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« on: February 03, 2012, 01:51:55 am »
I don't see anything particularly wrong with using what you know to fill out a research paper. If he's making shit out of thin air that's one thing, but if he can use his knowledge to build a point, I don't see it being any different than looking up that knowledge to also make a point. Either way, if the point is valid it should be fine. May run afoul of some teachers for not embracing the research angle strongly, but personally all I would care about is if it was well-written and makes a good case. I write a lot, and since it's about news most of the information needs to be sourced to the site I learned it from as a matter of professional ethics. But if it's something I personally experienced or an opinion piece I don't need a source because the ideas come from my own head. Whether it's sourced or not, from my perspective so long as you're honest about your sources it shouldn't matter if the content is original or researched. My best stuff comes from when I just pick a starting point and go at it rather than being constrained to merely re-telling a story someone else has told. But that's just the perspective of a writer and not really applicable to a school situation, I guess.
The self-interviewing thing is a similar issue, but I'm a bit more wary of his tactics there. I can kinda forgive lack of research in a research paper because I think the point should be the paper, not the research, but an interview is an interview. Without making it clear he's putting words in someone's mouth based on his own observations or creating a fictional character for some purpose it does seem disingenuous. I do think that interviewing a fictional character can be interesting though, what work you save in easily being able to guide the flow of the discussion you must make up in building up a believable person that is interesting to listen to and has something to say. It's not like it's not work when done properly, just flat-out lying if he claims it wasn't made up to the teacher.
I think the thing that bothers me most is his attitude. If he can use his head to get around restrictions and put up a product of similar quality to one that doesn't avoid them, it wouldn't be so horrible, but bragging about it to the world like it's something to be proud of just feels wrong. And if he's just putting out shit work and his teachers are too dumb to see it, I'd be more inclined to call attention to it. But I've never been particularly socially aware, or cared much of anything for a social life at school, so that colors my perspective there. The computer thing pisses me off too.
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