Plagiarism

I really went back and forth about making a post regarding a recent scandal involving blatant plagiarism. It seems like everyone has something to say about it. As an amateur writer and horror enthusiast, I feel compelled to address the issue. What the hell, here’s my two cents.

I only recently became aware of a certain writer in the horror genre who was outed for plagiarism on more than several occasions. Initially, my understanding is that the writer ignored the issue at hand. One of her employers came to her defense without even hearing the facts. I guess he has since recanted. Eventually, she asked one of the bloggers who outed her to take down his post (he obviously declined) comparing her pieces to the ones she stole. Then she issued a half assed apology via twitter (how mature) and soon deleted it along with her account and website. It appears she has gone into hiding now.

It’s hard to say if this scandal would be as huge if said writer was not dating an incredibly famous Hollywood director. Lots of people have chastised those discussing her personal life. However, Miss Writer was the one who name dropped Mr. Director on a regular basis. She even coaxed him into writing the forward for her upcoming book. She put her personal life on public display therefore it is fair game.

I think the most disheartening aspect of this scandal is that fact that she’s single handedly given women in horror a bad name. Women in the film industry (outside of actresses) are pretty scarce; women in the horror genre are even rarer. She just fed into the dumb blonde/pretty face stereotype. Miss Writer admitted she made a mistake. A mistake is an isolated error in judgment. However, Miss Writer’s errors were not isolated incidents. She continued to lie and steal other hardworking writers’ work. The worst part is that she collected a paycheck in the process. Several other writers have come forward since stating she stole pieces from them as well. She even burgled user reviews on IMDB.com! Miss Writer apparently tried to blame her intern for the snafu a la Ashlee Simpson so I do not sympathize with her at all.

I often wonder what it would be like to be able to write professionally. I love writing and really wish I had more time to do so. I’m just not sure I could do it as a career because it might not be as much fun. On the other hand, if I had the chance to write about horror movies and film, I’m sure I could make it work! My favorite comment on the scandal is this:

"I used to write for Fangoria.

I can attest that it's very easy to write about horror films when you are passionate about said subject matter. Having to swipe or copy the work of other students of film is not only lazy, but it cheapens the passions of all the hard working individuals who take the time to have a voice.

I'll tolerate much, but to steal something because you can't be bothered to come up with your own idea when that is literally all you're being paid to do...

I guess she's just a pretty face.

Sad."

I hope Miss Writer is made an example of and that this behavior will not be tolerated in the industry. I don't think she's truly sorry for what she did. I think she's sorry she got caught. Miss Writer expressed that she was leaving journalism behind for a while which is a relief because she’s not very good at it. Even her copy/paste job was sub-par. She’s also indicated that she’s received death threats which I don’t necessarily buy. I will admit I felt some jealously when this budding romance came about and I watched her walking the red carpet at The Oscars. She’s attractive, she gets to write about horror movies for a living, and she’s dating one of the most influential directors of our time. That hint of jealously has definitely subsided. At least I can sleep with myself at night knowing I'm an honest person. Now I wouldn't want to be in her shoes even if QT is the one drinking out of them.