Do you remember the plagiarism speech from your English teacher? I thought back to my days giving this same speech to my freshman Composition students when I began to peruse the writing of Jon Ronson's latest book.
I am currently reading Jon Ronson's book, “So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed" and have found it to be a fascinating, if not somewhat disturbing, read. Having been a high school and community college teacher for the past 10 years, I have seen a great deal of public shame, and not only of students.
The New York Times article concerning the book was a great introduction to the subject of shaming, and I wanted to share a small excerpt:
By CHOIRE SICHA
bAPRIL 17, 2015
The Welsh journalist and author Jon Ronson joined Twitter on Dec. 10, 2008. He has since published more than 44,000 tweets — almost 20 each day. He has seen some things.
Ronson’s new book, “So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed,” digs into a strange phenomenon of the participatory Internet. From time to time, it seems as if every user of social media rises up as one to denounce, shame and remove an apparently deserving victim. The first few times Ronson witnessed this, he was intrigued — even exhilarated. “When we deployed shame, we were utilizing an immensely powerful tool,” he writes of his initial reaction: “The silenced were getting a voice. It was like the democratization of justice.” Or was it? His view turned gradually darker.
The Welsh journalist and author Jon Ronson joined Twitter on Dec. 10, 2008. He has since published more than 44,000 tweets — almost 20 each day. He has seen some things.
Ronson’s new book, “So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed,” digs into a strange phenomenon of the participatory Internet. From time to time, it seems as if every user of social media rises up as one to denounce, shame and remove an apparently deserving victim. The first few times Ronson witnessed this, he was intrigued — even exhilarated. “When we deployed shame, we were utilizing an immensely powerful tool,” he writes of his initial reaction: “The silenced were getting a voice. It was like the democratization of justice.” Or was it? His view turned gradually darker.
In the beginning of the book, Ronson looks at the consequences of deceit and plagiarism in the ever expanding world of journalists and online media. The book only progresses in interesting topics, and as I neared the completion of the book, I regretted not using this to teach research and argument for my Composition classes...classes concerning the importance and integrity associated with citing sources correctly when conducting research. The consequences of plagiarism in an academic setting were very real (expelled, name put in database, end of college career)and after reading Ronson's book, I am seeing the consequences and shame brought upon journalists that try to pass off other people's ideas as their own.
The irony of it all is most of his subject matter is pertaining to the infinite audience in the world of social media, and I have become an avid blogger. I may need to go back and cite the New York Times information above, as I have a new found fear of the shame associated with plagiarism.
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