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A few weeks ago, I wrote about Greg Oden's apology over nude pictures he sent to his girlfriend. I maintained that, while what he did was kinky, he hadn't really done anything which required him to apologize to the public. A few hours ago, Tiger Woods delivered a 14 minute apology to the public (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs8nseNP4s0).
HE did do something wrong by cheating on his wife. However, while he owes an apology to his wife and family, probably a series of groveling apologies actually, I'm not completely convinced he owed one to the public. I think he was brave for doing it, and I applaud him for doing so. Yet, we need to over come this idea that sports figures OWE us a certain standard of moral behavior.
When we buy a ticket to a sporting event, we have a right to expect the athletes involved to play the game in question to the best of their ability in order to entertain us. That's it, that's what our ticket gets us. It doesn't give us a license to police their bedrooms.
Before you say, "Well, the old time athletes held themselves to a higher standard," think again. Babe Ruth ran naked through a train chasing a naked lover. Reporters who were on the train never mentioned it, because it had nothing to do with the game.
Some claim athletes are held to a higher standard because they endorse products. Are people really buying energy drinks and shoes based on the sexual/moral habits of the athlete in the commercial? It's more likely, not necessarily more reasonable, that people buy certain shoes and energy drinks with the hope of mimicking the athletic prowess of the particular athlete.
Let me stop a minute to qualify what I'm saying. If an athlete's caught breaking criminal laws such as participating in animal fights, brandishing guns in the locker room, dealing drugs, etc... such players need to be held criminally liable and possibly be banned from their sport. If a player is caught taking performance enhancing drugs or making book on sports such players should be banned from their sport. I simply don't see why athletes need to be held publicly accountable for personal choices.
End Note - I just want to make a quick comment regarding the way some people have labeled Tiger's apology as "insincere," simply because he read a written statement. Of course, he pre-wrote his statement, of course he did. This was an incredibly emotional issue for him to address, and he didn't want to be up there fumbling through his thoughts like some drooling idiot. Having written his statement before hand isn't a sign of insincerity, it's a sign that he's smart.
This blog began as a writing and literature blog with the occasional Op-Ed piece on current events & issues. The political writing has, slowly but surely, taken this blog over. Readers will still be treated to some of my thoughts on pop culture and sports, but, for the most part, Blogito Ergo Sum will feature my opinions on the state of our union and world.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Autumn Afternoon
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I wrote this poem 2 or 3 years ago, was reading it again today, and felt like posting it.
Autumn Afternoon
My window frames a melancholy portrait of nature’s slumber,
Reminiscent more of Hollywood’s Halloween than of an impending Thanksgiving.
Stark gray clouds bleakly decorate the early afternoon sky,
Which hangs ominously above skeletons of dark and sleeping trees.
Their lonely naked perches extend sharply in every possible direction,
Stabbing and jabbing at the frigid air embracing them.
Leaves, once rich reds and golds, now shades of auburn,
Dart furiously within wintry wind, as if late for their final resting place.
Thickly stuffed coats are pulled up over hunkering earlobes,
Protecting pedestrians from the heavens’ promise of liquid bombardment.
Warm in my window, I soak in the drama and reflect.
Does the squirrel, foraging for deposits of acorns and filberts,
Know the sun will one day re-warm the earth beneath him?
Or, does he simply accept what comes,
Free of giddy expectation and bitter disappointment?
I wrote this poem 2 or 3 years ago, was reading it again today, and felt like posting it.
My window frames a melancholy portrait of nature’s slumber,
Reminiscent more of Hollywood’s Halloween than of an impending Thanksgiving.
Stark gray clouds bleakly decorate the early afternoon sky,
Which hangs ominously above skeletons of dark and sleeping trees.
Their lonely naked perches extend sharply in every possible direction,
Stabbing and jabbing at the frigid air embracing them.
Leaves, once rich reds and golds, now shades of auburn,
Dart furiously within wintry wind, as if late for their final resting place.
Thickly stuffed coats are pulled up over hunkering earlobes,
Protecting pedestrians from the heavens’ promise of liquid bombardment.
Warm in my window, I soak in the drama and reflect.
Does the squirrel, foraging for deposits of acorns and filberts,
Know the sun will one day re-warm the earth beneath him?
Or, does he simply accept what comes,
Free of giddy expectation and bitter disappointment?
Friday, February 12, 2010
Plagiarism Vs. Inspiration
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Helen Hegemann’s novel, “Axolotl Roadkill,” is up for a major German literary award. Just to be published at age 17 is incredible, and having that work nominated for ANY kind of award is a phenomenal feat. Yeah, except that, according to the New York Times, much of the book was plagiarized.
