# DudleyGarrett, you're a plag\[i\]arist and a coward **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 15, 2009, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dudleygarrett-youre-a-plag-i-arist-and-a-coward/510227 "2009-09-15T20:48:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dudleygarrett-youre-a-plag-i-arist-and-a-coward/510227/101 "2009-09-16T03:54:43Z")
> [@Gfactor](#): > > 'tain’t. 😃 > > No seriously, it is hidden now. Thanks for the help, Gfactor… it’s appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dudleygarrett-youre-a-plag-i-arist-and-a-coward/510227/102 "2009-09-16T03:54:44Z")
> [@DudleyGarrett](#): > > Um, no, because I disagree with it… and apparently twickster does as well as the warning was rescinded. > > Rescinded. Reversed. > > Do you get it now? There is no dispute that you broke the rules. The issue is whether or not that violation deserved a warning. **Twickster** apparently changed her mind on that issue. ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dudleygarrett-youre-a-plag-i-arist-and-a-coward/510227/103 "2009-09-16T03:55:52Z")
> [@DudleyGarrett](#): > > Shouldn’t be. I’ll shoot you a quick P.M. ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dudleygarrett-youre-a-plag-i-arist-and-a-coward/510227/104 "2009-09-16T03:55:56Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > There is no dispute that you broke the rules. The issue is whether or not that violation deserved a warning. **Twickster** apparently changed her mind on that issue. Right… Hey, I have an idea, why don’t you go moderate your own board? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dudleygarrett-youre-a-plag-i-arist-and-a-coward/510227/105 "2009-09-16T03:56:03Z")
> [@DudleyGarrett](#): > > No, I changed it because I didn’t want it made public. Hmmm…pretty convenient time to change it, then. Not to mention, it never seemed to have bothered you before. As for making a PM public, gee, I dunno, last time I checked it was against the rules to tell a mod to “shove it”, in response to a warning. But what do I know – maybe they changed it? :dubious: You’re a real class act, **Dudley**. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dudleygarrett-youre-a-plag-i-arist-and-a-coward/510227/106 "2009-09-16T03:56:31Z")
Dudley, testing reveals that your email adress is now blocked (from posters, not from mods); PMs are not. If that’s what you wanted, you’re good to go. I’ll leave it to you and those you PMed before the mixup to settle this before I post again in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dudleygarrett-youre-a-plag-i-arist-and-a-coward/510227/107 "2009-09-16T03:57:36Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Dudley, testing reveals that your email adress is now blocked (from posters, not from mods); PMs are not. If that’s what you wanted, you’re good to go. > > I’ll leave it to you and those you PMed before the mixup to settle this before I post again in this thread. It’s settled. I’m good. ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dudleygarrett-youre-a-plag-i-arist-and-a-coward/510227/108 "2009-09-16T04:02:46Z")
Nice save Gfactor. I’m glad you caught that. I wasn’t meaning any harm by pointing that fact out. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dudleygarrett-youre-a-plag-i-arist-and-a-coward/510227/109 "2009-09-16T04:04:47Z")
> [@DudleyGarrett](#): > > Right… > > Hey, I have an idea, why don’t you go moderate your own board? Because your little temper tantrum amuses me. ---
**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:** [September 16, 2009, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dudleygarrett-youre-a-plag-i-arist-and-a-coward/510227/110 "2009-09-16T04:16:29Z")
Since having a sense of humour is apparently key to this controversy, I’ll read the 58-item list and apply my own standards to evaluate them. I trust my own sense of humour is not in doubt. 1. not funny 2. mildly amusing 3. mildly amusing 4. not funny 5. mildly amusing 6. not funny 7. meh 8. meh 9. mildly amusing, though my equivalent was a Colecovision 10. arguably true, since I’ve had problems such a suggestion might fix 11. true, I guess, but not especially insightful 12. sort-of true, in these sense that I’ve learned that watching a favourite movie or television program in the presence of someone who doesn’t like it ruins the experience. I’m sure my own palpable indifference or dislike of a presentation may have had this effect on others. 13. I never had problems with it. 14. it’s not the number that matters but the total weight, but I’ll admit that making extra trips is something I avoid. 15. meh 16. I don’t text while driving. It is a stupid thing to do. I have used pauses at red lights to glance at printed maps. 17. Urban legend about an activity that hold no real appeal for me. 18. Yes, it was. 19. true enough, though not especially insightful. 20. they’re related, I admit, but the observation isn’t funny. 21. “absolutely petrifying” is so huge an overstatement that it ruins what might have been a decent witticism. 22. true, sort-of, but not insightful. 23. true, I guess, because I’ve been in numerous situations where just pretending to understand is just easier than trying to parse some fatuous remark. George Orwell’s Winston Smith had a similar experience in “1984”. 24. I tend to fall back on military training in such situations. 25. The first (minor) chuckle I’ve had so far. 26. I never played the game, myself. meh. 27. eyeroll. 28. possibly true, if the death was unusual. Time Magazine’s Transitions page includes the cause of death if it wasn’t of plain old age. 29. I’m not sure why the author finds this so unbelievable. 30. neither true nor clever. 31. so the author’s getting old? boo-hoo. 32. true, but this is just a restatement of other expressions with the same sentiment but better phrasing. 33. I’m not a Facebook user nor a stalker. In fact, the allusion to _A Christmas Story_ simply offers an unflattering contrast - that movie was funny, this list so far… isn’t. 34. meh. The author’s incorrect spelling of “Carmen Sandiego” further undercuts an already tepid observation. 35. normal nervousness when meeting strangers. Hardly a major insight. 36. I’ve experienced moments like this, but they’re not typically abrupt or unexpected. They typically come on days when I’m not feeling well or when my morning has been disrupted by various mishaps or hassles with coworkers. 