3 ms·

It’s wrong and it’s pathetic and I never said otherwise. But I do believe that everyone always deserves a second chance. Always.

by ugh 15y ago

Mz 15y ago
I'm a pathetic bleeding heart, give the world a hug, make love not war, hippie tree hugger. Second chances that aren't earned are often wasted. It's often a cruelty, not a kindness, to be too easy on people who are going around fucking up. It frequently fails to foster real change and just helps people stay trapped. Not saying one should always be a hardass. But defaulting to candyass isn't any better. It's got to be a judgment call.
- ugh 15y ago
  It’s a single essay. A single one. There is nothing that’s a judgment call about this. A failed class. That’s it.
  - Mz 15y ago
    Sounds to me like you are making a judgment call based on "it's a single essay" -- ie not a pattern of behavior. Frankly, I haven't read through the whole thing, so you may know more than I do about this specific case. I am not saying you are wrong in this instance. I am only suggesting that sweeping statements like "someone always deserves a second chance" should not go unquestioned. I am slow to condemn people and fairly quick to forgive and quick to have compassion. But I am equally clear the minute you make it policy that "everyone always gets a second chance" and then advertise that fact, you grow your problems rather than shrinking them. My personal policy is "forgiveness is a gift but trust is earned". Somehow, people are quick to ID me as a forgiving sort and then promptly conclude I'm a doormat and they can shit all over me to their heart's content. Doormat? Maybe. Toilet? No thank you. Take your personal crap elsewhere. So I am very clear that sweeping, publicly advertised policies of "guaranteed second chance" cause more problems than they solve and tend to create situations where you have no choice but to be harder on people.
danso 15y ago
I agree with you, but disagree on the probability that this is a trivial instance in which the alleged culprit had a slip of duty. Re-read the original essay and then the new essay, and admire the work that had to have been invested in perpetrating this fraud. You really think that could be the product of someone who has never plagiarized? In order to know how to game the cheating system (even poorly in this case), someone is likely to have, well, gamed the system.

It’s wrong and it’s pathetic and I never said otherwise. But I do believe that everyone always deserves a second chance. Always.

by ugh 15y ago

It’s wrong and it’s pathetic and I never said otherwise. But I do believe that everyone always deserves a second chance. Always.

Mz 15y ago

I'm a pathetic bleeding heart, give the world a hug, make love not war, hippie tree hugger. Second chances that aren't earned are often wasted. It's often a cruelty, not a kindness, to be too easy on people who are going around fucking up. It frequently fails to foster real change and just helps people stay trapped. Not saying one should always be a hardass. But defaulting to candyass isn't any better. It's got to be a judgment call.

ugh 15y ago
It’s a single essay. A single one. There is nothing that’s a judgment call about this. A failed class. That’s it.
- Mz 15y ago
  Sounds to me like you are making a judgment call based on "it's a single essay" -- ie not a pattern of behavior. Frankly, I haven't read through the whole thing, so you may know more than I do about this specific case. I am not saying you are wrong in this instance. I am only suggesting that sweeping statements like "someone always deserves a second chance" should not go unquestioned. I am slow to condemn people and fairly quick to forgive and quick to have compassion. But I am equally clear the minute you make it policy that "everyone always gets a second chance" and then advertise that fact, you grow your problems rather than shrinking them. My personal policy is "forgiveness is a gift but trust is earned". Somehow, people are quick to ID me as a forgiving sort and then promptly conclude I'm a doormat and they can shit all over me to their heart's content. Doormat? Maybe. Toilet? No thank you. Take your personal crap elsewhere. So I am very clear that sweeping, publicly advertised policies of "guaranteed second chance" cause more problems than they solve and tend to create situations where you have no choice but to be harder on people.

danso 15y ago

I agree with you, but disagree on the probability that this is a trivial instance in which the alleged culprit had a slip of duty. Re-read the original essay and then the new essay, and admire the work that had to have been invested in perpetrating this fraud. You really think that could be the product of someone who has never plagiarized? In order to know how to game the cheating system (even poorly in this case), someone is likely to have, well, gamed the system.