Of One I'll Come Many

Current System Configuration: Time Management/Chronology and Reality -Adaptative Manipulation (CRAM) Device with Plagiarism Search-and-Destroy Module.
Background Music: To the End of the Galaxy by Salamander Factory (from SRW Alpha 3: To the End of the Galaxy) Maleficient, grandiose and apocalyptic. "To the End of the Galaxy" (Shuuen no Ginga he/終焉の銀河へ）is the said game's final boss theme. It's a dramatic march that has the effect of bringing down the entire galaxy on your head. Listen to when stressed or angry, or during periods of catharsis.
Breakfast: Pancakes and Cheez Whiz
Lunch: Salami sandwich and beef taco-stuffed breadsticks
Dinner: None yet--probably foccacia bread and olive oil again

Today I had to postpone my introductory lecture for this quarter because of a student I caught plagiarizing. Students may think that their teachers are killjoy slave drivers who exist to torment them with endless requirements. While some teachers may be sadists, I'd like to think that I'm not one. I can't stand failing students, but of course, it's my duty to give these guys and girls the grades they deserve. Failing students because of laziness is one thing---failing them because of plagiarism is another thing altogether.

Of course, we all know what makes plagiarism bad---it's basically denying your teacher his or her responsibility---making students think. This is in addition to the fact that plagiarisim is lying, cheating and stealing all at once. What's bad is when your students actually think they can get away with it---I've proven to them more than once that with my broadband connection and Google I can easily detect and expose plagiarism. Nevertheless, I still found one student's paper to be 50% plagiarized---which is no better than 100%. Student Z jumped from his/her distinctive rancorous "I'll kill you because you're disgusting" writing to clipped and precise journalism language. Of course I was easily able to spot the plagiarized article online, taken from the Philippine Daily Inquirer. I had to harangue them the entire period to hopefully help them kick the habit, because I didn't want them to suffer from stricter teachers later on. The sermon eventually segued from plagiarism to how our individual actions contribute to the entire country's condition.

Now, for those not familiar with the condition of the Philippines: We are a highly social race, very clannish (read: nepotistic), loyal (fiercely so, which is often not a good thing) and hospitable (sometimes falsely) people. Being the way we are, I tend to think that our individual actions tend to affect others more than in generally individualistic societies found in the West. Sadly, many of these actions are selfish and inconsiderate.

I went to the nearby Starbucks today to resume my daily paper checking routine (which is daily this week only because grades are due on Monday and my boss wants to see the grades by Friday) with the usual drink (tall mocha frappuccino with a single shot of espresso) to stimulate my protesting neurons and lower my core body temperature (because my ailing car's air conditioning unit seems to have passed away, emitting a hot, toxic-smelling gas whenever I turn it on). Now usually there aren't that many cars parked there at 2:00 pm. Usually.

Today the parking lot was full, and one car---a cherry-red lowered Hyundai coupe---was parked diagonally across two parking slots. When I inquired with the guard, he said that it was parked that way because if the car was parked straight, it would've hit the pavement. (Which I really don't buy---the car was able to park easily later on) Because of this I had to park a good distance away along West Avenue. Not really a problem, but I wanted to smack the car's driver.

Now I have nothing against lowered cars, apart from the fact that by some unfortunate coincidence, their drivers do not seem to have very good manners. I prefer to get rid of stereotypes, but this time I could not. The driver was a rather attractive lady who did not seem to care that she was inconveniencing the other paying customers of the coffee shop. The hot-blooded warrior in me wanted to flick out my Swiss knife blade and give that gleaming paint job a nice long racing stripe down the side. The Christian in me was grinning and bearing it. Of course I didn't want to be a jerk, so the Holy Spirit won this time and I sat down to enjoy my drink and get distressed by my students' papers.

Now, what on earth is my point? We're social beings. Even the most antisocial humans tend to stick together, as seen in this rather disturbing picture:
This is the infamous Otaku Slumber Party image, which has been edited at least one time to carry a very vulgar and offensive message. Anyway, even individuals who are labeled as outcasts (as otaku usually are) are capable of forming groups. And whenever individuals form a group, there is always an intricate web of cause/effect relationships. If students never get caught plagiarizing and continue to do throughout the rest of their lives, they affect they families, friends and co-workers in one way or another. The same is true for people who do not park responsibly (the effect is of course, making other patrons of whatever establishment they may be in to become irate). Whether we live in an individualistic society or otherwise, forgetting that one's actions affect others is a very good way to grow a hate group.

Enough has been said for the day. さらばだ。
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