Would you swipe something from a store because you couldn’t afford it? Would you lift a purse from a lady’s chair because she wasn’t looking? Of course not! So what makes people think it’s acceptable to rob someone’s ideas and take credit for their work? Don’t they realize that plagiarism is stealing? While that may seem obvious to you, stealing digital artwork or someone else’s content is much too common today. The $64,000 question is –– why is plagiarism so prevalent?
Some folks think they’re beating the system; they take great pride in dodging the heavy lifting. Other people like the fact that they’re saving a few dollars. And, of course, there are always those who want to look smart for the great work they created (I mean stole).
People who plagiarize are like the thief who steals because no one’s watching or the bully who beats up the kid because they can. They’re like the person who celebrates their job promotion even though everyone knows the truth — it wasn’t earned. And if that wasn’t bad enough, what are they saying to those who look up to them? Although they’ve spent a lifetime earning the trust and respect of family and friends, they’re jeopardizing it all by putting their credibility and reputation on the line.
Plagiarism … What Are They Thinking?
If people who plagiarize think they’re cunning, frugal, or gutsy, let me tell you something. They’re being penalized, regardless of whether or not they get caught. The truth is, it doesn’t matter if they’re sued for copyright infringement or exposed as a fraud. The real punishment is that they have to look themselves in the mirror every day knowing they’re living a lie.
It doesn’t take much effort to do it the right way — request permission, pay the required fee or give the proper attribution to the original source. The choice to steal someone else’s work broadcasts the fact that they’re unwilling or incapable of coming up with ideas on their own. Shame on them! Plagiarism is simply wrong.
Sleep well
How Do You Feel About Plagiarism?
Additional Reading:
Hey, It’s Your Conscience Talking
Executive Compensation: Have You No Shame?
Ever Hear the Excuse “Everybody Does It?”
The Poisoning of Our Minds
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Great one Frank. But now I’m wondering if it is Ok to plagiarize this work of yours by posting a link to my social media!!! Just kidding. Well done. augie
Hi Augie
Thanks so much for sharing my posts. It means a lot coming from you. Congratulations on the wonderful success of YOUR book. I love it. I continue to recommend it to friends and colleagues.
Best,
Frank
Interesting timing on this. Until yesterday, I hadn’t thought too much about the topic but I’m doing research for an article and found a source whose work was fascinating and on point to my hypothesis. It was in a TED talk, so I went looking for a print source that I could use. The first several links on Google pointed to the author having been proven to have plagiarized others’ work and he was ultimately let go from his employer. The TED talk happened after this, as he is trying to redeem himself, and he has a book coming out next month. But now I seem to have lost faith and interest in his work. Shucks.
That’s a shame, Carol.
I’ve been asking myself why plagiarism is so prevalent today. I believe there are three forces in play. First, we live in a competitive world in which everyone tries to stand out. Second, people who write often, receive higher search rankings from Google. So, they feel under pressure to write a lot. Third, the Internet offers easy access to material. Combine all three … One of the reasons that people plagiarize is because they’re pressured to perform. Unfortunately they take short-cuts. The problem is that the easy route is not always the right way. As you point out, the downside is HUGE. You lost faith and interest in his work. I hope everyone learns from this lesson.
Have an awesome day!
Frank
Very well put,Frank.
Its also surprising how stupid some people are to reproduce work verbatim. I can understand being inspired and then having your own take on the same topic giving a different viewpoint. But lifting it word for word is ludicrous. The internet is the source for a lot of information, and it’s also the venue that unmasks the plagiarist.
Cheers!
Thanks Sunil
I agree with your sentiments. I’m not sure if the plagiarist is stupid, lazy, or dishonest. In any case it’ll do serious damage to his or her reputation. With that being said, we continue to run into it every day. It’s so troubling.
Best,
Frank
Tell it like it is, Frank! Yes. It is more than annoying when this happens. It is stealing, plain and simple.
Hi Skip
My hope is that shinning a spotlight on plagiarism may deter people from committing the act. Thanks, as always, for your encouragement and support.
Best,
Frank
Hi Frank, thanks for raising this issue. You might have heard about the recent action twitter is taking to crack down on plagiarism through the DMCA Act. Which is certainly a step into the right direction. I do feel compassion for people who have the need to plagiarise, as it feels like a scarcity mindset to me, sometimes driven by dispair or insecurity, and I do wish for these people the self-confidence to create from within, trusting their own brilliance and the power of co-creation. I wish for them to grow a mindset of abundance and enoughness, by sharing their sources enabling their followers to dive deeper into the matter that inspired them. Here is the link about twitter cracking down: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/72268/20150727/twitter-thieves-plagiarism.htm
Have a wonderful weekend!
Hi Jacky
Thank you for your thoughts. You are obviously a kind and caring soul. I too feel compassion for people who plagiarize. That being said, if we excuse unacceptable behavior, as a “personality flaw”, we’re encouraging other people to commit the same act. Plagiarism is stealing. Period. I applaud Twitter for cracking down on plagiarism. I hope others follow their lead. Actions must have consequences.