37. The Simpsons told the joke better, without the self-pity. 38. meh. 39. I’ve found these moments to be mildly concerning, but a double-check usually clears up any confusion. 40. meh. I have some dry-clean items, though not many. 41. meh. 42. I’ve never experienced this. 43. meh 44. the second reference to internet stalking. Wasn’t funny the first time, either. 45. meh 46. rolleyes 47. get over yourself, pal. 48. I have minor moments like this, problems with short-term memory. Not a major insight. 49. hur hur hur… rolleyes 50. cellphone call screening? Gosh, maybe in 1996 this would seem groundbreaking. 51. meh 52. being a frequent user of the snooze button, I’m sure I’ve had moments of perfect accuracy, but also others of less accuracy and… what was the point, again? 53. make up something funny and get a laugh out of it, stupid. 54. well, read before you click, stupid. 55. meh. 56. well, you can go to the dollar store and get one that installs in less than a minute, if it bugs you that much. 57. hur hur hur… rolleyes. 58. get over it, pal. So, I got one minor chuckle over twenty minutes. Still beats Mad TV. ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dudleygarrett-youre-a-plag-i-arist-and-a-coward/510227/111 "2009-09-16T04:33:57Z")
1. More cowbell! ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dudleygarrett-youre-a-plag-i-arist-and-a-coward/510227/112 "2009-09-16T04:36:40Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > No question on the moderation, but isn’t the content of a Private Message supposed to be, you know, _private_? Not if it’s cowardly and abusive. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dudleygarrett-youre-a-plag-i-arist-and-a-coward/510227/113 "2009-09-16T04:38:57Z")
112 posts over this bullshit. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dudleygarrett-youre-a-plag-i-arist-and-a-coward/510227/114 "2009-09-16T04:43:18Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Not if it’s cowardly and abusive. And you are in charge of the department of “cowardly and abusive” P.M’s? ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dudleygarrett-youre-a-plag-i-arist-and-a-coward/510227/115 "2009-09-16T04:53:35Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > 112 posts over this bullshit. :dubious: 1. ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dudleygarrett-youre-a-plag-i-arist-and-a-coward/510227/116 "2009-09-16T04:59:08Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > 1. You really are the twat I thought you were! And I got it up to 114, NEENER NEENER NEENER! ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dudleygarrett-youre-a-plag-i-arist-and-a-coward/510227/117 "2009-09-16T04:59:26Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > 112 posts over this bullshit. :dubious: Some of them are pretty funny. ---
**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:** [September 16, 2009, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dudleygarrett-youre-a-plag-i-arist-and-a-coward/510227/118 "2009-09-16T05:02:35Z")
Funnier than the list, certainly. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dudleygarrett-youre-a-plag-i-arist-and-a-coward/510227/119 "2009-09-16T06:44:03Z")
> [@Captain\_Awesome](#): > > The worst crime here is that the list wasn’t funny… OK maybe ‘regards’ was funny, but the rest weren’t. Anyway, the source you cited plagiarised the material itself. The ‘firsthand’ source is from [ruminations.com](http://www.ruminations.com/site/index.php?sort=mostgourmet&range=0), where each list item comes from a single author. How many of these do you think were really the originator of the material, rather than just recounting it on the understanding that almost all jokes are secondhand, and that the source is unknown? I’ve not cited jokes I’ve told here before, and no sanctimonious idiot has rounded on me for it. **DudleyGarrett** ’s PM was ill considered, but I can understand his motivation. I’ve got no particular dog in this fight, other than to say that I assume _all_ jokes posted on the Internet are taken from somewhere else, and that it’s been going on for so long that proper attribution is, for the most part, impossible. Sure, when someone does the “Seven words you can’t say on television” thing, we know it originated with the late George Carlin, and there are several other comedians with fairly “distinctive” brands of humour that are clearly identifiable as being “their” work (or re-imagining of earlier, un-attributable works), and yeah, trying to knowingly post those without attribution would, IMHO, be plagiarism. But jokes in general- ranging from the “Why did the chicken cross the road?” variety through to the “apparently the genie thought I wanted a 12-inch _pianist_” or “A Kenyan, A Scotsman, and Benito Mussolini walk into a bar”- type jokes are, for want of a better term, “in the public domain” and have no moral rights associated with them anymore because they’ve been around for as long as there has been language and amusing situations. Even if you take jokes about any unpopular modern-day head of state/political leader, you’d probably find that they’re just slightly different versions of jokes people were telling about Hitler and Tojo and Stalin back in the '40s and '50s, and _they_ were just slightly different versions of jokes about The Kaiser and Dowager Empress Tz’u-Hsi and the Ottoman Sultan, which were themselves slightly different versions of jokes about Napoleon and King George III and King Louis XVI, and they were just versions of even earlier jokes about whichever notable personage that people wanted to make fun of. I’m sure there were even a few brave souls making jokes we’d recognise about Genghis Khan or Alexander The Great or Rameses II. All of which is a really long and complicated way of saying “I personally don’t think that posting a list of jokes on a messageboard without attribution qualifies as plagiarism unless said jokes are identifiably known to have originated with a specific comedian/writer”. ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dudleygarrett-youre-a-plag-i-arist-and-a-coward/510227/120 "2009-09-16T06:58:04Z")
Damn, Thank you **Martini**. Some folks can tell it like it is. Take my wife… PLEASE! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dudleygarrett-youre-a-plag-i-arist-and-a-coward/510227.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dudleygarrett-youre-a-plag-i-arist-and-a-coward/510227.md?page=7)