Through the lens of Infinite Jest (on a moderately-related note: I, along with co-blogger Tim, have officially begun our infinite summers… maybe this should have been a footnote), John S digs into some really interesting issues surrounding plagiarism in creative endeavors.
John admits uncertainty on why David Foster Wallace’s possible plagiarism makes him feel betrayed. In his process of understanding what is causing this feeling of betrayal, he first looks at music and comedy. Let’s examine comedy more closely: John rightly implies that Carlos Mencia’s jokes sound an awful lot like George Lopez’s (and many other comedians). John’s conclusion is that: “The real ‘crime’ in situations like this is unoriginality or parallel thinking, not theft.” I have to respectfully disagree. Isn’t there something between unoriginality and theft?
Continue reading
No Pun Intended 