unimpressed

Look, I hate to be the jerk around town, but I am royally unimpressed by your blog plagiarism. Not to be really presumptuous, but It's just too much of a coincidence that my previously used analogies involving Madonna's breasts and Miley Cyrus's ego, and phrases like "unemployment, i welcome you with arms as wide as my wit is lacking," are littered across your blog.

Sure, I have no hold of the English language, so just for that, I can let slide your usage of "deities of academia", "karmic retribution" and "cretin". Just fyi, you spelled cretin wrong - "creten" - hilarious that I held that same spelling error for the better part of last year.

Yes, I stumbled upon your blog, skimmed through the most recent entries, thought it a little uncanny that we had such similar idioms, but thought nothing of it. I even thought "WELL HEY, IT'S A KINDERED SPIRIT!" That until, I saw the sentence, "It would be presumptuous of me to say that my car doesn't like it up the arse." Seriously? I only wrote that line four months ago. If you're going to plagiarise, at least have the decency to steal something at least a year old, that way I might have forgotten I had written it. Jerk.

Look pal, you can kick at my threadbare self-esteem, steal my parking spot or be the obnoxious prick on the treadmill next to me who detracts from my running focus, and yeah I'll be a little miffed. But you take my line about adopting self-defence so that when assailed in the back of an alleyway, I'll have better than my "I can do origami" catchphrase, then we have a problem. Such a problem involves me wanting to make mashed potato of your face with my fist alone.

You think I'm creepy? Damn straight I am. I went to the very start of your blog archives, opened up a word document, and copied down all the lines that sounded terribly suspect. I've organised it under month headings too. I have the intention of going back through my own blog and copying down my original statements and the dates of when I posted them. Why? I don't know. Probably will just be an exercise in personal masochism.

I know what your name is and I know you live in my city. Don't think I'm above shaming you. If I feel so inspired, I will put your link up on here. Better yet, I'll start a new section on the sidebar aptly titled "Wall of Shame" and will christen you as its pioneer. I don't know what I'm expecting. I'd feel terrible to ask you to take your posts down. Who am I to play the holier-than-thou stance, but really, I am livid. Self-expression doesn't come as easy for me as I'd like it to, and for you to come and pedal on the back of my measly wisdom does not sit well with me. Maybe I would just like some sort of acknowledgment - "oh hey, I read your post. I'm really sorry about offending you. Won't do it again." I don't know. All I know is I'm really unimpressed.

I could damn well be overacting. So be it. But just know that this is a mighty pet-peeve, and its people like you who reinforce my increasing displeasure about sharing content. Criticism and trolling I can take, I've dealt with them for a long time. But this, the pilfering of ideas, I do not stand for. I don't mean to be a huge bitch, but I am not going to sit down and take it like a man. I will take it with the full force of the adolescent brat I will never grow out of, got it?

15 comments:

  1. how awful. Sometimes, people really suck.

     
  2. Who is it, who is it, who is it, come on tell us!

     
  3. hey Nikki sorry this happened to you. good to see you fighting it though ! you're very right to be unimpressed.

    as I've said... plagiarism is so easy.
    (even more so for the creatively and morally bankrupt).

     
  4. You should be pissed off. This blog is your own personal self expression. Plagiarism of blog posts is fairly easy to spot. I love your self aware, culturally influenced analogies.

    Copying your writing, which you actually put time into is incomprehensible. Using the same language as somebody else.

    he or she will get what's coming to them.

    I'm gonna put up a turn of phrase that popped into my head on a day when I was a bit down.

    "Karma's a bitch, and she wants me dead"

    Hope plagiarism doesn't rear it's ugly head on you again.

     
  5. looks like she got rid of "her" blog lol.

     
  6. I don't even see the point in stealing someone's blog ideas... I mean, a blog should be about you and your own thoughts. I don't get it. Maybe it's good that I don't...

     
  7. I have to say, after reading your post, I wet myself a bit... I could definitely feel the anger and frustration.

    And to this I just want to say....I'm so glad you're standing up to this! I knew babyporridge had a fire in there somewhere!

    Anywho, it doesn't make you a bitch at all for calling out someone who blatantly STEALS from you. I say...do what you gotta do. If that means burning down their house and torturing their loved ones to get them to stop, then so be it! (ooook maybe not that far...)

    I would say, call them out on it. I mean, you get trolls and stalkers and all sorts of craziness for just being on the nets and sharing your creativity. If anyone deserves the blight of the troll, it would be someone like this right?

    Now if only we could get you to feel that way about stalkers... It's ok Nikki, we can build your inner rage. Before you know it, you'll be a baby kicking, fire spitting, plagarizer punching terror!

    Oh and whatever you do, don't take your stuff down. How lame would it be for the nets to be left with a shitty, uninspired carbon copy of the real thing?

    Anyway, that's all for now. I expect to see a wall of shame very soon

     
  8. Such an eloquent storm!

     
  9. This can't be Kathy Tran? Tell me I'm wrong, she wouldn't do that, would she?

     
  10. Well done you on calling her out. Plagiarism is something that really gets to me too. It makes me want to withdraw from sharing anything on blogs etc. As a writer I am painfully aware of how easy it is for others to plagiarise. :/

    I also once had a friend who copied *everything* I used to do - whether that was work stuff, or even the things I actually did or the way I dressed. After feeling like I'd actually had my *identity* stolen, I have absolutely no tolerance of people who can't think for themselves, and try to gain credit from ideas that weren't theirs in the first place!

    Well done again you.

     
  11. Darling, you're not overreacting AT ALL. You're an artist, & your creations in all their forms - be they your writing, your music or your photography - are just that: yours, and yours alone. Plagiarism is awful, and the fact that you didn't even get a passing mention as to where this person got his/her 'inspiration' from makes it ten times worse.

    I know I'm just echoing the sentiments of everyone who commented before me, but you did the right thing. :) And take some consolation in the fact that this person seems to admire you and your work so much, they have to resort to copying it to come anywhere close to your calibre! <3

     
  12. oh and btw, this is really well written.

    -fierce and focused-

    some wonderful stuff in here, getting to the emotion, at the heart of what it feels to be plagiarized. i love how your humor is still there too, wonderfully employed to convey your anger (and hurt).

    i agree with what brambledown said here... its is an "eloquent storm" indeed.

     
  13. You shouldn't feel bad about it.
    You have every right to be pissed - I would be.

     
  14. your writing is eccentric

     
  15. " I don't mean to be a huge bitch, but I am not going to sit down and take it like a man. I will take it with the full force of the adolescent brat I will never grow out of, got it?"

    BRILLIANT line. I may just use it.

    ...I'M KIDDING.

    I think you should be flattered. I mean, you're amazing enough that this kid is copying your lines, when they could be copying lines from Mitch Hedburg or something.
    ...all the same, SHAME THEM. PUT THEIR LINK ON YOUR BLOG. :D