One. Speaking personally, one of the best things about this hobby is its emphasis on face-to-face interaction. I love that. It makes generosity easier and knee-jerk judgement harder. It lets me meet people I never would have otherwise. 2/
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With that in mind, let’s be generous. I know that’s hard. As a critic and reviewer, it’s hard for me, too, because plagiarism is a deeply crummy thing to do to somebody. I’m disappointed. Hopefully you’re disappointed, too, because this is a violation of trust. 3/
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But we can be disappointed and generous at the same time. Really. We can have zero tolerance for plagiarism even as we show sympathy for Katie Aidley. Even if the best expression of our sympathy is to not pile onto them. 4/
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Please don’t harass anyone, whether Katie or any of her friends. The trolls will crawl out of their holes, and they love nothing more than when otherwise-decent people cannibalize each other. Don’t let the trolls win. With that said... 5/
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Two. Plagiarism is wrong. There can be no wavering on this point. It makes victims of people who cannot easily protect themselves, because ideas and their expressions are difficult to trace and enforce. 6/
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In other words, this act produced victims. It stole from at least one person and, almost certainly, multiple people. It may have ruined somebody’s shot at breaking into a hobby or career. It stole both finished work and potential opportunities. 7/
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There’s a response that shows remorse and attempts to ameliorate the pain caused by these actions, and it includes a comprehensive apology that fesses up to the extent of the harm. It probably includes backing away from the review side of the business, at least for a while. 8/
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It seems Katie may be in the midst of that process. I hope so. The alternative could grow bitter. Warring camps over an issue that should be cut and dry. The alternative could place more innocent people in the crossfire. Most of us are humane enough to want to avoid that. 9/
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Three. There’s also the question of Katie’s activism. Hopefully we can separate that from the act of plagiarism itself. When I mention innocents caught in the crossfire, I’m thinking in part of those for whom Katie advocated. 10/
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That’s scary. The response could easily get out of hand. So let’s be better than that. Let’s be careful to not drag anyone through the mud, especially those who might be vulnerable and hurting because this happened. 11/
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To Katie, I hope you stick to your guns on this point. I hope you remember the people you’ve advocated for. You did something wrong, but this doesn’t cheapen the consideration you’ve shown to so many. 12/
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Four. We have to hold a conversation that gets some folks jumpy. Yes, I’m talking about good practices. No, I’m not talking about excluding anybody because of their identity. Rather, I’m talking about the basics: disclosure, honesty, citing sources. 13/
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My own site has operated with a simple code of conduct for a long time. I’ll be revisiting this and shoring up any perceived weaknesses. Hopefully other content creators will do the same. 14/
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I’ve seen at least one person claim that white males are excluded from meeting these requirements. That’s unfortunate. I hope that isn’t true. If it is true, I hope we can correct that. As far as I know, this hobby’s previous disclosure scandals were focused on white dudes. 15/
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But when our argument is basically, “Somebody else did a wrong thing, too,” we’re still saying that the act was wrong. The goal of a code of conduct isn’t to impede. It’s to liberate. To draw a clear line of security between good and bad practices. 16/
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Sadly, there are some questionable things happening in this hobby. Some get talked about, some don't. I know about some of them personally. So, it seems, did Katie, in a rather direct way. 17/
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I know these are sensitive topics. But we cannot let bad actors set the tone or content of our dialogue. We should come together to outline basic good practices. Nothing strenuous. Nothing outlandish. Rather, protection for both us and our readerships. 18/
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Five. When something like this happens, we are all harmed. I’ve seen a number of people saying, “This is why I don’t trust reviews.” We operate on trust. When that trust is violated, our ability to speak and have people take us at our word is undermined. 19/
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But there are no tribunals. Nobody is “in charge” of this hobby. Further, mob rule and harassment are horrors we should avoid at all costs. What recourse is there for those of us who hope to punish bad actors? 20/
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I propose the opposite. It’s easy to be outraged. Instead, I hope we can reward those who are honest, open, and doing their best to promote the hobby, protect its members, and otherwise produce talented content that benefits us all. 21/
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What can we do? One option is to alleviate the pressures that might prompt a person to feel the need to plagiarize. Reward good work. Share articles or videos that resonate with you. Drop a buck into their Patreon or pitch in on their Kickstarter. 22/
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Instead of bemoaning our worst, let’s instead reward those whose work touches us. I’m not sure I see any other real alternative, at least not any that don’t devolve into a horror show. 23/
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This hobby can be wonderful. It can bring people together. It can be a beacon of encouragement, inclusion, and dialogue. But only if we keep it that way. I hope we can do that. I’ll be doing my best as well. 24/24
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End of conversation
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