Plagiarism: the practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own.

Last night during the opening of the Republican National Convention (RNC), almost word for word, Melania Trump borrowed lines from Michelle Obama’s August 2008 speech.

Don’t we fail college for plagiarizing the work of others?

Isn’t it morally wrong?

In a moment I couldn’t have made up when thinking of all the absurd acts that could take place at the RNC this year, this happened:

“From a young age, my parents impressed on me the values that you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond and you do what you say and keep your promise, that you treat people with respect,”  Melania Trump said in her speech. “They taught and showed me morals in their daily life. That is the lesson that I continue to pass along to our son. And we need to pass those lessons on to many generations to follow because we want our children in this nation to know that the only limit to your achievements is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.”

Michelle, in 2008:

“… Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say you’re going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don’t know them, and even if you don’t agree with them.  And Barack and I set out to build lives guided by these values, and pass them on to the next generation. Because we want our children — and all children in this nation — to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.”

I will add this, and then I leave you to be the judge: So, just to get this straight, in order to pass college we have to submit papers to plagiarism checking websites which rate our work by a percentage of originality. And we had to have scores of above 95% original words or the paper fails. I’m pretty sure this paragraph from Mrs. Trump’s speech wouldn’t pass that test. And that disappoints me.

We are watching a campaign unfold where the Republican nominee for President has been riding a campaign built on hate, fear-mongering, and blaming immigrants. Now we get to watch as his immigrant wife plagiarizes a speech?

And then I had to explain to someone why this is not okay. While it is slightly comedic, it’s not okay. To take the work of others and pass it off as your own, and using said work to propel you upward, is wrong on so many counts.

In a statement by the Trump campaign early Tuesday morning, a senior advisor wrote that Melania Trump’s speech “in some instances included fragments that reflected her own thinking.

I leave you to form your own opinions on this matter, and I encourage you to look deep inside yourself if you don’t see a problem here.

Dig deep, and choose wisely this election.

Further commentary on the speech fiasco from MSNBC:

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Author: Lindsay Carricarte

Image:  Video Still

Editors: Travis May