Americans With No Abilities Act (AWNAA). From the OP.
Ahh, OK.
Gee, funny how the original content of the OP has gotten lost in all this discussion, isn’t it?
Well, it was never actually original content.
According to Starving Artist, the original content was all about laziness. This was illustrated with an article that, it turns out, SA didn’t write and couldn’t be bothered to credit.
So, depending on how you look at it, the discussion arguably hasn’t really strayed from the OP’s topic; but in fact has illustrated it at length, and indeed continues to do so.
ZING!*
Brilliant.
Norman Bates? Is that you?
Okay, I’ve been staying away so as to let things settle in my mind and hopefully address this situation in a more objective way. My feeling throughout most of this thread has been that, number one, my error in posting the OP unattributed was unintentional and therefore I was not in the wrong in posting it that way; and number two, that since no one was harmed by it, no apology was really called for anyway.
But today I began to recall an incident recently where another poster accused me of something I hadn’t done. I offered cite after cite to prove him wrong and requested that he retract and apologize. He refused because of longstanding animus between us, and said, IIRC, that I didn’t “deserve” one.
Today I’ve become aware that my behavior and attitudes in this thread are very similar to his in that other thread. He didn’t know at the time he posted it that he was in error, I didn’t know at the time I posted the OP that I was in error; he refused to acknowledge that error, I have refused to acknowledge my errors; he felt that because I was a jerk I didn’t deserve an apology, I felt that because many of my opponents here were jerks, that they didn’t deserve an apology. And finally, I realized that it didn’t matter whether someone was actually “harmed” by such an error, an apology was still in order anyway.
Thus I have arrived at the point where I can sincerely and honestly see and acknowledge that a retraction and an apology are in order. So I do hereby recant the statements I’ve made here in my own defense and acknowledge the plagiarism that characterized my posting of the OP. I also sincerely and unreservedly apologize not only for my errors in posting the OP without attribution and my subsequent defense of it, but for failing to recognize that my behavior here has been just as wrong as that which I was so critical of in the other thread.
One of the reasons I haven’t apologized earlier, even though it would have been an easy way out, was because I felt it wouldn’t have been honest for me to do have done so. I would have been lying just to get everyone off my back. It’s only been today, in light of the insight I gained in thinking back on that other thread, that I’ve truly able to see the error of my ways here and I hope that whether you are a friend or not you will be able to accept my apology as genuine.
Where’d you steal that from?
I’m kidding! I kid!
Apology accepted for me.
Very well done. There are too many posters who never come to such a realization. I too accept your apology.
Jack, that was very tacky, and totally unecessary, but still pretty funny.
SA, good for you. I knew you had it in you. Long may you run.
Good man.
Go forth and sin no more.
About time. Apology accepted. Now, don’t do it again. (Plagiarize, I mean. Not apologize.)
Now, about this other matter of you being dumb enough to think it was even funny … how’s that coming along?
Gold claps, for my two bits. 'nuff sed.
Well, I have to say I am impressed.
I’m out for the rest of the day (night?) but I wanted to thank those of you who’ve posted for your gracious (and occasionally funny) responses.
This seems as good a time as any to review our copyright policies:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=7696968#post7696968 (Emphasis added.)
We don’t have a written plagiarism policy separate from our copyright policy, but the copyright policy covers this. If you are quoting something, cite the reference. If anybody wants to propose a plagiarism rule, I’ll gladly discuss it in ATMB.
I think it’s probably time to close this thread. I’ll do it tomorrow morning if nobody objects.
**
Gfactor**
Pit Moderator
I appreciate the opportunity to object, Gfactor, but please feel free to close it whenever you feel the time is right.
Well done, Starving Artist.
Hey, start a new thread about the “article” (with the attribution this time, of course), and we can have the conversaton that you had initially been desiring, ok? 'luci made a valiant effort at jump-starting it, but he just couldn’t get any traction.
And now gfactor’s about to close it… 