Rhostel Wrote:Seems like Shawnzy's been stuck in an echo chamber for a while. Perhaps Tumblr, for example. The kind of place where people of similar ideals cluster and pump each other up about those ideals while shouting down anyone who is even a little more moderate. See also, FOX News. *rimshot*
How whimsically mature this is. I would like to go on record that I have not, during all of this, taken to cheap shots and petty insults like these.
My comments were directed at someone plagiarizing, and then making a generalized statement in my forum signature after the resulting behavior of a large chunk of individuals taking part.
Rhostel Wrote:Yes, blatant copying without credit, even for harmless, personal works, isn't cool. That said, lashing out blindly because others are more tempered in their attitude to it is not cool either. Hell, even being a jerk about it to the offender isn't cool.
You don't even have to be nice. Matter-of-fact is fine. Just lay out your thoughts plainly, don't get passive-aggressive, try to actually understand where other people are coming from instead of nitpicking their comments, and DON'T RAGEQUIT. Bowing out of a conversation? Fine. That's classy. Leaving in a huff, accusing everyone of something that's demonstrably untrue for most and open to interpretation for the remaining few, and playing the victim when you picked the fight in the first place, that's classless and childish.
As for copyright infringement, just because it's technically illegal doesn't mean that it's morally wrong. Without some very significant appropriation we wouldn't have some of the most important ideas about what art is or can be: Look at Duchamp or Warhol. Not saying that's the case here, but it is proof that copyright is highly flawed. It should be a protection against depriving the original artist of their ability to earn, and nothing more. (I also think copyright shouldn't be transferable, but that's a whole other argument.) Mtoto wasn't doing that by any stretch, so copyright as an argument holds no water for me. Only the learning argument does that for me.
Classless and childish? Like your opening statement right? Sure, I may have "picked a fight" as you put it. The thing is, I wasn't in the wrong. I was not wrong in bringing to light this wrong, and yet the majority of those involved saw fit to turn the situation on me, blinding themselves until overwhelming proof was provided. I'm not the bully here, if anything, the defense force are the bully's in this scenario. So yes, in a sense I am indeed a victim, a victim as a result of my own doing for daring to bring up a bit of wrong.
Generally things that are "illegal" are often morally wrong, that's why they're illegal because a vast majority of people feel it isn't right. Who are you to decide what is morally wrong or not? I find it morally wrong, AND illegal, and so you're asking me to be open minded and accept that others might not be bothered by this, but then you or they won't be open minded to the fact that it's an issue that would also upset and bother other people.
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[sub]Folken Grymtooth / Shippuu Nammuu[/sub]