Thursday, September 27, 2007

when i was younger, we used to watch this show called ghostwriter. it was pretty old fashioned; right about when computers were first getting popular, and the internet had just recently been introduced. i don't remember much, but i do remember that it was not a show about presidential speeches. rather, it dealt with a "real" ghost, which was CG animated (i believe). the ghost was basically a white misty dot that flew across the screen. anyhow, this ghost worked together with a group of kids who formed through writing (???) and together they solved mysteries/crimes. it was not the best show, but i'd have to admit it was interesting.

ghostwriting is a awkward subject because in a sense it is not quite plagiarism. the use of ghostwriting pieces vary also. most people think (me included) that ghostwriting is morally unethical. my take is that you should not claim for that you could not produce. it's almost like hiring someone to go to school for you, and then you show up on graduation day with the cap & gown. so why is it that ghostwriting is accepted in society? then again, why is gay marriage banned? why is gambling legalized? why does racism persists? questions upon questions. it's funny because many people have, are, or will engage in ghostwriting and not even know that they are doing so. for those who do, they are probably making a living out of it.

4 comments:

Emily said...

Haha, I wrote about the "original ghostwriter" on my blog, too. Such memories...

INIMITABLE said...

Interesting thoughts on ghostwriting. If we all could, we would have already paid someone to go to school for us and then we'd just walk across the stage. I wouldn't have to spend the last 4-5 years in college. I think that'll be less stressful on us.

madtown chica said...

I think in some cases ghostwriting is morally unethical, but mostly I think it is just laziness. We should probably have politicians who can articulate themselves on their own.

CaseyJW429 said...

I totally remember that show! Also, based on the discussion in class on Friday and the blog posts, it seems that most people agree on the unethical nature of ghostwritting and would rather it not exist. Buy like you mentioned, ethics alone are probably not enough to eliminate the previlance of it. If this were the case then many of the things you mentioned would not exist. I think it is important to look at the academic, ecomic, political.. forces behind it in addition to ethical ones.