Tue, May 25
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: SLOPPY AND DESPERATE
@ 3:29 PMBrian Corman apologized to me. Flat-out admitted his thievery, his stupidity. Owned it all. Good man. Still makes me wonder what he might have done to become valedictorian — I mean, if he’s willing to steal material for something as inconsequential as a speech, how rubbery did his boundaries become when his GPA and future career were on the line? Oh well.
I’ve taken the video down from my site, since it’s already all over the fucking internet. Mr. Corman alluded to Columbia students always taking the “hard road” in his speech. Welcome to the hard road, Bri-Bri.
And Columbia University, with its “high standards”, has honorably re-posted video of the speech on YouTube after briefly taking it down. They added this disclaimer, seen here in a screen grab:
Yep. Two spellings of my name. High standards, indeed. Did the salutatorian smash a watermelon?
| There are 129 comments on this post | |
| Posted by: karmadhyana @ 4:46 AM on 7.29.2010 | |
| Portland, Oregon. When? Why not? David Cross did. Is he the boss of you? Please come--there will be Fruit Wrinkles. | |
| Posted by: Jury Nelson @ 12:28 AM on 7.28.2010 | |
| Wow, there sure are a lot of people who hate Patton Oswalt hanging around PattonOswalt.com. In the Internet age, it's remarkably easy to ignore things you don't like. I'm psyched to see Patton in MPLS This fall! |
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| Posted by: Marc @ 5:12 PM on 7.27.2010 | |
| Oh look, it's Brian Corman's lackey's come to avenge him. Your friend is a joke-- How do you graduate valedictorian at Columbia University and expect someone not to pickup on the Patton joke. He's such a zombie in front of the mic - tell your buddy to never touch a joke again with his lips. Ugh. | |
| Posted by: Tim @ 2:27 PM on 7.09.2010 | |
| Phew. That was a bit harsh. Can't we just agree Oswalt isn't the least bit funny? | |
| Posted by: steve @ 10:32 AM on 7.09.2010 | |
| your nothing but a liberal piece of shit. you think your so above the middle class. just another self hateing white person. you know it all, you don't know dick, except when it's in your mouth. you make fun of Bush, how about the president now? the worst one we've ever had. king of queens sucked. your new show sucks, and your not funny at all, just funny looking. do us all a favor and die you scumbag. | |
| Posted by: Tim @ 12:34 AM on 7.07.2010 | |
| My only question is how much time did Brian Corman have to spend sifting through Oswalts material before he actually found something funny. I'm still looking. | |
| Posted by: Sean H @ 1:06 PM on 6.25.2010 | |
| @Goatmon: He did profit off of it, he just didn't get any money. He got to be kind of funny in front of his graduating class and impress potential business contacts/opportunities in the form of Alumni and his fellow graduates. Being a Valedictorian is a pretty big deal and to suggest he stood to gain nothing but a few laughs out of it is simple. What he would've gained was some reputation as a public speaker and the possibility to rub shoulders with his "betters". |
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| Posted by: Goatmon @ 6:15 AM on 6.25.2010 | |
| I really don't get the hate over this. Yeah, I can understand Oswalt being annoyed that someone used his material, but this is a bit much. It's one thing to profit off of someone else's material, which Carlos Mencia is now infamous for. It's another thing to include such a joke in a speech to peers, colleagues, family, and friends. He had nothing to profit from this, and was probably just thinking it was an appropriate monologue to throw in his speech, to garner a few laughs. Maybe he knew what he was doing, or maybe he didn't. The guy is pretty young, and it's not fair to assume his academic career is fraudulent because he borrowed some comedy material for his graduation speech. |
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| Posted by: Eric @ 2:43 AM on 6.24.2010 | |
| I'm guessing the commenters making Patton out to be the bad guy here have never created anything in their lives, or they would know that stealing someone's creation, even if it's something as "inconsequential" as a joke, is a shitty, shitty thing to do. The whole "what, so I can't tell a comedian's joke at a party?" argument is what's known as a slippery slope. Think of a song--is it okay to sing in a party setting and not cite the band? Sure. What about getting up on stage and pretending it's yours? Nope, that's bad. I do agree that Columbia shouldn't be faulted, though. They owned up to Brian's thievery without trying to soften the crime with rhetoric or euphemisms. |
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| Posted by: Legionnaire's Disease @ 10:55 PM on 6.16.2010 | |
| ...so to sum up I never equated "theft as 'free enterprise.'" I merely suggested that his sense of self importance and aggrandizement could be better used. Patton's wit and satire are being wasted, WASTED I SAY on banal topics because that's what you saps are paying for... DEMAND MORE simps, he's more than capable, but I believe he's afraid. Don't be a bunch of cows chewing his cud (but credit him when you DO!) He will never step out of his zone if you only expect fart & dick jokes. |
