Yesterday, the New York Times posted a story on its Web site about a well-known inspirational writer, Neale Donald Walsch, who admitted to plagiarizing an essay written ten years ago by Candy Chand about her son's Christmas pageant.
In his defense, according to the NYT article, Walsch says that "over the years I had it memorized" and "internalized it as my own experience" and that "I am chagrined and astonished that my mind could play such a trick on me."
Chand's response: “Quite frankly, I’m not buying it.”
And you, Dear Reader: are you buying his explanation?
How likely is it to you that any adult, let alone a professional writer, could fall victim to such a mental trick? I'm not asking if it's possible (the mind is an amazing, mysterious and powerful organ), but if it's plausible.
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I believe it could happen, though not very likely. I also believe we shouldn't be suspicious of one another, but supportive and trusting (until taught to be otherwise with the individual). Regardless of intention, he now realizes what he did.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous: I just would like to clarify -- I don't think we should spend our time being suspicious of others either.
ReplyDeleteI hope Chand, despite the disappointment and indignation she must feel, hasn't lost her faith in the honesty of others. I'd have a hard time forgiving, let alone forgetting.
However, knowing that human nature and the mysteries of the mind can be inexplicably complicated, it behooves us -- particularly copy editors and other journalists -- to ask of others and ourselves, "How do you know (whatever fact, situation, etc. being told to us}?"
I'm glad Walsch owned up to his mistake and hope that he and the rest of us (learning from his example) will be ever more diligent in establishing the origin and veracity of our assertions.
::steps down from soapbox::