This example brought to you by our very own God, in the Soap Box, where he posted the following word-for-word ripoff of an interview in The Economist:

message_topic.aspx?topic=574051&page=16#14171583

Quote :

"The Republicans don’t have any credibility whatsoever. They squandered whatever they had when they enacted a massive UNFUNDED expansion of Medicare in 2003. Yet they had the nerve to complain about Obama’s health plan, WHICH WAS FULLY PAID FOR according to the Congressional Budget Office. The word “chutzpah” is insufficient to describe how utterly indefensible the Republican position is, intellectually. Furthermore, Republicans have a completely indefensible position on taxes. In their view, deficits cannot arise from tax cuts. No matter how much taxes are cut, no matter how low revenues go as a share of GDP, tax cuts are never a cause of deficits; they result ONLY AND EXCLUSIVELY from spending—and never from spending put in place by Republicans, such as Medicare Part D, TARP, two unfunded wars, bridges to nowhere, etc—but ONLY from Democratic efforts to stimulate growth, help the unemployed, provide health insurance for those without it, etc. The monumental hypocrisy of the Republican Party is something amazing to behold. And their dimwitted accomplices in the tea-party movement are not much better. They know that Republicans, far more than Democrats, are responsible for our fiscal mess, but they won’t say so. And they adamantly refuse to put on the table any meaningful programme that would actually reduce spending. Judging by polls, most of them seem to think that all we have to do is cut foreign aid, which represents well less than 1% of the budget. Consequently, I have far more hope that Democrats will do what has do be done. The Democratic Party is now the “adult” party in American politics, willing to do what has to be done for the good of the country. The same cannot be said of Republicans, who seem unwilling to do anything that would interfere with their ambition to retake power so that they can reward their lobbyist friends with more give-aways from the public purse. Unfortunately, I don’t think Democrats have the guts or the stamina to put forward a meaningful deficit-reduction programme because they know—as I do—that it will require higher revenues. But facing big losses in the elections this fall I can’t blame them. That leaves us facing political gridlock between the sensible but cowardly party and the greedy, sociopathic party. Not a pleasant choice for those of us in the sensible, lets-do-what-we-have-to-do-for-the-good-of-the-country independent centre."

Now, it's not surprising that someone who would deign to plagiarize in order to boost their internet Soap Box cred would fuck up royally when going about it, but in this case, God has offered a textbook example of what not to do. So that others might learn from his blunder, please observe the following rules when quoting without attribution:

1) Don't pilfer something that's dramatically smarter than you are! Constructing a reputation for greatness is a gradual process that takes incremental steps. If you're a film studies major going back to school to take 100-level calculus classes, don't start out by stealing an interview from a renowned thinker and professional policy expert; try looking for an amateur blog writer with less than a hundred followers on Twitter first and work your way up!

2) Don't quote multiple paragraphs word-for-word! In the age of Google, this is a no-brainer. Anyone who suspects you might be lifting someone else's knowledge has an awful lot of material to search with.

3) Know your audience! You might be able to get away with sniping The Economist if you're posting comments on Youtube videos and GOLO, but you probably should consider lower-profile source material when posting on a message board full of students and professionals, many of whom have bona fide economics degrees and read magazines like that over their coffee.

4) Know your language! This is perhaps the easiest of all, and yet God has failed it so hard. It could also be said as, "Actually read what you're copying and pasting." Look for any dead giveaways, such as using British spellings like "programme"--if you're from North Carolina and aren't a bloody colonialist, make some quick edits to get rid of red flags like that. Keep in mind, this might also involve a bit of paraphrasing to avoid violations of rule number 1). Speak with your own voice, even if you're stealing someone else's thoughts.

7/27/2010 9:22:22 PM

k

7/27/2010 9:24:17 PM

lol, a film major taking calculus.

7/27/2010 9:26:04 PM

someone in my creative writing class soph. year directly ripped the wrestling and uncle ben dying sequence from Spiderman for an assignment and the teacher spent an entire class period berating him in front of everyone.

7/27/2010 9:27:03 PM

Cold BUSTED. I love. Always knew that idiot was a fraud.