The article, by Nicholas Kulish, explains, "Deef Pirmasens, the blogger who discovered the passages taken from 'Strobo,' said that he could understand a few words or phrases seeping into the work through inspiration, but that he quickly noticed that there were too many for it to be a coincidence. 'To take an entire page from an author, as Helene Hegemann admitted to doing, with only slight changes and without asking the author, I consider that illegitimate,' Mr. Pirmasens said." When confronted with the facts, Ms. Hegemann reportedly claimed that, “There’s no such thing as originality.” She’s right, and she’s wrong.
George Polti claims there are only 36 basic literary plots, and that every piece of fiction ever written follows one of them. The 36 being:
1. Supplication (in which the Supplicant must beg something from Power in authority)
2. Deliverance
3. Crime Pursued by Vengeance
4. Vengeance taken for kindred upon kindred
5. Pursuit
6. Disaster
7. Falling Prey to Cruelty of Misfortune
8. Revolt
9. Daring Enterprise
10. Abduction
11. The Enigma (temptation or a riddle)
12. Obtaining
13. Enmity of Kinsmen
14. Rivalry of Kinsmen
15. Murderous Adultery
16. Madness
17. Fatal Imprudence
18. Involuntary Crimes of Love (example: discovery that one has married one’s mother, sister, etc.)
19. Slaying of a Kinsman Unrecognized
20. Self-Sacrificing for an Ideal
21. Self-Sacrifice for Kindred
22. All Sacrificed for Passion
23. Necessity of Sacrificing Loved Ones
24. Rivalry of Superior and Inferior
25. Adultery
26. Crimes of Love
27. Discovery of the Dishonor of a Loved One
28. Obstacles to Love
29. An Enemy Loved
30. Ambition
31. Conflict with a God
32. Mistaken Jealousy
33. Erroneous Judgment
34. Remorse
35. Recovery of a Lost One
36. Loss of Loved Ones.
Accepting this as fact, one could argue that originality doesn’t exist.
However, within those 36 frames, a huge variety of pictures can be painted. Characters can be created, each with their own history, beliefs, motivations, strengths, and frailties. Dialogue can range from the mundane to eloquent tapestries inspiring thought. Action can be written to take readers anywhere and expose them to anything. Anyone, with a word processor, can take passages from books A, B, & C, change the names, and call it a book. The job of a writer is to fashion original prose into a compelling arrangement of characters, dialogue, and actions in order to tell an original story within the framework of a certain plot type.
That being said, there’s a difference between plagiarism and inspiration. Writers learn from other writers. We learn flow, style, structure, pace, and voice from each other. I’ve learned such things from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert B. Parker, and other mystery writers. While I’ve applied what I’ve learned from them to my work, the stories and characters have always been spawned from my own imagination.
This is not to say, writers don’t quote one another. Yet, when doing so we make it clear it’s what we’re doing. For example:
-
“Look,” I said. “I know how goofy it sounds.”
“Do you?” she shot back. “Do you really?”
“Of course I do. I’ve been running around like a junior g-man all damn day while telling myself how crazy it all is.”
“Then why are you doing this?”
“Because, nobody else will,” I said. “I’m all they’ve got. Besides, I know you’ve read Dickens, he explained it better than I can.”
She paused for a moment to search her brain for the relevant literary passage. Comprehension washed over Jasmine’s face as she finally clicked to my meaning. “I agree in principle,” she said. “Mankind is your business. The common welfare is your business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, are, all, your business. I get it, but Dickens was talking about day to day compassion and charity. That doesn’t that obligate you to risk your neck to help any poor slob who gets himself in a fix?”
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My character, Jasmine, is quoting Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” but the reader knows that’s what’s happening, and isn’t attributing the phrase to my skill set. In the piece you’re reading now, I’ve quoted a specific newspaper article and a literary theorist, but made it clear where the quotes came from.
Perhaps the over all idea behind the book was her own, but to convey her story with other people’s prose, without crediting those other people, is theft. Thus, she needs to share her award and royalties with everyone who contributed to the book, whether their contribution was voluntary or not.
Helen Hegemann’s novel, “Axolotl Roadkill,” is up for a major German literary award. Just to be published at age 17 is incredible, and having that work nominated for ANY kind of award is a phenomenal feat. Yeah, except that, according to the New York Times, much of the book was plagiarized.
The article, by Nicholas Kulish, explains, "Deef Pirmasens, the blogger who discovered the passages taken from 'Strobo,' said that he could understand a few words or phrases seeping into the work through inspiration, but that he quickly noticed that there were too many for it to be a coincidence. 'To take an entire page from an author, as Helene Hegemann admitted to doing, with only slight changes and without asking the author, I consider that illegitimate,' Mr. Pirmasens said." When confronted with the facts, Ms. Hegemann reportedly claimed that, “There’s no such thing as originality.” She’s right, and she’s wrong.
