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Ugly Food for an Ugly Dude » Blog Archive

Ugly Food for an Ugly Dude » Blog Archive

I do not read books or actively listen to music anymore. When I did these things, I had the greatest literary device of all on my side: minor plagiarism. Sure, it’s wrong to copy paragraphs wholesale from literary masterworks, such as the Bible or “Cash” by Johnny Cash, but if you find a line or a word that you think is great, it’s really easy to circumvent copyright law with a few extra words or some mild paraphrasing.

I spent most of my adolescence ripping off plots and punchlines wholesale from sources I admired. Now I’m older and I think I’m overall unhappier and less creative because of the reluctance to even try on the grounds that any idea I think I have is probably just subconsciously ripping off something I like. “Simpsons already did it”, etc.