7/27/2010 9:59:04 PM

Quote :

" If you're a film studies major going back to school to take 100-level calculus classes, don't start out by stealing an interview from a renowned thinker and professional policy expert"

It's a vicious circle

Physics major plagiarizes, becomes film major, plagiarizes, becomes physics major

And so on into eternity

7/27/2010 10:00:18 PM

thank you Shadowrunner for a valuable PSA

God is a pretty terrible tdubber

7/27/2010 10:02:32 PM

Quote :

"someone in my creative writing class soph. year directly ripped the wrestling and uncle ben dying sequence from Spiderman for an assignment and the teacher spent an entire class period berating him in front of everyone. "

hahaha awesome

7/27/2010 10:05:14 PM

and a pretty terrible plagiarizer

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

7/27/2010 10:05:51 PM

if you felt inclined to double-post this thread in the soap box, i would not suspend you for it

[Edited on July 27, 2010 at 10:07 PM. Reason : he needs to be called out to the max]

7/27/2010 10:07:08 PM

if you felt inclined to double-post this thread in classifieds, i would not suspend you for it

7/27/2010 10:08:05 PM

The word “chutzpah” is insufficient to describe how utterly indefensible the Republican position God is, intellectually.

[Edited on July 27, 2010 at 10:18 PM. Reason : space]

7/27/2010 10:18:11 PM

i am not surprised

this is the same guy that trolled people in his own 60+ page motivational get-in-shape thread

7/27/2010 10:24:36 PM

iop1

7/27/2010 10:25:40 PM

^

7/27/2010 10:28:01 PM

I <3 David.

HARD.

7/27/2010 10:29:17 PM

Quote :

"someone in my creative writing class soph. year directly ripped the wrestling and uncle ben dying sequence from Spiderman for an assignment and the teacher spent an entire class period berating him in front of everyone."

can you elaborate? what assignment was it for? how did the teacher deliver the news? how far did the guy/girl sink into his/her seat?

7/27/2010 10:29:25 PM

I don't give a shit. I'm not writing a senior paper here.

7/27/2010 10:31:37 PM

Quote :

"iop1"

Naw dude, my threads don't go multiple pages. I've got a reputation to uphold.

7/27/2010 10:33:57 PM

come on, you guys, he just forgot to cite his references

7/27/2010 10:34:54 PM

Quote :

"It's a vicious circle Physics major plagiarizes, becomes film major, plagiarizes, becomes physics major And so on into eternity"

10/10, 2 thumbs up.

7/27/2010 10:40:48 PM

7/27/2010 10:43:43 PM

Quote :

"God is a pretty terrible tdubber"

7/27/2010 11:09:05 PM

pwnt!

7/27/2010 11:23:31 PM

meh, who really cares...it's tww.

7/27/2010 11:25:38 PM

Oh my God.

Are you saying that The Economist plagiarized God?

I'm starting a letter-writing campaign right now.

7/27/2010 11:53:21 PM

lol

10/10 thread

iop1

7/28/2010 12:18:10 AM

Great stuff!

iop1

7/28/2010 12:18:42 AM

oh man.

this burn. . .

tis quite sick.

7/28/2010 12:20:10 AM

this is not surprising, but it is still humorous

7/28/2010 12:24:04 AM

hahahaha

7/28/2010 12:27:05 AM

haha, where is God hiding?


hahahahhahahahaa


<3 Shadowrunner

7/28/2010 12:30:22 AM

Quote :

"can you elaborate? what assignment was it for? how did the teacher deliver the news? how far did the guy/girl sink into his/her seat?"

iirc it was our main short story assignment for the semester.

everyone had read it before the class, and the teacher asked for our comments. we were all pretty much silent, so she singled out some random people for comments, and started asking "do you get the feeling you've heard this story before?" and shit like that. The guy seemed pretty embarrassed but tried to play it off like "I WANTED TO RECREATE ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOVIE MOMENTS IN A SHORT STORY AND ADD MY OWN ELEMENTS." "What elements are yours?" "Uhhhhh...."

7/28/2010 1:38:47 AM

i never paid much attention to this God clown .. is his profile real? the quotes, the pictures... it's like someone went out of their way to create a stereotypical internet loser.

no one could be this pathetic. he must have created this persona to troll some lulz.

7/28/2010 2:17:45 AM

Quote :

""

ahahaha win

7/28/2010 2:41:52 AM

he's still no wolfkpack2k

(he's the one who made up an entire family, right?)

7/28/2010 2:47:06 AM

iop1

many

many lulz

7/28/2010 2:47:37 AM

i hope girls realize that God made that entire "beach body" thread as a ploy to get girls to pose in their underwear/bikinis.

because he's fucking creepy like that

7/28/2010 4:39:32 AM

Quote :

"now i don't have time to get back on here every five min. to write to your sad come backs. so do yourself a favor(and everyone else):turnoff your computer and stick your hands in the garbage disposal. "

lol

[Edited on July 28, 2010 at 5:08 AM. Reason : V not sure, it was in his profile page]

7/28/2010 4:50:43 AM

Who said that?