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| Posted by: Legionnaire's Disease @ 9:35 PM on 6.16.2010 | |
| \\\Pay attention to the slashies... If you are new to the interwebs, it's not just full of Cats and Porn. Lighten up Francis. Way to go white knight for the man you love though! Perhaps you can write him a nice fanboy note and let him know you defended his honor. Although he does still resemble a short, fat, lesbian (his words not mine). I posted some observations (MHO) based on his material and statements. Was I out of line, no. Was I trolling, a little bit... Either way, Patton should understand by now that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Should this person have taken credit for others work, absolutely not. Perhaps I should have started with Patton os no Pat Condell. |
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| Posted by: Ebel @ 4:00 PM on 6.16.2010 | |
| ::holds up an egg:: this is your career ::opens it unto a hot frying pan:: the is your career after steal patton's shit ::sounds of nom-nom off-screen:: thats the sound of patton's devouring your dreams after stealing his shit... any questions? ::Patton, off screen:: do you have, dude, any more? those were good. |
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| Posted by: Sean H @ 1:48 PM on 6.09.2010 | |
| To everyone who claims that Patton ripped on a valedictorian for publicity... the man was a reoccurring supporting actor on King of Queens, Reno 911, and starred in his own movie. He gets paid to do stand up and occasionally writes comic books. I don't think ripping on a plagiarist is his idea of the press machine at work. Corman should(and was) be ripped on publicly as plagiarism of Comedy has been tacitly accepted for years by the public at large. Every time I point out that Leary, Cook, and Mencia all steal their jokes my friends just go "but that's just comedy, man. Everyone does it." It's not acceptable and if public shaming is what it takes then there it is. |
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| Posted by: KidSkippy71 @ 11:10 PM on 6.07.2010 | |
| Patton-- As a close friend of Underking--who recorded the video that hopefully debilitated Nick Madson's career, I am astonished that someone would blatantly take your material again on such a large stage (ivy league graduation). Maybe people will realize soon how famous and funny you are and knock this shit off. |
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| Posted by: -naire's Disease @ 4:32 PM on 6.07.2010 | |
| @Legion, only a quarter-wit like you could attempt to defend theft as "free enterprise." You are un-American and a traitor. Whee! See how easy it is to throw around labels? | |
| Posted by: Legion @ 5:13 PM on 6.04.2010 | |
| \\\Patton's taking a moral affront to some douche using his material? Way to take the high road Patton. Why not sue him for royalties? IMHO Patton hates the system that makes his "art" proprietary and protects his freedom to benefit from the material he creates. He decries the US as corrupt and awash in a bereft colonial mentality that he sees as contemptuous. He doesn't see pride in sovereignty or free enterprise. He despises the stupid as bigots. He hates athletes and then makes a movie mocking the simple pleasures of enjoying competition. He's an atheist or rather a cowardly atheist... his vitriol is reserved only for christianity, not islam. Patton is no Pat Condell | |
| Posted by: TW @ 3:53 PM on 6.03.2010 | |
| What do you expect, this guy is the son of a politician. I was actually a graduating student in the front row that day. I am not surprised at all from this guy. He accurately represents an institution that that prides itself on uncreativity, rigid structure, and not being innovative. We were actually rewarded for not thinking for ourselves. The more you fall in line with the people before you, the better student you are. Glad its over. Schmuk | |
| Posted by: COLIN @ 9:13 PM on 6.01.2010 | |
| I was walking with some friends and they were talking about reality TV - and I remembered Patton's bit about dealing with assholes and dickheads all day and then coming home to watch assholes and dickheads on TV. I wanted to be really witty so I recited what I remembered from the bit and everyone laughed and one of my friends said - "Colin, you're so fucking funny!" and then I got really anxious and paranoid and shot nervous glances around the street and said "That's actually a Patton Oswalt joke." | |
| Posted by: Roz @ 3:22 AM on 5.31.2010 | |
| I see the illiterate nay sayers are all out en mass. I bet they all downloaded your albums too Patton. And there's the personal theft issue they all have. At least they aren't hypocrites. BTW I stole your cd from my sister but she bought it after she destroyed my copy. We may have a generation on our hands who don't realize that theft is fucking wrong. | |
| Posted by: Nate @ 6:09 PM on 5.29.2010 | |
