November | 2015 | Dr. StrangeJob or: How I Learned to Stop Raging and Embrace the Bull

The Doctor may have protected himself from potential libel suites with his Disclaimer: Libel or Naught posting, but there is still that nasty issue of plagiarism and copyright infringement. They say the best line of defense is a good offense, and since the Doctor doesn’t mind being a tad offensive, he has decided to tackle the issue head on.

The Doctor will cite religious grounds as his key defense against all plagiarism or copyright claims. In simple words, he is following the directive and past practice of the Holy Vatican. In 2012, the Holy Vatican admitted to copying the biographies of 22 newly appointed Cardinals from Wikipedia. Yes, you read that correctly – of all the academically unholy places they could have chosen from, the Vatican selected Wikipedia for their cut/paste/submit reporting strategy. In addition, the Doctor will also cite the recent regal precedent of the Peruvian Cardinal who was proven to have plagiarised from Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Paul VI. Holy heaven forbid, but if it’s OK for the Vatican, then it shouldn’t be much of a sin for Dr. Strangejob.

There are also many notable cases of plagiarism in academia, including professors, research chairs, and even Vice Chancellors. In 2013, for example, Germany’s education minister was forced to resign after being stripped of her doctorate due to plagiarism. If these are academia’s current role models, then it should come as no surprise that 50 per cent of undergraduate students and 35 per cent of graduate students admitted they had cheated on written work. This is not just a Canadian or United States problem. A recent study in Britain reported 45,000 cases of cheating in 80 institutions over a three year period.

How do we deal with this issue? Praying for it to go away will not work, especially if the prayer leaders are also plagiarizing. Seeking guidance from academia will not work, especially if they are plagiarizing as well. As a professor, I required my students to submit research papers through a plagiarism checker. Although that approach caught the scattered delinquent, it reflected poorly on the student group as a whole. We encourage students to choose between cheating while praying they don’t get caught, or buying papers online. In other words, a choice between papal or paypal. Perhaps a more imaginative solution is required.

The problem is the result of a broken system, so let’s fix the system rather than focusing on a symptom of the real problem. If students are required to submit rote research papers, then they will routinely go the cut/paste route. It’s time for academia to get its head out of their ass and realize that all of the world’s information is only a click way. If we encourage students to apply knowledge rather than regurgitate data, then we will all be better off – and you can quote me on that.

Refer to Dr. Strangejob’s Copyright Notice for additional detail.

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After the Greed is Good Fiasco, the Doctor thought it wise to seek legal counsel. Fortunately, there is hope that he may regain legal rights to the Dr. StrangeJob brand, but more on that in a later post. Unfortunately, legal counsel raised a legitimate concern that some of the Doctor’s blog posts may leave him open to defamation suits. The Doctor was strongly advised to incorporate a “Disclaimer” clause on his website. Luckily, the Doctor has the law on his side.

In order to constitute defamation, the offending claim must be both false and be made to someone other than the person defamed. The key here is that the claim must be false. In other words, if someone believes one of the Doctor’s blogs makes them appear to be an asshole, then it is their legal right to sue. However, if they are, in fact, an asshole, then they will lose the case. Lucky me.

The Doctor is provided further protection from libel because his works are satirical in nature, rather than mere opinion pieces. Defamation is a lie disguised as truth, but satire is a humorous skewering of a cultural or political event – regardless of whether or not you agree with the viewpoint. The Doctor’s goal is to verify that the Peter Principle is alive and well, not to vilify those who have succumbed to its follies. As the old saying goes – even the most useless person can serve as a bad example.

So, here is my disclaimer – may it forever serve to protect the good Doctor from defamation and libel.

Disclaimer

All past, present, and future posts are a satirical account of fictionalized events suggested by the life and times of Dr.StrangeJob. The fictionalized characters and incidents are not intended to refer to actual persons or events, and any similarity is unintentional and entirely coincidental. If you believe this, then please buy a copy of the book “Dr. StrangeJob: Or How I learned to Stop Raging and Embrace the Bull” for all of your friends when it is published. They may see some of themselves in between the lines and have a good chuckle. If, on the other hand, you take offence to any characterizations in the manuscript, or believe the author may be referencing you in an unfair or derogatory manner, then I suggest you follow the advice of Wilbur Swain from the novel Slapstick by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. – “Why don’t you take a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut? Why don’t you take a flying fuck at the mooooooooooooon?”

Dr. StrangeJob or: How I Learned to Stop Raging and Embrace the Bull

Incompetents Anonymous – The Peter Principle in Practice

Monthly Archives: November 2015

Blessed are the plagiarists, for they will inherit the mark

Disclaimer: Libel or Naught