That’s what I said, then, I had to duck back as the man I was speaking with (who coincidentally, is far more conservative than me) nearly spewed his coffee all over me.
“That,” he said as he coughed again into his napkin, “was unexpected. I was sure you were going to take the Party Line that it was obvious Plagerism.”
I flipped that off, “You know, lots of people forget to credit their sources. It was about 60 words out of 1,400 — 60 very well phrased words to be sure. ...60 nearly identical words spoken in the same order.” I shrugged, “Just about every student I’ve had has given me one paper with improper citations. Yes, she should have credited her source. I’m sure she won’t do that again.”
He looked at me with narrowed eyes, then shrugged also, “Well, you surprise me. Just the same it’s hard to copyright common values statements like “work hard for what you want in life” or “your word is your bond.” He cleaned up a non-existent dirty spot on the table, which gave him some time to think I suppose, “and everyone wants our children and grandchildren to take on our values. I don’t know as if there is anything to credit there.”
I gave him my best Cheshire cat grin, “I thought it was a little telling when Melania cut the “with dignity” out of the “respect” statement.” Ready, set, he rolled his eyes. I continued. “You know, those words were really great in 2008 when Michelle Obama said them and they are words worth repeating in 2016.” I think he caught onto me there, but I played it well. I stirred my coffee contemplatively, “True, it is tough to copyright random words...but in this case it’s the order and unique phrasing. She repeated common values, but ....” I sat back, frowning, “I still think she paid Michelle Obama a very high compliment. Even if she didn’t credit her source, she did credit Michelle Obama’s concepts of dream big, go for it, keep your integrity, work hard, be respectful, be true and pass it onto the kids. Too bad she didn’t have the strength of character to credit the current First Lady with saying it first. I can see where this is awkward for the GOP. In hindsight, they probably wish they recycled a Laura Bush statement.”
He laughed, “I was wishing they found something Nancy Reagan said!” He got up and pushed in his chair. “You know, for a librul, you’re all right.”
High praise indeed from this guy, “Oh, well. Break’s over. Back to work.” Sometimes, taking the high road makes better sense than going for it head on.
Anyway, that’s just one conversation I’ve had today. I was going to post this as a comment, but it’s very different than the other diaries on this subject today, so… try it out on your favorite crazy uncle.
You can read both Michelle Obama’s and Melania Trumps transcripts here, but the pertinent parts are shown below.
Michelle Obama 2008:
...My mother's love has always been a sustaining force for our family, and one of my greatest joys is seeing her integrity, her compassion and her intelligence reflected in my own daughters.
[snip]
And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bondand you do what you say you're going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don't know them, and even if you don't agree with them.
And Barack and I set out to build lives guided by these values, and pass them on to the next generation. Because we want our children — and all children in this nation — to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.
Melania Trump 2016:
...and I were raised by my wonderful parents. My elegant and hard-working mother Amalia introduced me to fashion and beauty. My father Viktor instilled in me a passion for business and travel. Their integrity, compassion and intelligence reflect to this day on me and for my love of family and America.
My parents impressed on me the values: that you work hard for what you want in life. That your word is your bondand you do what you say and keep your promise. That you treat people with respect. They taught me to show the values and morals in my daily life. That is the lesson that I continue to pass along to our son.
And we need to pass those lessons on to the many generations to follow. [Cheering] Because we want our children in this nation to know that the only limit to your achievements is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.
and, yes, I do believe it was a high compliment to be quoted even if you aren’t credited. You’ve heard it before, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”.