Shameless

Last night we went to see the Broadway Musical "Movin Out" featuring music from Billy Joel. It was a fabulous show. But during the second act, the band started to play this strangely familiar country song. I had no idea that Billy Joel had written the song "Shameless" made famous by Garth Brooks in 1991. So I started to wonder how Billy Joel felt about someone else being famous for his songs. And come to find out that is not the only song of his that Garth Brooks has done.


Not that Garth doesn't give credit where it due, he does - click here - but that he is getting credit is people rememberances for someone else's work. Billy Joel is a poet. You can only use someone elses work when you have their permission. I'm sure that Garth did. But I used to tell em students just becasue you are not creative enough to come up with something on your own does not give you permission to "borrow" from someone else. In addition, manipulating what someone else has done isn't ok either.

A recent study showed that people are even more willing to lie to coworkers than they are to strangers. We want to both look good when we are in the company of others (especially people we care about), and we want to protect our self-worth. It seems most of us do it. Taking credit for someone elses work is listed as #3 on the 10 most terrible office behaviors.

Recenlty, I wrote a memo, just a little paragraph for office use. When it came out to the entire staff, my name was no where on it. Not even my initials. I was offended and wondering if it was my job as "Senior Editor" to write things for others to publish as their own. I by no means get bylines on everything that leaves the office, but when someone else places thier name on it, it just seems wrong.

Many animals engage in deception, or deliberately misleading another, but only humans are wired to deceive both themselves and others, researchers say. People are so engaged in managing how others perceive them that they are often unable to separate truth from fiction in their own minds.

Do people belive that what submitted, published or posted is really theirs? Do we have no shame?Are we shameless?