7/28/2010 4:58:45 AM

Hey God, I'm writing an essay on civil disobedience from a Transcendental point of view. How does this sound?


I HEARTILY ACCEPT the motto, — "That government is best which governs least"; and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe, — "That government is best which governs not at all"; and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have. Government is at best but an expedient; but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient. The objections which have been brought against a standing army, and they are many and weighty, and deserve to prevail, may also at last be brought against a standing government. The standing army is only an arm of the standing government. The government itself, which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it. Witness the present Mexican war, the work of comparatively a few individuals using the standing government as their tool; for, in the outset, the people would not have consented to this measure.

This American government — what is it but a tradition, though a recent one, endeavoring to transmit itself unimpaired to posterity, but each instant losing some of its integrity? It has not the vitality and force of a single living man; for a single man can bend it to his will. It is a sort of wooden gun to the people themselves. But it is not the less necessary for this; for the people must have some complicated machinery or other, and hear its din, to satisfy that idea of government which they have. Governments show thus how successfully men can be imposed on, even impose on themselves, for their own advantage. It is excellent, we must all allow. Yet this government never of itself furthered any enterprise, but by the alacrity with which it got out of its way. It does not keep the country free. It does not settle the West. It does not educate. The character inherent in the American people has done all that has been accomplished; and it would have done somewhat more, if the government had not sometimes got in its way. For government is an expedient by which men would fain succeed in letting one another alone; and, as has been said, when it is most expedient, the governed are most let alone by it. Trade and commerce, if they were not made of India rubber, would never manage to bounce over the obstacles which legislators are continually putting in their way; and, if one were to judge these men wholly by the effects of their actions, and not partly by their intentions, they would deserve to be classed and punished with those mischievous persons who put obstructions on the railroads.

But, to speak practically and as a citizen, unlike those who call themselves no-government men, I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government. Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect, and that will be one step toward obtaining it.

7/28/2010 5:35:10 AM

7/28/2010 6:06:07 AM

Quote :

"thank you Shadowrunner for a valuable PSA God is a pretty terrible tdubber"

7/28/2010 6:45:18 AM

Quote :

"thank you Shadowrunner for a valuable PSA God is a pretty terrible tdubber"

7/28/2010 7:08:21 AM

is gronke hiding or is this the one thread he just hasn't happened to see, yet?

7/28/2010 7:40:02 AM

Quote :

"Anyway, DON'T PLAGIARIZE. Plagiarism is bad and it causes babies to explode. "

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/03/dramatic-picture-reenactment-of-my.html

[Edited on July 28, 2010 at 8:18 AM. Reason : l]

7/28/2010 8:18:14 AM

Funny to see God prancing around in about all of the other forums...except chit chat

Okay only Lounge, Garage, and Classifieds, but still

[Edited on July 28, 2010 at 9:05 AM. Reason : lkj]

7/28/2010 9:05:24 AM

I just saw this thread. Pretty cool, however I literally didn't read anything after his quote... because that was wayyyyyy too much [effort] for a chit-chat thread.

I actually pulled that quote from a thread on the Somethingawful forums, so I suppose you can call me a DOUBLE plagiarizer if you want!

Someone posted the economist article in the thread, and I just copy/pasted it because I thought it was an apt description that was appropriate to share with the Soap Box. And I literally didn't look at the thread afterwards, because I didn't really care. And I guess technically I didn't put quotes around it and the URL, but I really didn't give a shit at the time.... and I don't now! Kind of amazing how that works.

I "plagiarize" half the shit I post on this forum anyway, which is only "plagiarizing" if your definition is to post something without citing the source in MLA format. But, man, thanks for the attention! I enjoy it.

I guess the terrible posting we should really be comparing here is... which is sadder:

1. Highlighting an interesting paragraph, hitting ctrl-c, hitting ctrl-v, posting in a thread I already had open, and then going back to browsing the web.

2. Taking the time out of your day to track down the source of someone's post, think to yourself "MY GOD, HE'S A BIG FAT PHONY," putting down the cheetos and wipe off your hands, typing up , editing, and posting a "hard-hitting exposé" WORDS thread on an internet forum.

[Edited on July 28, 2010 at 9:08 AM. Reason : ]

7/28/2010 9:06:11 AM

Don't try to defend yourself like you were just lazy. You couldn't argue at their level so you found an article that did.

Kind of like picking out a birthday card and being all "Yeah that's something I would say" except you act like you made the card yourself.

7/28/2010 9:07:48 AM

Uh... haha ok.

7/28/2010 9:08:07 AM