Look who’s back on the Prior2Boarding homepage–it’s The Forward Cabin!
The blog was very quietly removed from the homepage a few weeks ago after yours truly broke the story of another credible plagiarism accusation. For those of you keeping up with the scandal, I’ve put together a FAQ:
Q: Has James apologized or admitted guilt?
A: No. He did take down the page that I initially noticed, however, since it was obviously copied and even he couldn’t defend it.
Q: Did BoardingArea founder Randy Petersen apologize?
A: Yes.
Q: Publicly?
A: I’m not aware of any public acknowledgment of the plagiarism scandal on his part.
Q: So are you ticked off at BoardingArea?
A: No, not at all. There are a lot of great bloggers there and I continue to read them daily. In fact, it would not surprise me one bit if James has rubbed some of his fellow BA bloggers the wrong way as well. James notwithstanding, they don’t like plagiarism any more than I do, and they’ve even published helpful advice based on their own experiences being plagiarized. Based on my correspondence with James, I get the feeling that he’s an overly ambitious, unethical, resumé-padding weenie. Those types wear out their welcome in the long run.
Q: Upon discovering your work had been stolen, why did you decide to post about it rather than to reach out behind the scenes?
A: There are different shades of gray with this stuff. If somebody is a little bit lazy or sloppy, that’s not a big deal and I’d reach out in a friendly, non-public way. (Though I’ll note that I’ve never even had to do that before.) We’re all human, and we all make mistakes. But if he appropriates an entire post to pass off as his own, that’s another matter entirely. If somebody does that, then odds are it’s not an isolated case and raising a stink about it is the way to go.
Q: I understand multiple people have questioned your professionalism for handling things this way.
A: Yes… but then, those people would stand to benefit from my keeping quiet.
That’s all the Q&A for today, folks! Stay tuned for further developments!
Oh, and I’m blocked from following you-know-who on Twitter, so I’ll just have to imagine what he’s posting. Here’s my best guess…
So does this draw the curtain on the James Larounis plagiarism case(s)? I’ll stay tuned! Meanwhile, keep on posting great material, PFD . . .
Yeah he always seemed like a weenie, I remember seeing him debate with non-miles people in the comments section of Mommy Points’ Nightline segment about how much better first class was than economy and how he was better than them because he was sitting in first…smh
Thanks for the update. I do not doubt that “multiple people have questioned your professionalism for handling things this way” – everything gets political and self-interest is a strong motivator – but I for one think you handled it properly. I do hope he learned his lesson; indeed I am surprised he was taken back by BA at all. After what I learned about this episode and his previous record, I don’t plan to read him but I expect others will be watching.
After the whole plagiarism “scandal” I went through his posts and also found a post he copied from me. He even used my exact picture! Not even a small HT. I didn’t care at that point because it was an “expired post” so no use wasting my time. Hopefully he stops or just does a link back. That would be nice wouldn’t it 😉
Questioning the professionalism of a person who points out unethical behavior is like scolding the little boy who pointed out that the emperor had no clothes. Or telling a woman who’s been raped that she was dressed provocatively. Yes, that’s hyperbole, but the motive behind the shaming is the same: to avoid shining a light on something that needs to be addressed.
The easiest way to silence those who expect proper behavior is to shame them for expecting it. I’m so glad that you didn’t fall victim to that particular ploy.
I would say that the answer to #4 is correct. Thanks for keeping us posted on the scandal! I always need a little bit of drama to keep up on.
Yes, seems as though the James Larounis plagiarism scandal is winding down — minus the deserved apology and any apparent understanding of wrongdoing. He’s likely a hanger-on with few original ideas of his own and zero introspection or self-awareness. We all know people like that, people who put themselves first, disregard social norms and ignore the cost to others of their selfish actions. If anything, this episode has given James Larounis publicity he could never earn on his own. Best now to ignore him, as most people already do.
Couldn’t agree more, Mr. Bacon, on the salient points of your post — namely, that the publicity that plagiarist James Larounis received is undeserved. Perhaps repentance for his plagiarism is in the cards? I think not.
Yeah, he’s probably about twelve-years-old, from what I can tell.
http://imgur.com/ErR4mFE
In the last week, I haven’t heard of any new James Larounis plagiarism allegations, so I suppose that’s progress. Maybe this whole James Larounis plagiarism brouhaha has been instructive for Mr. Larounis?
Mr. Bacon, it seems that plagiarist James Larounis has surfaced on television as a talking head. Here’s hoping that the James Larounis plagiarism case is now officially closed.