# athelas is a habitual plagiarizing git **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 3, 2011, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athelas-is-a-habitual-plagiarizing-git/587733 "2011-07-03T17:23:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athelas-is-a-habitual-plagiarizing-git/587733/41 "2011-07-04T08:45:08Z")
So it was another attempt at a plagiarism joke? See if I ever stick up for you again. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athelas-is-a-habitual-plagiarizing-git/587733/42 "2011-07-04T09:05:04Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Whoosh. I kinda sorta suspected that, given the topic. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athelas-is-a-habitual-plagiarizing-git/587733/43 "2011-07-04T14:22:21Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > If it’s true, and I can’t see how it’s not true, it should be an insta-ban. You know, it doesn’t really annoy me that he **has** plagiarized, its just that he has done it **so often** ; hell, he even continued after I caught and confronted him last year. Jeez. And Steve Sailer? No wonder **athelas** comes off as a [racist, douchebag idiot](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVLFr2niwjE). If you’re going to plagiarize you should copy someone intelligent, who puts forth strongly informed arguments. Not a self-promoting, kiddie-klan artist, or a [feeper loon, wack-job](http://www.halfsigma.com/2010/11/how-to-spread-the-truth-of-hbd.html). ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athelas-is-a-habitual-plagiarizing-git/587733/44 "2011-07-04T15:09:03Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Perhaps **athelas** is Chinese? > > Apologies. I just couldn’t resist. > [@Morgyn](#): > > Huh? Briefly, there’s a Pit thread on the topic of academic plagiarism in which at least one participant shares anecdotes of Chinese students who apparently don’t grasp the concept that duplication of the source text is **not** the ideal for demonstrating that understanding of the material has been achieved. I’ll let someone else find and post the link… ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athelas-is-a-habitual-plagiarizing-git/587733/45 "2011-07-04T16:24:52Z")
> [@orcenio](#): > > And Steve Sailer? No wonder **athelas** comes off as a [racist, douchebag idiot](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVLFr2niwjE). If you’re going to plagiarize you should copy someone intelligent, who puts forth strongly informed arguments. Not a self-promoting, kiddie-klan artist, or a [feeper loon, wack-job](http://www.halfsigma.com/2010/11/how-to-spread-the-truth-of-hbd.html). To be fair, I think **athelas** is actually a racist, douchebag idiot on his own, not just because he plagiarizes from other racist, douchebag idiots. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athelas-is-a-habitual-plagiarizing-git/587733/46 "2011-07-04T17:14:10Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Reported. Golf clap. Well done. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athelas-is-a-habitual-plagiarizing-git/587733/47 "2011-07-04T17:32:10Z")
I’ve noticed other posters catching him on his copy-catting before, with no response from him (kinda like now). Seems to me if I was caught one time, then I would stop because that would mean the jig is up. But doing it repeatedly is a sign that the guy not only lacks integrity, but that he’s really stupid. But I’ll look forward to him posting about how dumb black people are compared to the superior whites and Asians. All I’ll have to do is link to this thread and say, “Who are you to be questioning _anyone’s_ intellect?” “Insta-ban” sounds like the name of a product that costs $19.95 plus shipping and handling, no CODs. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athelas-is-a-habitual-plagiarizing-git/587733/48 "2011-07-04T17:50:39Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Briefly, there’s a Pit thread on the topic of academic plagiarism in which at least one participant shares anecdotes of Chinese students who apparently don’t grasp the concept that duplication of the source text is **not** the ideal for demonstrating that understanding of the material has been achieved. > > I’ll let someone else find and post the link… They also happen to be generally held as “the country which will pirate anything”. Not sure whether [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13194360&postcount=42) is the post you were thinking of, it’s not from the Pit and I think **even sven** has said similar things in a few plagiarism threads; I seem to remember that in one of them I mentioned that several of my Chinese classmates (in Translation Studies!) had barely-adequate English skills and serious troubles understanding such concepts as “compare”, which matches some of what she says in that one about faking recommendation letters and what not (I was present when our Student Representative asked the school to please not accept students with such low English skills, as it was doing the students themselves no favors and complicating things for everybody else). ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athelas-is-a-habitual-plagiarizing-git/587733/49 "2011-07-04T18:16:25Z")
