I have noticed throughout my high school and
college quiz bowl career that there are many participants
who take the competitions too seriously. The people
who are bitching about plagiarism fall into this
category. You waste my time and also hinder the development
of trivia competitions everywhere. I agree - it may
not be courteous to use a question written by someone
else without their permission, it is most definitely
NOT a crisis. God forbid it makes someone's college
bowl experience easier, making them more receptive to
writing questions in the future (THEIR OWN, mind you).
My conclusion - shut the hell up. Quit bitching. If
you put half of your energy that is currently devoted
to complaining into writing new questions, you
could've written 20 new ones to make up for the old one
that has been 'stolen and defiled.' I understand
people like Mr. Beall do this for a living, but give the
poor bastard a break - Questions Unlimited cultivates
players at the high school level so they participate at
the college level. Stop whining, because you all
depend on each other.
-CowboySauce