| Some of you dullards really need to look up intellectual property law. After you're done with that, take a moment to familiarize yourself with what a comedian actually does. Stand-up is a one man (or woman) show. You won't see anyone arguing against Eric Bogosian's ownership of his monologues, so why argue against a comedian owning their material? Some people have some seriously fucked up double standards. Try doing comedy. Maybe after you bomb you'll have more respect for it. | |
| Posted by: The Joker @ 1:45 PM on 5.28.2010 | |
| @ Kelly Flanders: More like a Crass Clown. And, as a rule of thumb, you should always present an argument before you "end transmission". Although this is the internet, so I guess hurling insults without any real context along with them looks cool to people like Joseph, who probably doesn't have his high school diploma yet (Joseph--I decided to be optimistic and hope that you'll get one eventually.) ^^ | |
| Posted by: Joseph @ 1:10 PM on 5.28.2010 | |
| *face palm* | |
| Posted by: Kelly Flanders @ 10:06 AM on 5.28.2010 | |
| @The Joker - if that IS your real name -- you, sir, are an arse clown. End Transmission. | |
| Posted by: Rachel @ 5:13 AM on 5.28.2010 | |
| :[ | |
| Posted by: Rachel @ 5:11 AM on 5.28.2010 | |
| Maybe Mr Oswalt can offer his punch up services for all the less funny people of the world? He could hide behind the curtains and yell about falling into a bucket of butterscotch in the middle of lousy stand-up, valedictorian speeches, business conferences, wedding receptions. *This is post was inspired by Werewolves and Lolipops, haw. |
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| Posted by: Rachel @ 5:10 AM on 5.28.2010 | |
| Maybe Mr Oswalt can offer his punch up services for all the less funny people of the world? He could hide behind the curtains and yell about falling into a bucket of butterscotch in the middle of lousy stand-up, valedictorian speeches, business conferences, wedding receptions. *This is post was inspired by Werewolves and Lolipops, haw. |
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| Posted by: triton2toro @ 3:25 AM on 5.28.2010 | |
| Word of advice to thieves of speeches. Make sure your audience you are speaking to are not fans of the person you stole from. You are speaking to Ivy League graduates- chances are there are quite a few Patton Oswalt fans in the seats. Next time you speak in front of a group of Ivy League grads, steal from Carlos Mencia. Carlos Mencia fans and college graduates- those are two groups that will never overlap in a Venn diagram. (I also am keenly aware of the irony of stealing any material from Carlos Mencia). | |
| Posted by: The Joker @ 11:38 PM on 5.27.2010 | |
| Patty, Mr. Corman did you a favor: I didn't even know you existed until now. This is just the kind of publicity a nobody comedian like you thrives for, right? And if your comments on this situation are at all representative of your style of humor, it's pretty obvious why you're nothing more than a mediocre comedian (if even that). | |
| Posted by: Eric @ 5:04 PM on 5.27.2010 | |
| Unfortunately, asses like this are in good company. Take for instance the current VP of the United States the esteemed Joe Biden. He plagarized his way right to 2nd in line to the throne. |
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| Posted by: Steve Hofstetter @ 3:32 PM on 5.27.2010 | |
| I don't know why some people think jokes can't be owned. Someone can easily own a joke, provided they can prove they wrote it (which Patton clearly can). Intellectual Property law covers written material. Since Patton's was recorded, it falls under the category of broadcast Intellectual Property. Feel free to read up on IP law: http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/ |
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| Posted by: Lol @ 2:37 PM on 5.27.2010 | |
| @Steve Hofsetter: In order to steal Intellectual Property, someone has to own it. Nobody owns jokes. So I guess people are simply "tolerating" the law. Shucks. |
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| Posted by: spork @ 2:27 PM on 5.27.2010 | |
| 1) Obviously Brian did the wrong thing here. I think using the joke was fine, but he needed to somehow give credit from where he took that from. It's not cool to sneak credit for something you didn't do and it sucks that comedians don't get the recognition for their material. 2) Patton really needs to chill the f out. Call Brian out, for sure. Skewer him but once he admitted his error be a tad more mature about it. I figure you'd want to appear gracious and mature afterwards or if not then funny. But instead Patton decided to go for the "not funny and just an asshole" route. He just sounds cranky and bitter w/ no sense of humor. |
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| Posted by: Chad @ 2:20 PM on 5.27.2010 | |
| Seriously. Get over yourself already. | |
| Posted by: rowsdower @ 1:48 PM on 5.27.2010 | |
| To be fair, nobody ever really though that the School of General Studies had high standards; it's just a way for Columbia to make money off people desperate for an Ivy-League degree despite not having what it takes to actually earn one. Also, classy move to continue trashing the guy after he apologized for stealing your jokes in a speech that made him no money and did you no harm. I guess having a B-list comedian relentlessly attack you in a pitiful attempt at self-promotion is something you encounter on the "hard road". |
