The dangers of cross-cultural plagiarism

I'm doing a bit of textbook editing on the side. As is usual here, the material is mostly cribbed from elsewhere with the questions sometimes done by the "writer" and sometimes themselves cribbed from elsewhere.

This can lead to disaster as it would have been in this case had they not asked me to do some editing for them.

In one section of the book there's an activity to make a restaurant menu. They have a sample menu at the top of the page as a model. Here's what the model menu says:

WONG WONG's

CHINESE FOOD MENU

LUNCHEON SPECIALS SUM YUNG CHICK $6.99 Different And Delicious WON HUNG LO $6.99 Chinese Meatballs CHU SUM TWAT $16.99 Dinner Parties Of Three Or More SUC MI PORK $9.69 Chef's Special FUC YU MAN $6.69 Speciality Of The House

DINNER COMBINATIONS 1. GOO IN HAND...$9.69 For Those Dining Alone 2. GOO WEE CHICK $6.99 Sloppy Seconds No Charge 3. CUM TOO SOON $6.99 Order Early These Go Fast 4. SUC MI WANG $6.99 Traditional Chinese Meatloaf 5. SUM DUM CHICK $4.99 You Get What You Pay For 6. LIK MI CLIT $6.99 Delicious Lip Smacking Oriental Delicacy 7. CHO KON IT $9.99 Not For The Light Throated 8. FUC SUM NOW $6.99 For Those In A Hurry 9. TUNG SUM CHICK $8.99 A Taste Bud Tingler 10. SUM GULP CUM $9.69 Low Cal Diet Special

An exchange on Facebook of the "truth hurts" variety.

Names elided to protect the guilty.

You're blocking XXX? How come?

Something she did on my blog a few years back made me decide I'd rather exist in a world in which she does not exist. Since the digital world is easily adjusted to allow the editing of life, I proceeded to make the world I wanted.

What exactly did she do on your blog?

Was it the time she described you as cranky and sexist, or the time when she said you were turning 52 on your birthday, or was it the time she called you an adult baby, or was it the time...?

I will let her guess which time it was.

Those North American women. When will they learn just how spoiled they are, and bow down to your genius?

;-) Do you still feel that way?

Yeah, XXX can be tactless. Like me. I suppose it's why we get along. She actually asks me now and then to read over emails she is sending, where she is trying to say something subtle and difficult.

I suspect she still has unresolved anger over arguments with you. You know, stuff you said about women and their periods and how feminism is all bullshit.

I'd like to think being married and reproducing has changed you somewhat. Mike told me that you seemed to understand your wife is the boss, as it is with nearly all partnerships, I suspect.

I've been in therapy for a year now. I am getting my shit together. I even applied for an art show with the city of Ottawa. But lately I find myself getting in touch with old rage. And I suspect that's the real reason I'm talking to you lately. No one I've met has ever been better at rage than you.

I don't know if I mean that as a compliment or an insult.

Take all of this as you will.

I feel that way more than ever about North American feminists. When seeing women who have REAL problems in life it's hard to take seriously the whining of Canadian and American women.

As to the tactless thing, you pale in comparison to XXX. At your most tactless people still mostly liked you. At her least tactless people mostly tolerated XXX. She was put up with because you were liked -- a sort of "take the good with the bad" approach.

I have an advantage over these people. I don't have to put up with her at all. Nobody can (legally) edit a person out of their physical lives, but my life with my old crowd is all-digital now. I can edit anybody out I care to without having to get my hands bloody.

Please edit me out of your life too.

Why? If you want out of my life you just have to stop inserting yourself into it.

He took this to heart and blocked me on Facebook like I blocked his girlfriend. Nothing ends a friendly relationship than telling a guy that his girlfriend is a total and absolute bitch with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.