Dumbing Down 4/08/09

The first man to compare the cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first to repeat it was possibly an idiot.

Salvador Dali
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Is it Spring yet?
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I truly believe there is such a thing a moral idiocy. How else can one explain the bland, inane, vacuum headed, stone hearted stealing of someone else's ideas and claiming them as one's own? A malicious thief knows what he's doing. He knows that what he does is unethical but he doesn't care. But there are those who can take another's wares oblivious to the fact that they are potentially harming that person's reputation, credit or even, maybe, his livelihood.

Imitation is flattery they say and no doubt that's true. To do something "in the style of" or to acknowledge the inspiration of someone else's work is certainly acceptable flattery. But to walk off with another's work and take credit for it without acknowledging and respecting the owner's right to it is wrong, it's reprehensible, it's stupid.

I was doing a comedy in Florida. In one scene I made a funny exit from a chair by tripping over the foot stool. An actress saw me do that in rehearsal, thought it was clever so did it herself. But she did it earlier in the play which made my moment look like I was copying her. The director was a very savvy man. The next day the foot stool was gone. I came up with a different funny way of doing the bit, a way she couldn't copy.

I was doing a drama in New York. There was a scene where my character had to viciously slap one of the others. I had my character prepare for it by removing my jacket and hanging it on the back of a chair. A brainless actor in the show saw mw do that and he had to do it, because it looked dramatic. But once again he did it earlier in the play so I had to come up with a different approach.

I did two remote live broadcasts from big record stores in New York City. It was a tough job. Four hours on my feet talking to people and selling CDs and CD players over the air. There were contests and such. Chairs were set up so that an audience could watch me. I got everyone's name who was involved in the presentation. At the end of the first broadcast I read through the names and thanked everyone before I returned the broadcast to the station. The all applauded me.

I did the same thing for the second broadcast, but the producer who had watched me do that the first time and thought it was neat. took the microphone from me just before the end, did all the thanking, got the applause and turned the show back to the station himself as if he done all the work. He's a moral idiot.

When I returned to the studios the next day one of the announcers said to me "He stole your curtain call. Why is he still alive?" And that's when I coined the remark "They can steal my fish, but they can't steal my ocean."

That quote has found it's way into other people's mouths who now think it belongs to them. One man heard me say it and wrote it into a film script, twice. If that script is published he will go down in history as having invented that aphorism. That's moral idiocy.

I say, come up with your own way of describing the fair maid's cheeks. Don't take another person's ideas, inventions and wares and pretend their yours. And if you can't do that at least place the credit where it belongs.

End of rant.

DB Vagabond Journeys
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May blessings dwell over your head and under your feet.
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