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LiteratEye #9: Plagiarism Anxiety Syndrome

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Filed under: Fraud and Deception, Literary Hoaxes

Here’s the ninth installment of LiteratEye, a series found only on The Art of the Prank Blog, by W.J. Elvin III, editor and publisher of FIONA: Mysteries & Curiosities of Literary Fraud & Folly and the LitFraud blog.


LiteratEye #9: Plagiarism Anxiety Syndrome
By W.J. Elvin III
April 10, 2009

A fistful of dollarsCheats and liars. They make life interesting, and they hold up a mirror for those of us poised to cast the first stone.

And they can make you wonder, where did I miss out? Where do these smart, crooked people get their tricks? How did I happen to miss the courses in how to pick the pockets of the stocks-and-bonds crowd?

Maybe there are no courses, just a mindset.

Used to be, the higher education mindset was reflected in lofty phrases like “Civium in moribus re publicae salus.” That’s the University of Florida’s motto: “The welfare of the state depends upon the morals of the people.”

What’s Latin for “Screw You Jack, I Got Mine”?

Cheating and lying have to incubate somewhere. Even if there’s no “Advanced Financial Scamming” course offered on campus, there’s likely a climate of corruption. Do a search for “suspected plagiarism” and see for yourself.

The incredible assortment of regulations, rules, policies and procedures demonstrate that these institutions of higher learning suffer from Plagiarism Anxiety Syndrome. (more…)