# I've seen the future, and this is it: **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 26, 2009, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-the-future-and-this-is-it/487486 "2009-02-26T05:57:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-the-future-and-this-is-it/487486/61 "2009-02-26T16:51:48Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > All he needed to do in order to cite this was to write “From the Onion” at any point in there, and even if his citation were shoddy and incomplete, he could claim that he did source it. He didn’t actually know it was from the Onion, he just got it in an email forwarding. Which (and I can’t believe I’m actually defending **SA** even a little) mitigates the whole plagiarist thing. Had he knowingly grabbed an old Onion article and slapped it up here, then that’s very bad form. But as far as he knew, it was just a funny thing he got in his email, like those “Why chocolate is better than sex” lists. And you know old people, they just can’t resist their email forwardings. 😉 Had he just said “I got this in an email” then we wouldn’t have had this derailment, I think. Someone would have found that it was from the Onion, but I don’t think folks would necessarily hold it against **SA**. I’d hope they wouldn’t, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-the-future-and-this-is-it/487486/62 "2009-02-26T16:56:10Z")
> [@5-4-Fighting](#): > > How do you know Joe Biden didn’t just assume that the world would know he had copied from Kinnock, and everybody was wrong to say he plagiarized (or pulling a bait and switch as far as their motives) and had just missed his point? Biden had used the quote a number of times before, always properly crediting Kinnock. One time he got tired and forgot to, and paid for it dearly. Now, of all the things to get on **SA** for … focusing on this triviality discredits all the substantive criticisms he so richly deserves. Let it alone, okay? ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-the-future-and-this-is-it/487486/63 "2009-02-26T17:07:13Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Now, of all the things to get on **SA** for … focusing on this triviality discredits all the substantive criticisms he so richly deserves. Let it alone, okay? But maybe most most of the crap and nonsense he fills our ears with is similarly piped to him by a variety of e-mail correspondents, and he really hasn’t written any of it. This was just the first time he’s been busted–a tempting thought. I always wondered how one person could gather the energy to generate so much bullshit. Now I think I know. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-the-future-and-this-is-it/487486/64 "2009-02-26T17:09:08Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Biden had used the quote a number of times before, always properly crediting Kinnock. One time he got tired and forgot to, and paid for it dearly. > Now, of all the things to get on **SA** for … focusing on this triviality discredits all the substantive criticisms he so richly deserves. Let it alone, okay? Gee, we’re only having some fun. That mitigates any wrongdoing, correct? Some people are just humorless whistledicks. Also, I’ve never been a fan of the “usually so-and-so is a big asshole, so let’s give them a pass when they are just a minor asshole” routine. Why pick and choose? Is there some limit to the instances of wrongdoing that one may point out? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-the-future-and-this-is-it/487486/65 "2009-02-26T17:10:12Z")
I am pleased to hear that you are not the author of this joyless scrap of bitter sarcasm. The only question which remains is why you thought it worthwhile to bring this to our attention. Given your self-annointed position as the “conservative gadfly who exposes the hypocrisy of the left”. we are pretty much given to assume you find some quality of truth here, the quality that raises humor from lead to gold. And what truth is that? That some of us are too mindful of the halt, the lame and the stupid. That we are too generous. That we weaken the robust vitality of our nation by coddling the weak and stupid. What do we do with all these useless people? Who cannot be formed into wetware robots that produce loud, shiny crap so that they might consume loud, shiny crap? Apparently, the author of this leaden bit of typing urges us to consider that contempt is a good first step. Only a weepy do-gooder would think of these useless scraps as fully human, as worthy as we. It suggests that it might be better to rid ourselves of this sort of sentimental humanism. It mocks compassion for being inefficient by pointing out that humane ideals are not cost-effective. But they are us, aren’t they? Save for a random blip of the genetic lottery, I am that person who cannot function with the simplest of tasks. And so are you. Intelligence is not a virtue, it is merely a characteristic, we probably cannot help but be proud of it, but it would be wise to try. And the answer to Cain’s Question is “Yes. Yes, you are your brother’s keeper.” ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-the-future-and-this-is-it/487486/66 "2009-02-26T17:10:43Z")
… and it turned out to be the past. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-the-future-and-this-is-it/487486/67 "2009-02-26T17:11:58Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > …And you know old people, they just can’t resist their email forwardings. ;)… There is only one sure preventive. Now, get off my LAN! ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-the-future-and-this-is-it/487486/68 "2009-02-26T17:17:02Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > I am pleased to hear that you are not the author of this joyless scrap of bitter sarcasm. The only question which remains is why you thought it worthwhile to bring this to our attention. > > … > > And the answer to Cain’s Question is "Yes. Yes, you are your brother’s keeper. Thank you – your whole piece was just a brilliant response to the mean-minded (as well as plagiaristic) OP. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-the-future-and-this-is-it/487486/69 "2009-02-26T17:30:49Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > What do we do with all these useless people? Who cannot be formed into wetware robots that produce loud, shiny crap so that they might consume loud, shiny crap? Apparently, the author of this leaden bit of typing urges us to consider that contempt is a good first step. Only a weepy do-gooder would think of these useless scraps as fully human, as worthy as we. It suggests that it might be better to rid ourselves of this sort of sentimental humanism. It mocks compassion for being inefficient by pointing out that humane ideals are not cost-effective. If compassionate conservatism has failed us, clearly it is the compassion that is to blame. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-the-future-and-this-is-it/487486/70 "2009-02-26T17:34:35Z")
Fuck you, **Starving Artist** ’s post. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-the-future-and-this-is-it/487486/71 "2009-02-26T18:08:36Z")
