Two cents

So, I guess the blog world is in a tizzy because someone stole posts from other blogs and passed it off as their own. (too lazy to linky link) It's lame, obviously, but it's not the end of the world, people. So this person is completely unoriginal and claimed the posts as her own. Big whoop. From the ones I read, the posts she copied were filled with general observations about spring and all it brings to mind.

I'm not making excuses for her. I don't even know who she is. But you know who I really feel sorry for? Not the people whose blogs were emulated, but for all the readers of Chicky's blog. They invested time and perhaps even an emotional attachment to whoever was writing. Come on, I can't be the only one who was pissed off when that Cordy's Helpless Romance or whatever the hell it was called turned out to be a steaming pile of bullcrap. When that so-called author sought comments and emails, posing as a young girl in emotional distress, that was a shitty thing to do. In comparison, shoplifting some thoughts on spring? Not so bad.

My funniness gets hijacked all the time! If I got angry every time it happened, I'd be on perma-simmer. I once had a girl who was dating the guy I liked (he was one of my best friends, so we had *everything* in common) start copying everything I did. I'd hear her use the same one-liners or jokes I'd said earlier, making it sound like she'd come up with it. She suddenly became a literature expert (until I tested her knowledge and found it severely lacking). People, she even freaking permed her hair!

And I swear to God Kristen and I came up with Beardface (pronounced Bay-ard-fah-say) long before Scrubs did.

Is it okay, then, for people to take credit whether credit certainly isn't due? No, not at all. But from what I've been able to see, the actual authors of the blogs that were getting ripped off are quite genial about it. Laughing, even. It's some others in the blog world who appear to be fanning the flames of self-righteousness. So before anyone decides to continue the finger-pointing, how about asking yourself when you last quoted a movie or TV show and didn't immediately follow it up with a disclaimer. Open blogs are in the public domain just as much as films and television.

Let's just hope this stealer-of-posts has learned her lesson, not to mention anyone else who may have been tempted to blog-lift. And if not, you know what they say: Imitation is the highest form of admiration.