George Polti claims there are only 36 basic literary plots, and that every piece of fiction ever written follows one of them. The 36 being:
1. Supplication (in which the Supplicant must beg something from Power in authority)
2. Deliverance
3. Crime Pursued by Vengeance
4. Vengeance taken for kindred upon kindred
5. Pursuit
6. Disaster
7. Falling Prey to Cruelty of Misfortune
8. Revolt
9. Daring Enterprise
10. Abduction
11. The Enigma (temptation or a riddle)
12. Obtaining
13. Enmity of Kinsmen
14. Rivalry of Kinsmen
15. Murderous Adultery
16. Madness
17. Fatal Imprudence
18. Involuntary Crimes of Love (example: discovery that one has married one’s mother, sister, etc.)
19. Slaying of a Kinsman Unrecognized
20. Self-Sacrificing for an Ideal
21. Self-Sacrifice for Kindred
22. All Sacrificed for Passion
23. Necessity of Sacrificing Loved Ones
24. Rivalry of Superior and Inferior
25. Adultery
26. Crimes of Love
27. Discovery of the Dishonor of a Loved One
28. Obstacles to Love
29. An Enemy Loved
30. Ambition
31. Conflict with a God
32. Mistaken Jealousy
33. Erroneous Judgment
34. Remorse
35. Recovery of a Lost One
36. Loss of Loved Ones.
Accepting this as fact, one could argue that originality doesn’t exist.
However, within those 36 frames, a huge variety of pictures can be painted. Characters can be created, each with their own history, beliefs, motivations, strengths, and frailties. Dialogue can range from the mundane to eloquent tapestries inspiring thought. Action can be written to take readers anywhere and expose them to anything. Anyone, with a word processor, can take passages from books A, B, & C, change the names, and call it a book. The job of a writer is to fashion original prose into a compelling arrangement of characters, dialogue, and actions in order to tell an original story within the framework of a certain plot type.
That being said, there’s a difference between plagiarism and inspiration. Writers learn from other writers. We learn flow, style, structure, pace, and voice from each other. I’ve learned such things from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert B. Parker, and other mystery writers. While I’ve applied what I’ve learned from them to my work, the stories and characters have always been spawned from my own imagination.
This is not to say, writers don’t quote one another. Yet, when doing so we make it clear it’s what we’re doing. For example:
-
“Look,” I said. “I know how goofy it sounds.”
“Do you?” she shot back. “Do you really?”
“Of course I do. I’ve been running around like a junior g-man all damn day while telling myself how crazy it all is.”
“Then why are you doing this?”
“Because, nobody else will,” I said. “I’m all they’ve got. Besides, I know you’ve read Dickens, he explained it better than I can.”
She paused for a moment to search her brain for the relevant literary passage. Comprehension washed over Jasmine’s face as she finally clicked to my meaning. “I agree in principle,” she said. “Mankind is your business. The common welfare is your business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, are, all, your business. I get it, but Dickens was talking about day to day compassion and charity. That doesn’t that obligate you to risk your neck to help any poor slob who gets himself in a fix?”
-
My character, Jasmine, is quoting Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” but the reader knows that’s what’s happening, and isn’t attributing the phrase to my skill set. In the piece you’re reading now, I’ve quoted a specific newspaper article and a literary theorist, but made it clear where the quotes came from.
Perhaps the over all idea behind the book was her own, but to convey her story with other people’s prose, without crediting those other people, is theft. Thus, she needs to share her award and royalties with everyone who contributed to the book, whether their contribution was voluntary or not.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Never Quite Done
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One time honored writing truism states, “a book is never ‘done’.” To paraphrase Maureen Johnson, author of Suite Scarlet, if there were no deadlines, writers would never send work to publishers because they’d never stop polishing it.
She’s right. Just today, I learned there was a real bill called “The Defense of Marriage Act.” Grrr, I'd fire my research staff if I weren't its sole member. Thus, I had to go back through my first book and change the name of the proposed legislation to “The Marriage Clarification Act.” It sounds like a small detail, I know, but since the proposed legislation is a possible motive for the murder, I had to make sure it didn’t share a title with something that’s already been passed into law. I guess it’s a small, very small, blessing I’m not published yet.
One time honored writing truism states, “a book is never ‘done’.” To paraphrase Maureen Johnson, author of Suite Scarlet, if there were no deadlines, writers would never send work to publishers because they’d never stop polishing it.
She’s right. Just today, I learned there was a real bill called “The Defense of Marriage Act.” Grrr, I'd fire my research staff if I weren't its sole member. Thus, I had to go back through my first book and change the name of the proposed legislation to “The Marriage Clarification Act.” It sounds like a small detail, I know, but since the proposed legislation is a possible motive for the murder, I had to make sure it didn’t share a title with something that’s already been passed into law. I guess it’s a small, very small, blessing I’m not published yet.
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