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| Posted by: Hannibal @ 1:20 PM on 5.27.2010 | |
| You can't own a joke. So get over yourself. I think he student should have acknowledged his source, but he didn't steal anything because jokes are not property. I am so sick of comedians bitching about people stealing their material when the truth is that it's mostly all variation and very, very little originality. | |
| Posted by: Steve Hofstetter @ 1:07 PM on 5.27.2010 | |
| Sure, the kid apologized - but an apology does not erase the past. Just ask Jesse James. I’m both a comedian and an alum of the Columbia GS program, and I wrote to the dean saying I won’t donate til Corman gets stripped of the valedictorian title. We don’t need thieves representing us: http://chinesefoodandtv.blogspot.com/2010/05/columbia-valedictorian-steals-from.html Patton dealt with it publicly because Corman ripped him off publicly. Theft of intellectual property is all too tolerated when it comes to comedy, and I'm glad Patton stood loudly against it. |
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| Posted by: Josh @ 10:35 AM on 5.27.2010 | |
| Did y'all see that girl in the beginning ripping off that Francis Scott Key joint from back in the day?? | |
| Posted by: The Tyger @ 10:28 AM on 5.27.2010 | |
| Clearly Columbia students and friends of this thief are trying to spin things against Patton. I steal his jokes all the time, but only to tell them to my brother on the phone in the context of illustrating why he needs to buy the newest album. The only thing a comedian has as their wares is the joke. It is a little ethereal, and stealing it may not feel wrong, but the simple truth is that it Columbia seems to believe that a student can lie, cheat, and steal to reach the top, and giving people like this honors from your university shows that you have no true academic honor. |
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| Posted by: Beatty Flanders @ 2:03 AM on 5.27.2010 | |
| Okay, now I'm convinced it's friends of the student who are posting half of these comments. It's an awfully big leap to make P the bad guy here. Oh, and I'm particularly fond of the amusing "if it's not for profit, it's totally A-OK" argument pervasive among some apologists. Please try that argument on your professor or boss next time you appropriate someone's work; see how that flies. To paraphrase Gertrude Stein, plagiarism is plagiarism is plagiarism. |
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| Posted by: anon @ 12:51 AM on 5.27.2010 | |
| Honestly i liked the students story, while it may have the same headline physics for poets the content i thought was very funny and a play on the kobayashi maru. I think it was in very bad taste to be so upset, its not like he plagerized the whole standup routine. Comedians often borrow works from other comedians, people had used the works of jay hickman for years, just because he died in the 80s is no excuse to not even give him a shoutout. just my 2 cents. |
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| Posted by: Kyle @ 12:24 AM on 5.27.2010 | |
| The only real crime here is how you're screwing this guy over to bring attention to your pathetic career. He told a joke of yours at a speech to liven it up. It's not like he's pulling a Carlos Mencia and making an entire TV show off of stolen jokes. The smart move would be to accept his apology and move on, rather than trying to publicly embarrass him. Next time I repeat a joke I hear at a bar I'll make sure to cite my sources afterwards so not to get lambasted on the internet by douches like you. | |
| Posted by: jman @ 11:24 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| @Josh Sorry but you're wrong. People tell jokes all the time. They share them with friends and family, they tell them at bars and over dinner. They lighten the mood. Cormon did not make a profit off of the joke and if we didn't live in a Youtube world, it probably would have never made news. On top of all this, Corman apologized to Oswalt. I agree with ch33ky. Oswalt comes off as petty here. |
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| Posted by: Well @ 11:06 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| I have to say I don't know of a lot of schools that ALWAYS expel students for a first plagiarism offense. I'm not saying that Columbia never expels students on their first time, I'm just saying that it's not necessarily what happens. It totally depends on the circumstances -- I mean, don't you think there's a difference between plagiarizing one sentence and plagiarizing an entire paper? | |
| Posted by: Josh @ 9:55 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| @ch33ky: Sorry, but you're wrong. The only way one could POSSIBLY pull off reciting someone else's joke in this context would be as follows: "Y'know, Bobby Sherman once said...." (uh, let's assume this is Catskills University). What Mr. Corman did was STEAL - nearly verbatim - someone else's text without citation. @Columbia Grad: It's a bit of a stretch to argue Patton was slighting all graduates of Columbia University, don't you think? He was rightly grousing about the one jerkface who stole from him and the insult added to injury of the school misspelling his name. | |