Best,
Frank
Well I just saw this picture on facebook saying this:
Paradise is not a place, it is a State of Mind. ‘Frank Sonnenberg’
Well being a student of a Course in Miracles, i recognized the words of Jesus.
He states: T-18.VI. 5. Heaven is not a place nor a condition. 6 It is merely an awareness of perfect Oneness, and the knowledge that there is nothing else; nothing outside this Oneness, and nothing else within.
I thought it was strange for someone to use this quote as if it was his own insight. So i looked you up, and then i saw this article. So there you have it…
That you for your thoughts, Charles.
I will let readers of this post judge for themselves, whether or not this is plagiarism.
Best,
Frank
A brand or individual that continuously steals from people suffers in a few ways. How will you develop the critical thinking necessary to succeed as a top brand in the information economy?
You’re right, Theodore. Thought leadership is critical for achieving competitive advantage. It continually amazes me the short-cuts that people / organizations are willing to take. For those who plagiarize, the downside is HUGE.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Best,
Frank
I ve never understood why people do it. Online attribution is so easy and so more likely to flatter the other party, giving it lift, credibility, and discussion. When you think about it, the plagiarist steals from themselves as well as others. Idiots. And in their greed to reep the rewards and seem smart, they often achieve the opposite. I ve seen karma work its way through in several instances, and its not pretty. Usually, as a result, thieves are forced to spend time with other theves and people of questionable character. The end result is much like sharks, who when starved will eat their own.
I hear you Peter. It makes absolutely no sense to me. My guess is that they got away with something small and thought they could get away with it again. As I like to say, “When you bet against the statistics, you’ll eventually become one.” (Ouch) Plagiarism doesn’t pay!
Have an awesome weekend!
Best,
Frank
Hi Frank, I’ve found really interesting points in your post! Yes, in the digital age it’s really simple to take credit for other’s work – but at the same time it’s so easy to reveal this crime!
Even using Google Search you will find all resources with the same words – and Google knows where is older (original) article, and where is recycled writing. Needless to say, that there’re many useful plagiarism detection tools as iThenticate.com, Unplag.com… I can count them infinitely as the amount of available programs is really huge.
So plagiarizing folks will soon understand that there’s no sense to do this ( for all reasons)
Hi Deborah
It’s so sad that people care more about getting caught for plagiarism than letting themselves down. What happened to their self-respect or their conscience? Personally, I couldn’t live that way.
Thanks for your thoughts and for sharing the detection tools.
Best,
Frank
I agree with the general principles of your position on plagiarism, Frank. But – as the quote about Paradise illustrates – not all plagiarism is necessarily a deliberate act of stealing. It is entirely possible someone comes up with an original thought, only to find out later someone else, outside their field of vision, has also come up with that same thought. Do you really know exactly where your own insights come from, all the time? We are bombarded with ideas (just skim through Twitter and count the number of ideas you are exposed to) and I am sure you can’t keep track of every single influence you are subjected to.
Why do I bring this up?
Because I object to the absolutism of ALL plagiarism is theft. Sure, verbatim coying someone else’s texts and claiming they are you own is objectionable, if not criminal (when it leads to financial gain at the expense of others), but coming out with very similar ideas, even using very similar words, may be the outcome of following a similar train of thoughts, and arriving at the same conclusions.
In modern times we seem to be very hung up about the concept of the individual and the need to be ‘original’. In the past (before the Enlightenment) intellectual and artistic achievements were seen as much more collective: collectively owned, and collectively produced. No-one found it strange or objectionable that Shakespeare wrote most of his plays using pre-existing works for inspiration (and a fair bit of direct copying of plot, characters, and sometimes even words); every painter was expected to use pre-existing masterworks and build further on those; no-one was expected to painstakingly document every bit of ‘borrowing’ that went into the production of a new masterpiece.
Let’s not fall into absolute judgments then, and maybe dial back a bit also on this (in my opinion extreme and somewhat absurd) insistence of everyone’s absolute need to be ‘original’. Nothing we humans produce is every completely original: it’s always an amalgam of pre-existing ideas and influences, mixed with our own unique experiences and perspectives, to produce a new variation on themes and ideas that exist in the collective consciousness of the family, tribe, society, and culture we belong to.
No person, no matter how original, can truly claim to have come up with their ideas all by themselves, nor is it reasonable to demand they list and acknowledge every influence that helped shaped their work.
Hi Bard
I agree with you “coming out with very similar ideas, even using very similar words, may be the outcome of following a similar train of thoughts, and arriving at the same conclusions.”
There are, however, too many people today who simply steal other people’s work and pass it off as their own. They either lift complete paragraphs, verbatim, or change a few words. It’s intentional. They know exactly what they’re doing. The same can be said of artwork and photography. There is no excuse for plagiarism. It’s stealing.
Best,
Frank