# Plagiarists are stupid. Throw rocks at them. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 10, 2007, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarists-are-stupid-throw-rocks-at-them/399549 "2007-04-10T22:10:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [April 10, 2007, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarists-are-stupid-throw-rocks-at-them/399549/1 "2007-04-10T22:10:52Z")
Here’s a heartwarming little story for y’all. Seems there’s this fellow, name of Todd “Goliath” Goldman, who purports to be an artist. He’s got a gallery show going on in LA right now. [Here’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Todd_Goldman_Make_Everyone_Die.jpg) one of the more famous painting being displayed at the show. Problem is, it’s famous at the moment because it was originally drawn six years ago. [By someone else.](http://www.purplepussy.net/d/20010919.html) The image was stolen directly from a webcartoonist named Dave Kelly. And by stolen directly, I mean that the dumb cocksucker straight up [traced](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Goldmantrace.png) that motherfucker. That’s really extraordinarily shameless. Apparently, this isn’t the first time Goldman has come under fire for plagiarism. He’s previously been accused of stealing the design and concept for his character [Eve L.](http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/152/st3266~Eve-L-Doesn-t-Play-Well-with-Others-Posters.jpg) from another webcartoonist, Roman Dirge, inventor of [Lenore, the cutest little dead girl](http://community.livejournal.com/lenore_comics/). And others have noted similarities between his [Goodbye Kitty](http://www.blueq.com/modules/ecs/images/125837550_m.png) and [Neko](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Neko_animation_steps_-_falling_asleep.png), an animated character from an open source computer app dating back to the late '80s. Goldman has built a career out of selling these characters on t-shirts and as original works of art, with his name attached. The dick. In the area of things Goldman is known for that he actually invented himself (so far as anyone knows), his most high-profile success has been a line of t-shirts with cutesy, quasi-feminist slogans like, “Boys are stupid. Throw rocks at them.” Hence the title of this thread, which in the spirit of Todd Goldman, I shamelessly stole from [this site](http://www.kellyhills.com/blog/?p=732). I first heard this story courtesy of Randy Milholland, creator of the indescribably awesome webcomic, [Something Positive](http://www.somethingpositive.net/). Since Goldman appears to have a special fondness for stealing from webcomics, the webcomic community has taken special glee is spreading this information far and wide, even working it [directly into](http://www.starslipcrisis.com/d/20070409.shtml) a [few strips.](http://www.pvponline.com/article/3253/mon-apr-09)[Dave Kelly’s website](http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2416213&perpage=40&pagenumber=1), naturally enough, has the best source of links to other comics and message boards where folks with an interest in either webcomics or basic integrity have been tearing into Goldman like a pack of piranhas skeletonizing a cow. And by God, I can’t think of a more deserved fate for this prick. Except maybe being _literally_ skeletonized, instead of merely figuratively. ---
**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:** [April 10, 2007, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarists-are-stupid-throw-rocks-at-them/399549/2 "2007-04-10T22:23:25Z")
[A few more examples of Goldman’s creativity.](http://taxidermied.livejournal.com/42521.html) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarists-are-stupid-throw-rocks-at-them/399549/3 "2007-04-10T22:24:44Z")
I’ve always said plagiarists are stupid. And I resent your repeating it without my express permission. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarists-are-stupid-throw-rocks-at-them/399549/4 "2007-04-10T22:27:17Z")
I have to admit though that this is the most blatant case I’ve ever seen. Did he honestly think he would get away with it? ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarists-are-stupid-throw-rocks-at-them/399549/5 "2007-04-10T22:29:32Z")
C’mon, **Miller** , you left out the best parts. When people called him on it, Todd sent them pornography and said that Dave Kelly was a pedophile. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarists-are-stupid-throw-rocks-at-them/399549/6 "2007-04-10T22:40:21Z")
Unbelievable. No moral compass and dumb as charcoal to boot. I hope he gets his ass sued and I’m asked to sit on the jury. Uh, wait, to make sure I’m not excused from the pool let me just say: “Well, the drawings aren’t identical. And the changes are an artistic commentary on the originals. I’d have to see what the artist has to say for himself before I’d be able to form a fair opinion.” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarists-are-stupid-throw-rocks-at-them/399549/7 "2007-04-10T22:55:23Z")
Found [here](http://www.fleen.com/archives/2007/04/10/posted-verbatim/): > [@](#): > > Here’s my inspiration! Every month I paint the works of a pedophile. This week, I chose the work of Dave Kelly, he’s a huge infantilist furry. This is someone who draws baby anthropomorphic animals either wetting themselves or jacking off. I’m not kidding. Once again, his name is Dave Kelly and this is his FTP full of his lovely art, there are even some photos of the artist himself, handsome fellow isn¹t he? > > [http://seth.beepboopinternet.com/davekelly/](http://seth.beepboopinternet.com/davekelly/) (_NSFW!_) > > Next month, please look for my special pedophile/serial killer series when I recreate the works of Jeffrey Dahmer. > > Once again thanks for your support and please help me with my cause by spreading the word and showing the world just how creative pedophiles can be. > > Do it for the kids. > > Todd ---
