bonsaiTALK Community - View Single Post - CLOSED: What is Plagiarism?

Be advised, the following is my opinion based on the information I've been exposed to as of 9/17/06: I reserve the right to change my opinion in the future as more information is revealed to me

This has been an interesting saga. Of course I'm relatively new to BT but I think I've read enough to have a basic understanding of why so many people dislike Will. I've tried not to form an opinion of the man since I have never met him. However, it is hard not to form an unfavorable opinion after seeing some of the childish responses he has given to others. Of course, I understand that I'm probabling seeing only one side of the story.

I've also viewed his MySpace page which seems to be a shameless "I Love Me" self promotion piece. He really seems to focus on the fact that "his work" has been published and that this somehow legitimizes him as a Bonsai expert. There are many smart people out there who understand marketing and work very hard at creating an "image" for themselves. It definitely seems that Will suffers from severe narcissism. Interestingly many people with this inflated view of themselves succeed in convincing many others that they really are what they attempt to project. They also do not have very many close friends because close friends will discover their secret.

I really don't see a need to strike Will's contributions from BT. In many cases the material that Will has plagiarized is informative and useful. By blantantly plagiarizing material Will is simply displaying his lack of knowledge in certain areas and being lazy. Knowingly publishing someone's elses material as your own says a lot about Will's character. Perhaps adding a disclaimer to each of his posts informing the reader of why Will was banned would be useful.

For myself, in the future I will read any material from Will with the knowledge that it most likely is not his own thoughts and that it is simply a summary of what he has heard or read from other people. Unfortunatley for Will he will have to fight this stigma for the rest of his Bonsai "career". In a way I feel sorry for him.

My only suggestion to those of you whom Will has offended or attempted to harm with childish words is that by appearing to crusade against him you may only appear to be "haters" and inadvertently help him to become what he wants so desparately to be "Famous".

As the editor of any medium I would have a difficult time continuing to publish material from a known plagiarist.

As a reader I will have no choice but to question the judgement of any editor that chooses to publish material from someone who has obviously plagiarized in the past.

I think this quote from Buzz Light Year of the movie Toy Story truly captures this whole situation. Buzz doesn't yet know he is really just a toy...

"Buzz: You are a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity. ...
Woody: What chance does a toy like me have against a Buzz Lightyear action figure? "

17-Sep-2006	#45
cray13 bonsaiTALK Expert Join Date: Apr-2006 Location: Raleigh, NC Country: US USDA Zone: 7B AHS Heat Zone: 7 Posts: 185	Outside perspective Be advised, the following is my opinion based on the information I've been exposed to as of 9/17/06: I reserve the right to change my opinion in the future as more information is revealed to me This has been an interesting saga. Of course I'm relatively new to BT but I think I've read enough to have a basic understanding of why so many people dislike Will. I've tried not to form an opinion of the man since I have never met him. However, it is hard not to form an unfavorable opinion after seeing some of the childish responses he has given to others. Of course, I understand that I'm probabling seeing only one side of the story. I've also viewed his MySpace page which seems to be a shameless "I Love Me" self promotion piece. He really seems to focus on the fact that "his work" has been published and that this somehow legitimizes him as a Bonsai expert. There are many smart people out there who understand marketing and work very hard at creating an "image" for themselves. It definitely seems that Will suffers from severe narcissism. Interestingly many people with this inflated view of themselves succeed in convincing many others that they really are what they attempt to project. They also do not have very many close friends because close friends will discover their secret. I really don't see a need to strike Will's contributions from BT. In many cases the material that Will has plagiarized is informative and useful. By blantantly plagiarizing material Will is simply displaying his lack of knowledge in certain areas and being lazy. Knowingly publishing someone's elses material as your own says a lot about Will's character. Perhaps adding a disclaimer to each of his posts informing the reader of why Will was banned would be useful. For myself, in the future I will read any material from Will with the knowledge that it most likely is not his own thoughts and that it is simply a summary of what he has heard or read from other people. Unfortunatley for Will he will have to fight this stigma for the rest of his Bonsai "career". In a way I feel sorry for him. My only suggestion to those of you whom Will has offended or attempted to harm with childish words is that by appearing to crusade against him you may only appear to be "haters" and inadvertently help him to become what he wants so desparately to be "Famous". As the editor of any medium I would have a difficult time continuing to publish material from a known plagiarist. As a reader I will have no choice but to question the judgement of any editor that chooses to publish material from someone who has obviously plagiarized in the past. I think this quote from Buzz Light Year of the movie Toy Story truly captures this whole situation. Buzz doesn't yet know he is really just a toy... "Buzz: You are a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity. ... Woody: What chance does a toy like me have against a Buzz Lightyear action figure? "