Any speculation as to what the motives for this behavior could be? Account was created in 2003, so it’s not like it’s someone just trying to establish a new sock for some reason. With no clear motive, it just seems… pathological? ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athelas-is-a-habitual-plagiarizing-git/587733/50 "2011-07-04T18:35:14Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > Any speculation as to what the motives for this behavior could be? Account was created in 2003, so it’s not like it’s someone just trying to establish a new sock for some reason. With no clear motive, it just seems… pathological? I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘pathetic’. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athelas-is-a-habitual-plagiarizing-git/587733/51 "2011-07-04T18:59:12Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > Any speculation as to what the motives for this behavior could be? Account was created in 2003, so it’s not like it’s someone just trying to establish a new sock for some reason. With no clear motive, it just seems… pathological? In all seriousness, it could have a lot in common with the Chinese thing. I think there’s still an idea in China that it’s a sign of respect to copy someone else’s words verbatim–you’re asserting a truth value to them by doing so. If something was said perfectly before by someone else, you don’t want to change it–attributing it isn’t important or expected. That could be what **athelas** is doing, too. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athelas-is-a-habitual-plagiarizing-git/587733/52 "2011-07-04T19:07:50Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > In all seriousness, it could have a lot in common with the Chinese thing. I think there’s still an idea in China that it’s a sign of respect to copy someone else’s words verbatim–you’re asserting a truth value to them by doing so. If something was said perfectly before by someone else, you don’t want to change it–attributing it isn’t important or expected. That could be what **athelas** is doing, too. But in these parts, those annoying copyright laws always get in the way of such displays of respect. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athelas-is-a-habitual-plagiarizing-git/587733/53 "2011-07-04T20:53:13Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > I can’t imagine a ban is even needed: wouldn’t anyone just slink away? Oh yeah, he’s gone, at least in non-sock form. Be suspicious if a new poster calling himself Mallorn starts posting here. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athelas-is-a-habitual-plagiarizing-git/587733/54 "2011-07-04T20:55:50Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Briefly, there’s a Pit thread on the topic of academic plagiarism in which at least one participant shares anecdotes of Chinese students who apparently don’t grasp the concept that duplication of the source text is **not** the ideal for demonstrating that understanding of the material has been achieved. > > I’ll let someone else find and post the link… Heh, my first thought ran along the lines of the “Chinese Room” concept in artificial inelligence, analogous to athelas mechanically accepting input and regurgitating output without any real understanding of what he’s doing. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athelas-is-a-habitual-plagiarizing-git/587733/55 "2011-07-04T20:58:36Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Briefly, there’s a Pit thread on the topic of academic plagiarism in which at least one participant shares anecdotes of Chinese students who apparently don’t grasp the concept that duplication of the source text is **not** the ideal for demonstrating that understanding of the material has been achieved. > > I’ll let someone else find and post the link… > [@Nava](#): > > They also happen to be generally held as “the country which will pirate anything”. :smack: I’d completely forgotten about that discussion, **kaylasdad**. And for whatever reason also hadn’t made the connection to China being a big home of pirating. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athelas-is-a-habitual-plagiarizing-git/587733/56 "2011-07-05T03:30:15Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > I can’t imagine a ban is even needed: wouldn’t anyone just slink away? It’s needed to demonstrate the severity of the offense. Otherwise he’s the one deciding to leave. If we don’t want trolls to have satisfaction, why should he? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athelas-is-a-habitual-plagiarizing-git/587733/57 "2011-07-05T12:29:49Z")
**athelas** has been banned for the plagiarism discussed in this thread. The staff has invited him to explain himself, but since he can’t post for the near term, I’m closing this thread. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athelas-is-a-habitual-plagiarizing-git/587733.md?page=2)