Why Plagiarizers Don’t Help Themselves
What we can really gain from the recent derivative brouhaha (I’m looking at you, gossips and conspiracy theorists!) are the lessons learned from the unfortunate incident.Reading on the entire episode reminded me about the evils of plagiarism, both for the offender and offended. The victim of course suffers because his originality was violated. But in the end, it’s the apparent perpetrator who loses more.
A wonderful piece of work, whether it’s writing, art, or even web design, usually pushes the limits of possibility. It pushes other people to do better, because they see that such a high level is attainable; if he can do it, so can I. Their skills and capabilities improve as they strive to match, or even surpass, their inspiration.
Merely copying someone else’s work and claiming it as your own doesn’t have this effect. In fact, it’s stagnating. Since passing off a plagiarized work as your own—not to mention avoiding getting caught—takes a lot of time and energy, you’ll have none left to develop yourself. You won’t even be able to learn from the very work you stole, no matter how good it is.
It’s easy to steal. But taking the time to look at something, truly learning from it, and applying what you’ve learned to your future projects makes things easier in the long run. Take note, fellow Freelancers and Contract Workers.
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POSTED IN: Living as a Freelancer
2 opinions for Why Plagiarizers Don’t Help Themselves
Contract Worker - Why You Shouldn’t be Happy With What You Have
Dec 26, 2006 at 6:17 am
[…] It isn’t enough, because we should be grateful. We should be grateful for the gifts life has given us, for all the breaks that went our way. Sometimes, when you see all the good fortune God (or whatever higher power you believe in) has granted you. You realize that complaining about all your misfortunes is silly. So while you enjoy the holidays, be grateful for what you have. Merry Christmas to you all! PS: Ok ok, so I used Alexander Kjerfulf’s idea for the title. But there’s nothing wrong with learning from others. […]
The Perils of Plagiarism
Aug 24, 2007 at 2:36 am
[…] Recent readings have inspired me to compile a short list on plagiarism. Click through the links below to find out more of this lazy and ironically self-defeating activity. […]
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