It’s not like I create everything on this blog from scratch. I use other people’s images and words sometimes. There are some images that are so viral, mainly meme-like specimens, that it’s impossible to track them back to the original owner, but whenever possible, I try to give credit where credit is due. There are a lot of people who don’t though.
Plagiarism is part of the reason why I enjoy writing the Well-Known Facts series. I hope that maybe some maroon will look something up, find my “facts,” think they’re real and use them. I would love it if I was cited as a source in some school paper somewhere:
Billy Bo Bob Mr. Teacher Biology I
“The largest living mammal is the plesapumaurus maximus which is actually the continent of Africa. It’s been sleeping for a long, long time.”
I would find that hilarious, because you shouldn’t believe everything you read. If you’re going to get science facts from a Goldfish on the internet, even one who is a trusted authority on science facts like me, you deserve what you get.
Plagiarism has always existed; it’s just a whole a lot easier now. When I was a kid, we didn’t have the internet. We had to find sources for plagiarism the hard way–at the library. Nowadays, everything and everyone is connected 24/7, and it’s right at your fingertips. In a system like that, it’s impossible not to have thievery. It’s just so damn easy. Do an image search, steal an image, post it. That’s all there is to it.