| Posted by: Martha @ 9:44 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| What this kid did was crappy and stupid. But honestly, is this how you always take apologies? "What else did you lie about, you idiot?" Way to be the better person here. | |
| Posted by: Da Professa @ 9:18 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| So- when a student plagiarizes at the college where I teach I'm supposed to immediately fail them. Then they face other 'honor code' sanctions. A student at Columbia only has to 1) admit it and 2) say "I'm sorry"? Wow... I'm going to recommend Columbia to all my cheating students from now on, after we kick them out. |
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| Posted by: Orrin S. @ 7:40 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| I'm with Patton on this. The notion that Corman should be semi-excused since he didn't do it for pay is weak. He did it for personal acclaim — to make himself appear funnier than he is. And he is actually guilty of two transgressions: i)stealing the bit; ii)recounting an incident that never occurred in a class at Columbia. |
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| Posted by: @sygcspicy @ 6:22 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| Note to self: Next time steal Andrew Dice Clay's material. | |
| Posted by: ch33ky @ 5:52 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| Sorry Patton, Making a big fuss about a kid telling one of your jokes at a graduation ceremony just seems petty. |
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| Posted by: Ron Drake @ 5:22 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| First, "America Has Spoken" and now "Physics For Poets"... If they're going to steal your old bits, maybe you should package your best stuff into kits: "Oswalt's Orts For Orators! Got a comedy gig you haven't prepared for? Want to punch up that next speech? How would you like sure-fire material written to amaze and amuse your friends? With Oswalt's Orts For Orators," you now have ready-made comedy at your fingertips! For $19.95, you get a three-disc get of Patton's albums complete with transcripts, and a plus-sized cup for those balls of yours! Order Oswalt's Orts for Orators today and be funny tomorrow. After all, who'll know?! We'll never tell!" | |
| Posted by: Timmy @ 5:18 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| @KW I'm going with you on this one. No need to crucify the kid for a speech alone, but why in the world would he choose his Valedictorian speech to rip someone off "for the first time"? I've never been a completely honest person, so I know my own. The actions we see with this kid are a rusty crack in the wall that will reveal a rotten framework. Our mothers weren't lying, Corman. Lies are a tangled web that can all come crashing down at once. |
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| Posted by: KW @ 4:55 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| It's very hard to believe that Brian Corman didn't violate the honor code in other situations as well. It's also hard to believe that he won't continue such behavior in the future. Brian Corman, here's to hoping this screwup costs you your career. |
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| Posted by: kim @ 4:43 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| According to many of the commenters here, plagiarism isn't an issue in this context because it was a joke. That's not exactly the truth. It was a joke, but it was told in the form of a personal anecdote. Mr. Corman passed off Oswalt's personal experience as his own. If you were at a party, and you heard an acquaintance pass off your own personal experiences as his own, how would you feel? What if that person were the most popular and successful person within your social circle? My guess is you'd feel ripped off. Yes, Mr. Corman is a valedictorian, but it genuinely makes me wonder what he was willing to do in order to get ahead. There is a huge issue of integrity at stake. |
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| Posted by: bark @ 4:24 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| This isn't nearly as big of a blatant insult as that douche from who did some of Patton's work in a THEATER for MONEY, but still - it would be insulting to anyone. I'm sorry, what? Columbia DOESN'T EXPEL ON THE FIRST OFFENSE OF PLAGIARISM? Interesting how the squalid community college my friend teaches at has A NO TOLERANCE POLICY on that shit. The only thing that really makes me feel better is the hope that, at some point in the last 24 hours, some wizened Columbia alumnus heard the news, sat down in his oak-paneled office in his house in the Hamptons, turned on his computer and looked up "Patton Oswalt" on YouTube and became violently incontinent from all the "dirty language." |
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| Posted by: spacewolf @ 4:18 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| @Columbia Grad Like it or not, it is the stereotype. Which, I agree, are usually based more upon perception than fact. However, it's not out of line to think that the actions of your Valedictorian reflect on the student body as a whole. Just like the actions of a world leader reflect on a country, a religious leader on a religion, a CEO on a company, a star athlete on a team, etc. Oh, and thanks a lot for Vampire Weekend, Columbia University. They suck. |
