Readers are stupid ...
Am I the only one that is more than just a bit tired at having my intelligence insulted over and over again in forums and blogs? I promised myself I was not going to touch the plagiarism issue, however, the latest round involves those attempting to defend the author in question... and saying that there is NOTHING WRONG with plagiarizing other people's work. Now, I am not going to go into a dissertation on this issue. Not my place. I am not an attorney nor am I a scholar. I am just your average reader.
What once again was rubbed on my face is the fact that a lot of people really think readers are idiots. Frankly, I don't appreciate it. Never did. It is a personal pet peeve of mine. And it is an issue that I have seen over and over again over the past six years, spanning publishing houses, authors, and even review sites. I am now wondering how they are going to label me for daring say this... because that is another issue: the use of "convenience labels" to dismiss difering opinions.
I know this blog is barely read but it is going to feel good to say it: not everyone is vocal about their opinions, the vast majority of visitors to blogs/forums are LURKERS. This means they don't express their opinions, but trust me, they are reaching their own conclusions, and they are certainly NOT stupid.
What is wrong is wrong, no matter how many justifications you may try to bring into the forefront.
Respect is a two way street. Respect the readers.
Mireya
What once again was rubbed on my face is the fact that a lot of people really think readers are idiots. Frankly, I don't appreciate it. Never did. It is a personal pet peeve of mine. And it is an issue that I have seen over and over again over the past six years, spanning publishing houses, authors, and even review sites. I am now wondering how they are going to label me for daring say this... because that is another issue: the use of "convenience labels" to dismiss difering opinions.
I know this blog is barely read but it is going to feel good to say it: not everyone is vocal about their opinions, the vast majority of visitors to blogs/forums are LURKERS. This means they don't express their opinions, but trust me, they are reaching their own conclusions, and they are certainly NOT stupid.
What is wrong is wrong, no matter how many justifications you may try to bring into the forefront.
Respect is a two way street. Respect the readers.
Mireya
~Stacia (Comment this)
-Dawn Montgomery (Comment this)
This return to online communities is something I was looking forward to, but I can already see how little some things have changed. Some authors are really nice and with them, what you see is what you get. Others, however, seem to have a false sense of entitlement just because they are published. Authors are people like everyone else, period. And as it was mentioned, authors are readers too, how can they forget that? I respect their right to express an opinion, however, for people that are supposed to be making words their trade, some of them sure show very poor judgment when choosing how to say what they want to say. This is all a game of words. Use them wisely, and even those that don't agree with you, will respect you. Choose poorly, and you'll end up looking like a fool. (Comment this)