**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:** [April 10, 2007, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarists-are-stupid-throw-rocks-at-them/399549/8 "2007-04-10T22:58:54Z")
Wow, I’d missed that aspect of this story! This guy is just all class, isn’t he? Thanks for the additional info, **lno** and **Lute**. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarists-are-stupid-throw-rocks-at-them/399549/9 "2007-04-10T23:06:00Z")
Geez. What a creep. I am horrified that he was able to get away with this for as long as he did. Please tell me that someone has alerted the gallery and had them pull the plug on the “show”. I haven’t had a chance to read all the posts about this on the other sites yet, but I definitely hope the Something Awful folks make an example out of this uncreative twerp. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarists-are-stupid-throw-rocks-at-them/399549/10 "2007-04-10T23:13:07Z")
[Here](http://www.miketyndall.com/todd_goldman/)’s a good summary of all the suspicious examples in Goldman’s work. I was in Vegas last month and was in a gallery that saw this stuff for sale. Pretty amazing what some of it ran for–have to wonder how the gallery owners (presumably one or more chains) are feeling about this now. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarists-are-stupid-throw-rocks-at-them/399549/11 "2007-04-10T23:22:58Z")
[QUOTE=magellan01] Unbelievable. No moral compass and dumb as charcoal to boot. [/QUOTE] Reminds me a lot of [British Intelligence](http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/attack/2003/0205plagiarism.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Papermache\_Prince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarists-are-stupid-throw-rocks-at-them/399549/12 "2007-04-11T00:21:21Z")
Stupid? How about stealing an essay from that obscure publication, the _Wall Street Journal_? That’s what a producer for CBS News did for an [essay on libraries for Katie Couric](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18045526/) - now that producer is unemployed. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarists-are-stupid-throw-rocks-at-them/399549/13 "2007-04-11T00:51:50Z")
This is the jackass who created “Boys are stupid. Throw rocks at them.”? He deserves to be stoned just for that. What a horrible line of shirts and they’ve infected my line of sight for too long! OK, I only see one like once a month, but still, they’re annoying. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarists-are-stupid-throw-rocks-at-them/399549/14 "2007-04-11T02:32:34Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] Reminds me a lot of [British Intelligence](http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/attack/2003/0205plagiarism.htm). [/QUOTE] What? You’re comparing an artist tracing over another drawing for financial gain with an intelligence agency including what academics thought on a subject (which has nothing to do with this OP by the way)?! Don’t you know anything about intelligen— (checks poster’s name) Uh, never mind. ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarists-are-stupid-throw-rocks-at-them/399549/15 "2007-04-11T02:39:14Z")
Yeah, artists stealing other artists ideas? What a sonnabitch! Just like this no talent hack motherfucka: [http://help.com/wiki/Roy\_Lichtenstein](http://help.com/wiki/Roy_Lichtenstein) ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarists-are-stupid-throw-rocks-at-them/399549/16 "2007-04-11T02:48:28Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > You’re comparing an artist tracing over another drawing for financial gain with an intelligence agency including what academics thought on a subject (which has nothing to do with this OP by the way)?! Um, the point was that the British intelligence agents who prepared the report didn’t just “include what academics thought on a subject”. They flat-out copied material from academic papers **without crediting their sources**. Surely even you can understand that this is problematic not just in terms of abstract ideals about intellectual property but in practical terms of the reliability of intelligence. Readers of intelligence reports need to know as much as possible about the sources from which the report is drawn (except where revealing sources would compromise security requirements) so they can estimate how trustworthy the report is. If intelligence agencies are cobbling reports together with plagiarized material **from openly available published research, some of it out of date,** then they’re giving a false impression to their readers about the truthfulness and reliability of their information. Considering the magnitude of the decisions that are based on the information in intelligence reports, this is not a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarists-are-stupid-throw-rocks-at-them/399549/17 "2007-04-11T02:50:08Z")
[QUOTE=threemae] Yeah, artists stealing other artists ideas? What a sonnabitch! Just like this no talent hack motherfucka: [http://help.com/wiki/Roy\_Lichtenstein](http://help.com/wiki/Roy_Lichtenstein) [/QUOTE] Please, go on. Who did he steal from? And can you provide an example of a piece of art he stole from? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarists-are-stupid-throw-rocks-at-them/399549/18 "2007-04-11T02:51:58Z")
I think **threemae** whooshed you, **magellan**. ---
**Author:** ![nameless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/779978/32.png) [@nameless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nameless)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarists-are-stupid-throw-rocks-at-them/399549/19 "2007-04-11T02:56:47Z")
Obligatory Timbaland crack goes here, but I’m so tired of that whole debacle. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarists-are-stupid-throw-rocks-at-them/399549/20 "2007-04-11T03:03:58Z")
[QUOTE=Kimstu] I think **threemae** whooshed you, **magellan**. [/QUOTE] Did somebody say [“Whoosh?”](http://davidbarsalou.homestead.com/WHAMM.gif) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarists-are-stupid-throw-rocks-at-them/399549.md?page=2)