Regards to that, you snugglypuppy. Buckeye. (Hey, this Brave New World might not be so bad after all 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-the-future-and-this-is-it/487486/72 "2009-02-26T18:15:57Z")
> [@CircleofWillis](#): > > You folks seriously can’t get through the to the point of the OP because he didn’t appropriately cite a chain email? Seriously? Almost as silly as [accusing a politician of plagiarism because on a particular occasion 20 years ago when he delivered a speech he didn’t attribute a few sentences he quoted from another politican, even though on other occasions when he gave the same speech he **did** attribute them correctly](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden#1988), isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Orr\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ee59a6/32.png) [@Orr\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orr_G)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-the-future-and-this-is-it/487486/73 "2009-02-26T18:33:05Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > I am pleased to hear that you are not the author of this joyless scrap of bitter sarcasm. The only question which remains is why you thought it worthwhile to bring this to our attention. Given your self-annointed position as the “conservative gadfly who exposes the hypocrisy of the left”. we are pretty much given to assume you find some quality of truth here, the quality that raises humor from lead to gold. > > And what truth is that? That some of us are too mindful of the halt, the lame and the stupid. That we are too generous. That we weaken the robust vitality of our nation by coddling the weak and stupid. > > What do we do with all these useless people? Who cannot be formed into wetware robots that produce loud, shiny crap so that they might consume loud, shiny crap? Apparently, the author of this leaden bit of typing urges us to consider that contempt is a good first step. Only a weepy do-gooder would think of these useless scraps as fully human, as worthy as we. It suggests that it might be better to rid ourselves of this sort of sentimental humanism. It mocks compassion for being inefficient by pointing out that humane ideals are not cost-effective. > > But they are us, aren’t they? Save for a random blip of the genetic lottery, I am that person who cannot function with the simplest of tasks. And so are you. Intelligence is not a virtue, it is merely a characteristic, we probably cannot help but be proud of it, but it would be wise to try. > > And the answer to Cain’s Question is “Yes. Yes, you are your brother’s keeper.” **elucidator** , I’m going to cut-and-paste this and send it reply-to-all for each and every bit of hate-glurge that I get. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-the-future-and-this-is-it/487486/74 "2009-02-26T18:59:39Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > No, the point of plagiarizing is to try to take credit for something you didn’t create. I had no way of knowing where it came from at the time and so couldn’t post attribution, and for reasons stated above had no reason to think anyone would actually believe I was the one who wrote it. Well, that’s not entirely true: you knew you got it from an email, so you could have posted that as attribution. > [@](#): > > I’m confident that my posting history here bears out my position. If I was inclined to that type of trickery it would have come out long before this. The above being said, I think this is true. Anyone familiar with your posting history would know that you do not have a habit of plagiarizing. They would also be able to recognize that you are, in fact, stupid enough to think that saying, “I’ve seen the future” is the same as saying, “This is something I saw online somewhere.” ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-the-future-and-this-is-it/487486/75 "2009-02-26T19:21:57Z")
I cut most of the quote in the OP based on our copyright policy. If you want to read about the article posted, you can find several variants of the email here on snopes: [Did the U.S. Pass an 'Americans with No Abilities' Act? | Snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com/politics/satire/noabilities.asp) The original Onion article is here: [The Onion | America's Finest News Source.](http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28982) **Gfactor** Pit Moderator ---
**Author:** ![lightingtool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/57b2e6/32.png) [@lightingtool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lightingtool)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-the-future-and-this-is-it/487486/76 "2009-02-26T19:26:06Z")
> [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](#): > > Your sister sent it to you, but she doesn’t post here? Oh good! > > Your sister’s a cunt. Well, I’m glad to see that Ed’s plan to raise the tone of the pit is working. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-the-future-and-this-is-it/487486/77 "2009-02-26T19:27:16Z")
> [@Gfactor](#): > > I cut most of the quote in the OP based on our copyright policy. > > If you want to read about the article posted, you can find several variants of the email here on snopes: [Did the U.S. Pass an 'Americans with No Abilities' Act? | Snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com/politics/satire/noabilities.asp) > > The original Onion article is here: [http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28982](http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28982) > > **Gfactor** > Pit Moderator There was a quote in the OP? Oh, you mean the kind of quote without quotation marks, one of them quotes. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-the-future-and-this-is-it/487486/78 "2009-02-26T19:32:21Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > Oh, you mean the kind of quote without quotation marks, one of them quotes. Yes. One of those quotes. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-the-future-and-this-is-it/487486/79 "2009-02-26T19:32:24Z")
You look at the original and see that someone did a lot of alteration, to produce something both funny and original. Regrettably, the parts that are funny are not original, and the parts that are original are not funny. And notice: the “Mary Lou” character has been altered from a redundant file clerk to an auto worker. Comparison reveals that the original did not serve the agenda sufficiently, and was improved upon by persons who think _Mallard Fillmore_ is funny. ---
**Author:** ![CaerieD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@CaerieD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaerieD)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-the-future-and-this-is-it/487486/80 "2009-02-26T19:34:51Z")
> [@Orr\_G](#): > > **elucidator** , I’m going to cut-and-paste this and send it reply-to-all for each and every bit of hate-glurge that I get. Just be sure to attribute it properly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-the-future-and-this-is-it/487486.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-the-future-and-this-is-it/487486.md?page=5)