week???
The Story Siren is hosting it, but I guess she just chose authors who would say that it's an understandable mistake. Which angers me to no end and is the reason I had to speak out on it.
DeleteOk I had no idea what you were talking about because I haven't been to Kristi's site in a few weeks. I went on there tonight to view what you were talking about because I couldn't believe author's would stand up for plagiarism. I don't believe in or support plagiarism, so I needed to know what was what. This may make me unpopular here but here it goes: Your being very unfair in how you give the facts, it took me five minutes of reading the blogs posted to note that none of the author's were saying it was right (except for two instances: one author who pleaded for readers to simply accept Kristi's mistake and move on and the other who shared what several 'famous' authors had said on the subject) everyone else discussed plagairsim and how it hurts and who it does hurt. They ALL gave good reasons not to do it. Making inflammatory statements that author's are out there calling it ok, doesn't add to the discussion it makes it all about a bad guy and we need to move past that and focus on how this can happen and how to prevent it.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't actually really talking about the authors, but more the fact that she brought authors who said it was "understandable" to post about plagiarism.
DeleteI don't think they were saying it was perfectly okay to plagiarize, but I do think that some of the authors were playing down the effect of it. As you said there were 2 instances of it and quite honestly I feel like one example of condoning it is too much.
I am glad you said this. I have stayed out of the drama, but I am glad you wrote this because it is so true. She hasn't apologized and is just making things worse with her week of awareness.
ReplyDeleteWow, she is sinking low to get her readers to stay, isn't she?!
ReplyDeleteThis Awareness Week is such a fail. Everyone sane, can see that she doing it to get back her readers. She screwed up big time, and she is doing it again.
ReplyDeleteAnd those authors...i've read one of their posts and only half of it. Wonder what the hell are they thinking those things... :S
Well said.
This Awareness Week is so contrived, it's insulting. The thing that has made me the most sad is her fervent supporters, who are contacting commenters directly and bullying them for their statements. It feels like TSS is using her supporters to fight for her, and it make me kinda sick. Not once has she said, relax guys, I've got to pay my penance for this. But I guess that would be the classy thing to do.
ReplyDeleteI think The Story Siren handled herself very poorly after being caught and kinda skirted around making a real apology without ever outright admitting that she was wrong. Plagiarism is never accidental and the fact that others are not only supporting her but defending her is obscene. I bet they'd be singing a different tune if it had been their work that was hijacked.
ReplyDeletethanks for summing this up so succinctly. I'm just not clear, what is IMM? Did I miss something?
ReplyDelete