Are there downsides to “personality plagiarism”? Why did no one buy the Crayola Crayon Carver? And should Stephen feel bad for copying Angela’s email signature?
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I have bad habits, too, like interrupting people and eating off of other people's plates.
I'm Angela Duckworth.
I'm Stephen Dubner, and you're listening to.
No stupid questions today on the show.
Is it wrong to plagiarize someone else's personality?
Somebody wrote to me to say, I heard you ask this question and you stole it from those guys.
And I was like, first of all, Bucko, Angela, we recently discussed on the show your email signature, which I admired so much that I started using it myself.
So at the end of every email I now send from my work email address, at least the signature reads, my work hours may not be your work hours.
Reply if you want, when you want.
So I wrote to you and I asked whether you wanted me to attribute this signature to you, because I did steal it.
Like a citation.
Duckworth comma 2022.
And you wrote back to say, no, no need to attribute.
And that you were flattered that I was using it, which made me happy.
But then you also said that you and your colleague Katie Milkman have in fact studied and totally believe in and practice what you call personality plagiarism.
Right?