The Great Plagiarism Scandal!

Should I be outraged that my professor from the English Department repeatedly gave students essay topics taken directly from websites without telling us about it? I discovered this today while I was brainstorming for my argumentative essay and I typed in the words "argumentative essay" on Google. Imagine my surprise when I immediately recognized the third hit on the results page as something I've read before--in class. Turns out, this is a website from a Turkish university, and most of the second half of the webpage was included in a handout we were given two weeks ago, word for word, including the badly written sample at the end about Reiki and health. I thought, Why is my professor taking samples from Google's search results page?

I went back through my "Junior Composition" file and took out all the handouts we were given in class. Referring to those papers, I typed in their key words on Google and clicked on any suspicious results. When I typed in "sample literature review," the first hit was the sample we were given on Tuesday. Our handout included the sample and discussion questions at the top.

Next, I thought I'd try finding the four argumentative essay topics we were given this week, and guess what? They're all taken from the Internet! Well, first I was taken to Yahoo! Answers, where someone included three of our essay topics in his answer list(posted 4 weeks ago). The person gave a link at the bottom of his answer, and when I clicked on it, sure enough I found all four essay questions--on a website named Good Essay Topics.

For your reference, these are the four argumentative essay topics we were given, copied and pasted word for word (from my handout or from Good Essay Topics, take your pick):

1. We are becoming overwhelmingly dependent on computers. Is this dependence on computers a good thing or should we be more suspicious of their benefits?

2. Technology makes communication easier in today's world. Many people choose to work at home in front of a computer screen. What danger does the society face depending on computer screens rather than face-to-face contact as the main means of communication? Are we the prisoners of the progress?

3. Advertising: Information or Manipulation?

4. Should restrictions be placed on the use of mobile phones in public areas like restaurants and theaters?

By the way, when the professor handed out the essay topics on Tuesday, a classmate pointed out that in Taiwan, there are already restrictions placed on the use of mobile phones in public areas. The professor said he didn't know. Could it be that if he had in fact created his own topics for his students in Taipei, Taiwan, he would have come up with something more relevant and debatable?

I am seriously concerned about this because, first of all, the fact that our English professors are taking essay questions from these websites reveal something about us. Is 'Good Essay Topics' such a prestigious and credible website that our Department endorses using their data word-for-word in teaching and giving class assignments? Or perhaps it reveals something about the educational standard in our university where samples and questions are copied directly from the Internet?

We've all been told over and over again how plagiarism is illegal and how you should always cite your sources. Why is it then that my professor never told us our essay topics were taken from the Internet? I include the page 'Works Cited' at the end of all my essays and papers because we're supposed to give credits where it's due. Why then, does the professor not need to cite his sources as he hands out guidelines and samples week after week? Also, if all the material is online, what's the need to go to class? Just give me the damn topics and I can go figure myself!

This class, by the way, is the composition class required of all juniors in the English Department. No one graduates without taking this class. In other words, the Department thinks good composition skills are so necessary that it's making everyone take this class without exception! Which adds a lot to my bewilderment.

Maybe this explains why most of the samples we've read are really, quite frankly, in bad taste, and also why most students still don't know how to write a proper essay. I don't know if it is an ethical, acceptable practice among university professors, or just a long hidden secret that professors hope no one will ever discover. I wonder what the Department Chair thinks about this. Or perhaps the Ministry of Education. Is this proof that the quality of our university education has hit a new low? I wonder, I wonder, I wonder...

Crimes Against People with Disabilities

I felt a rush of disgust when I began to read a Quest article entitled "Crimes Against People with Disabilities." According to the article, most experts agree that the rate of violent crime is four to 10 times higher for people with disabilities than for the general public. Part of that statistic includes "hate crime" against people with disabilities. I was quite surprised. To identify myself as a member of the highest-risk group for abuse and violence is just unimaginable. But I soon realized that it was true.

The article blamed the society for holding double standards when it comes to confronting violence or abuse against people with disabilities: "Abuse and violence against [these] people is much more commonly accepted and less frequently punished than for other victim groups." Terms like "neglect," "euthanasia," or "professional misconduct" are often used instead of "assault," "homicide," or "battery."


The sad truth is that abuse and violence towards people with disabilities are usually less often reported, and few crimes end in conviction. These victims are also more vulnerable to long-lasting effects. According to one study, children with disabilities who had been sexually abused are significantly more likely to develop inappropriate anger, regression, and poor sense of personal safety than children without disabilities who had been similarly abused.

One reason why people with disabilities are easy targets for abuse and violence is because the abusers usually "recognize that they have a better chance of getting away." Displaced anger is another common trigger, where caregivers who are angry at more powerful figures in his or her own life redirect that anger "toward the vulnerable individuals to whom they provide care."

I have enough experience of my own to say that these situations do exist. While most people who know me may think that I am very independent and strong-minded, it was not always easy to exert authority over a caregiver when he or she mistreated me. Sometimes I empathize too much with the caregiver to the point where I say, "She must be under stress. I will just let it go this time." In a worse scenario, I simply do not have the physical strength to stop the abuse.

Just a few months ago my family and I had some trouble with my caregiver, and we gave her the option to either stay and change her attitude, or leave. She replied and asserted that it is all my decision: if I want her to stay, she'll stay; if not, she'll pack her bags and go. I remember how I had to refrain from shouting, and instead say calmly to her, "If you go, you know where I'll be? I'll be in this chair, waiting here all day, with both my parents at work, and no one to take care of me. You think it's that easy for me? I have to wait a month or two, or maybe more, to get a new helper. And I'll just fire you whenever I want to?"

Some people think it's easy to avoid abusive caregivers, but that's not always the case. For one, there are many out there whose only caregivers are their family! I have witnessed too many wives shouting at their husbands for being slow and lazy as they begin their routine in the physical therapy room following a stroke. When family members treat the disabled with little respect, few would expect better treatment from hired caregivers.


I can see that abusive behavior towards people with disabilities is an unsolved problem in my country, namely, Taiwan. With a growing population of foreign workers, many people with paralysis or stroke or congenital defects are being cared for by women from the Philippines, Vietnam, or Indonesia. While communication is sometimes made difficult by one's disability, more problems arise when the caregiver does not speak his or her language. In an Asian culture that does not have a very good track record on recognizing individuals' right to privacy, freedom, or human dignity, it is all the more difficult to raise awareness and stop abuse against people with disabilities.

It is human nature to pick on the weak--women, children, the elderly. But while numerous hotlines and shelters have been set up for these groups, so far I have never heard of an organization helping to combat abuse against people with disabilities. There should be more resources made available to both people with disabilities and their caregivers. Those with disabilities should know what their rights are and how they can look for help in case of abuse.

While we empathize with those who work hard to care for our daily needs, it is no excuse for abusive behavior. Whether psychological, verbal, or physical--abuse has to stop.