Matisyahu's Blog

Once again Harry has put out a tour de force on an issue of plagiarism along with a second video pointing how a prominent YouTuber (according to the videos author) just made stuff up (or a less polite way he was rectum plucking rumination from their nether regions and presenting them as fact) because the narrative was more important than what the facts actually say.

I’ve been on the internet long enough to see how these sorts of situations turn out and each time they start there are many opportunities for the parties involved to deal with the situation they have found themselves in by backing out with at least a minuscule amount of reputation still in tact. The problem is that I find is that those who do get themselves into this situation convince themselves that they’re the smartest one in the room, that they can outsmart everyone, that they have a silver tongue and can talk themselves out of any trouble (see recent reports of how Sam Bankman-Fried cannot stop talking (link) as an example of this “I can talk my way out of anything”). Part of this delusion is fuelled by the individual surrounding themselves with people who are ‘yes men’ and defend them whenever there is any criticism being made. One of the golden rules of the internet that I’ve always lived by is “someone out there is always going to be smarter than you” – that doesn’t mean you need to be perfect but you should at least live your life in good faith and when you screw up you should admit it, make amends, demonstrate contrition then move on.

Regarding plagiarism, for me it is like winning a computer game by cheating. Sure, you might get to the end and win but the win doesn’t feel satisfying because part of the process of winning is overcoming obstacles and that feeling of success that comes from knowing you have overcome it all through grit, determination and hard work. The whole process is the feeling of triumph of eventually accomplishing what you set out to achieve and achieving it where as if you cheat, you have won but it feels hollow, you feel like a fraud, an imposter who doesn’t deserve it (that is assuming that the individual has a moral compass and is capable of feeling guilt).

It is interesting how watching certain content creators give me bad vibes in much the same way that a car covered in dents driving down the road gives you the vibe that you should steer clear of it – you’re unsure how that car got so many dents but it is best no to find out. Many of the claims being made by those who make videos are opinion being passed off as fact or simply passing off falsehoods as facts because it serves the interest of the narrative they’re trying to build rather than it being the result of it being factually accurate.