Plagiarism is a topic discussed almost daily in America’s school system, but its significance is largely overlooked.
This was discussed in a recent Noon Forum titled Plagiarism in the Real World: What Beyoncé and Vanilla Ice Can Teach Us About Academic Integrity, presented by Williams Library librarians Lynn Klundt, Kristin Echtenkamp, and Sarah Jones. Those in attendance were surprised by the massive amount of plagiarism in American culture that many are completely oblivious to.
Queen Bey, as many Americans lovingly refer to Beyoncé, has actually had a series of plagiarism scandals in her career. One of her hits, “Still in Love (Kissing You)” was accused of plagiarism for copying the melody and beat of another song.
“Run the World” and “Countdown” were also accused of plagiarism because of the dances that Beyoncé used for her videos and performances. Beyoncé claimed to be inspired by the artists rather than purposely copying their work. However, she never gave the artists credit, which undermines the talents she was “inspired” by.
Yet, Beyoncé never faced repercussions for her plagiarism, and her issues never went to court. Despite this, many followers will still jam to Queen Bey—she is the Queen.
Vanilla Ice had much more obvious plagiarism in his work. If you compare the song “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice to “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie, you’ll find that they sound incredibly similar.
The bassline sounds almost exactly the same. Somehow, Vanilla Ice claims they don’t sound similar at all, because his “Ice Ice Baby” has an extra beat. Vanilla Ice’s plagiarism scandal was settled out of court, but his career flopped soon afterward.
James Cameron, creator of the beautiful world of Avatar, was accused of plagiarism in his blockbuster Titanic. The sketches in Jack’s book were remarkably similar to that of another artist’s. Cameron was also accused of plagiarism for his film The Terminator, as the storyline is similar to another production.
Clearly, though, Cameron’s plagiarism has not largely impacted his career—he is still incredibly successful. Another film-related plagiarism occurred when Pixar overstepped the bounds of one of their products.
The famous lamp used in Pixar’s advertisements and logo video (the one that jumps and crushes the “I” in Pixar) is actually based on a lamp designed by a Swedish lamp company, Luxo.
Luxo had given Pixar permission to use their lamp as long as Pixar didn’t sell it as a retail item. Ironically, Pixar did just that a few years ago as a promotion for one of its films, Up.
These acts of plagiarism are not entirely unknown to those who do their research. However, these acts typically did not effect the careers of the accused.
This causes tremendous problems in academia and the professional world because it provides examples of those who faced minor or no consequences for their unethical behavior.
The world is often far less kind to those who plagiarize who are not rich and famous. The lesson? Be smart, be ethical, do your research, and cite your sources.
Zoe Buckstead
MANAGING EDITOR
Photo credit: Zoe Buckstead, Managing Editor
The Exponent 