Mabfan's Musings

Excuse me.

The point is NOT that I have a big hammer.

(Though I don't mind allowing people to know that I do.)

You can see that I was satisfied with an apology. I don't want to put myself
through years of hell, as Harlan did.

The point is that the consequences are so dire that "Lucius" threatened doom
to everything around him.

This is the situation. Let's say you WANT to go up to the big muscular guy at
the end of the bar and call him a pussy. Who knows why. Maybe your significant
other left you. Either way, you WANT to disturb his total stranger's evening
that way, and you don't mind taking the consequences.

Well, that's you being an obnoxious idiot, but it's your decision. If a fight
ensues, it's just you and him -- though you have also shown intense disregard
for your fellow bar patrons, the feelings of a guy who has never done anything
to hurt you, and the owners of the establishment.

The point is that if he invites you to take it outside, it's just you versus
him.

Your idiocy doesn't rebound against anybody else.

So this, in the metaphor, would be a guy who prints up my novel, under his name,
using his own printing press and his own distribution network, not involving
any entities other than himself.

That's pretty rare. Most plagiarists are victimizing not only the author, but
also their provided market -- either a publisher, or in this case, a community
bulletin board.

Those plagiarists are asking others to share the responsibility for their crime.

So let's adjust the hypothetical.

Let's assume that you're drinking with friends and you go up to that same big
muscular guy and you say, "Me and my friends, OVER THERE, think you're a big
pussy."

That's something else.

In that case you are stupidly and inconsiderately requiring your friends to
pay the price of your idiocy. THEY are going to share the cuts and bruises that
YOU deserve.

In such a case you are being obnoxious to the big guy at the bar, the owner
of the establishment, everybody who went there to have a peaceful drink, AND
your friends.

If the end result of the fight that ensues is that the bar is closed down and
NOBODY gets to drink there ever again, then you have done your friends and an
innocent business harm.

Plagiarism is more than harmful to the author. It's dangerous to the plagiarist.
AND to others.

I can only repeat: this Lucius defecated in somebody else's living room, during
a family gathering. EVERYBODY there should be upset. Not just the guy whose
shoes were defecated on.