On Plagiarism, and the Rapidly Encroaching Death of Meritocracy.
Today's post was inspired by another writer. Look for his marvelous 'note' (below)!
There is no reason to expect an even distribution of academic dishonesty.
JUL 11, 2024
Boy, have times changed! When my website was first conceived in 2004 and for about a dozen years after that, I could chart where 'hits' to my site were coming from. Many visits to my website were from universities monitoring their students’ writings to discern if they were producing original works, or plagiarizing MINE (an all too common occurrence for many years, now). In short, higher learning back then was focused on giving credit where it’s due, and not rewarding copycats for theft of intellectual property.
My web articles are uniquely original and insightful. Google apparently appreciated this fact, and gave me first-page placement remarkably soon after their 'crawlers' picked up my content. I was grateful. Google was an engine to be respected back then, and I felt fortunate to have gained a high ranking for my writings. Ahhh, the good old days!
I dated a man many years ago who one day said to me, "you make me wanna rise to my excellence." This statement came outta the blue, perhaps in part, because his mom declared after we'd met, "it's great to see you're finally dating an adult!"
My lover had pathological Codependency issues, and was always drawn to gals who needed rescuing. All those females had Borderline Personality Disorder Waif-type traits, and he’d assume enormous responsibilities~ even to the point of seeing to the well-being of their children. He was happy to assume the role of ‘Hero’ for these gals, having grown up the son of a famous band leader who was often on the road performing, for long stretches of time.
From early boyhood onward, my lover saw it as his responsibility and privilege to care for his lonely, frustrated, abandoned mother, in the absence of her spouse. Being her surrogate husband spawned and bolstered his sense of worth and lovability. This pattern remained deeply entrenched throughout his remaining life with every female he courted, save for me. One evening while cooking us dinner, I asked what it felt like dating someone who didn’t need rescuing. He replied, “I like it~ but it feels a bit uncomfortable.”
America has always been a grandiose, narcissistic nation. We’ve derived our sense of empowerment from helping other nations~ but pathological Codependency (the NEED to be needed) is a Personality Disorder that always undermines the Self, no matter how ya slice that pie! In short, if you’re a compulsive giver, you compulsively seek others who are willing to receive (or take) from you. Hello, Ukraine.
The tragedy in our society today that’s uber-promoted and cemented by an ineffectual, incompetent administration devoid of character, ethics and integrity, is there's little incentive to RISE TO ONE'S EXCELLENCE. The leftist party seems intent on reducing us all to the lowest common denominator, and any semblance of human meritocracy has swiftly gone the way of pre-Ice Age dinosaurs, under the guise of "racial equity."
This is NOT A NOBLE PURSUIT~ it is in fact, the literal dumbing down of entire societies all over the globe! Sinister powers merely make ya wanna believe “equity” is noble, so you’ll martyr yourself, along with every human right you’ve ever held dear. Have you looked up the definitions of equity versus equality lately??
To my mind, this is the same principle as force-mating highly evolved, intelligent mammals with weaker, less resilient species to test homogenization theories, for the sheer purpose of receiving grant-approved, boredom-relieving “studies” performed by those who appear to have lost all sense of humanity. How else, is one capable of torturing helpless laboratory animals, consigned to suffering endless, excruciating pain??
We who are bright, independent thinkers and CAPABLE of rational, independent thought are literally vilified by those who want to devalue and kill us off, because by contrast, they cannot stand to feel inadequate, due to the core shame it evokes. This is an ENVY issue (is there evidence to suggest that Kamala Harris possesses any brain activity?), and the green-eyed monster unfortunately represents 'the majority,' which these days, appears to have no moral standing at all.
One cannot have MORAL development without EMOTIONAL development. Deficits in emotional development guarantees a lack of boundaries, impulse control and empathy. We expect to observe these deficits among very young children, but seem to overlook ‘em in adults. Pathological liars reside under this developmental arrest umbrella as well, having no compunction whatsoever about deceiving others, gaslighting ‘em and projecting their (disowned) faults and flaws onto those they see as threats to their survival. Have you listened to any mainstream “news” lately??
Great minds, both deceased and still living, are surely feeling the sting of such assaults on what was once appreciated and revered as intellectual excellence. The deep state doesn't WANT humans with minds of their own, who can think rationally and independently. It wants only COMPLIANCE~ but self-actualized beings cannot march to that drum! It's not in their wheelhouse to ‘follow,’ and you’d be hard-pressed to find any who are ‘joiners,’ or group oriented.
Some of us were born to lead, and perhaps strands in our DNA demand it! We never blindly follow authority, because we’re experienced and wise enough not to (are YOU still unvaxxed?). We literally can’t abide being “part of the flock.” We are by nature, Shepherds who tend to the well-being of those who cannot defend themselves, while accepting that if WE don't do it, nobody will.
If this seems like a contradiction to earlier statements re codependency, be not perplexed or perturbed. We can only give to others from a well that’s full of water. If it’s coming from our own generous bounty, that’s fine~ but nobody can effectively quench another’s thirst from an empty well. That’s merely an Ego-driven pursuit, which bears no resemblance to gracious giving. (Have ya checked the U.S. national debt recently??)
For those of you who resonate with this piece, be PROUD of your strengths, talents and intellect, and celebrate these aspects in yourself! Your courage and indomitable spirit are innate characteristics that grace you with the capacity to responsibly lead others to knowledge, safety, security and the ability to flourish~ despite entities that seem maliciously intent on deterring it for soley selfish means.
Epilogue
IF you have Codependent leanings, and you wish to understand fully how and why you became a caregiver, fixer, rescuer-type who continually throws him/herself under the bus for the sake of those you think depend on you to “save” them, you might wanna get yourself a copy of, DO YOU LOVE TO BE NEEDED, OR NEED TO BE LOVED?
This little gem of a book can begin dismantling the unhealthy proclivity you have for choosing impaired lovers and friends (wounded birds), to help you (fleetingly) feel okay about Yourself. Genuine Self-worth is never contingent on being needed. That’s just a temporary ‘fix’ that feeds your addictive compulsion to escape your own struggles or difficult emotions, and feel strong~ but it’s a false sense of self~ because without routinely engaging in these over-giving behaviors, who the hell ARE you?