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| Posted by: Well @ 3:51 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| @Josh - yes, there are consequences for plagiarizing in papers, but the first offense rarely results in expulsion. What's more, at Columbia, the process for dealing with plagiarism is through the Dean's office, and it is completely confidential. As long as you are not suspended or expelled, nobody will ever know about your first offense and whatever punishment you earned for it. I certainly don't agree with what Brian did (plagiarism is always wrong), but I have to say I feel bad for him. If he had plagiarized in, say, his thesis, which is definitely much more important than a speech, he wouldn't have this huge mark on his life. I wish him the best of luck getting a job now. | |
| Posted by: Columbia Grad @ 3:35 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| @spacewolf... If completely paying your way through college (including living expenses) equates to fulfilling a "pompous, privileged Ivy Leaguer stereotype," then I guess I exemplify an extremely spoiled demographic. I would say at least 1/3 of my classmates are doing the same. If it were the case, I would side with you and share your frustration, no one likes pompous arrogance; however, I'd caution making a statement without having the data to back it up. A claim without data is, after all, another "academic sin." If you want to target the person who made the statement, go ahead - it was an extremely foolish thing to do, just don't include people that aren't responsible. |
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| Posted by: Donnie @ 3:18 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| Patton, I think rip-offs of your routines are about to become a meme. Best of luck to you. | |
| Posted by: spacewolf @ 2:10 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| "it's hard to see all this fuss as anything but a big self-promotion campaign" Yeah, it's almost as if he's a Hollywood entertainer. |
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| Posted by: Fred X. Quimby @ 2:08 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| Well, if you can make money off this snafu, then it's win-win. P.S. Love the work you do when you are fully clothed! |
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| Posted by: Ryan @ 1:57 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| Without defending the plagiarist, I side with Duane (somewhat) on this. If the plagiarism is the problem, then it would have been pretty simple to deal with the people who actually could do something about the plagiarism (ie. not the people here, or on Twitter or elsewhere). While Patton is definitely within his rights to call this guy out publicly, it's hard to see all this fuss as anything but a big self-promotion campaign. It's kind of sad, really. |
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| Posted by: spacewolf @ 1:55 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| Man, all the Columbia students' comments criticizing Patton are living up to the pompous, privileged Ivy Leaguer stereotype. Your Valedictorian embarrassed the University by plagiarizing Patton's work during his graduation speech. Of course that's going to result in Patton taking a few jabs at the ivy tower. Your "best and brightest" publicly committed perhaps the worst academic sin. That's funny. |
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| Posted by: Columbia Grad @ 1:31 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| While I do not condone the actions of Brian Corman, to make an overarching statement about the “high standards” or integrity of Columbia is fallacious. Are you right to question the integrity of the individual who plagiarized? Absolutely. However, doing this to an entire student body makes you look emotionally driven and ignorant. The fact that Columbia University did not catch the case of plagiarism simply means that your jokes must not be THAT popular. I’ll be honest; I had never of your name prior to this. To make a blanket statement undermines the accomplishments of the nearly 12,000 Columbia graduates of 2010 that are not involved with this matter. | |
| Posted by: Columbia Grad @ 1:31 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| When the issue came to the surface, it appears that both Brian and Columbia University handled the matter in a responsible and appropriate manner. Credit has been paid, and the guilty party will undoubtedly face consequences. A quick google of “comedian plagiarism” reveals that your line of work has had the same unfortunate occurrences… so it must be that all comedians are “sloppy and desperate” - a group of guys/girls that make a living touring around the US and retelling the jokes they heard at a bar in the previous city? |
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| Posted by: A @ 12:43 PM on 5.26.2010 | |
| It was wrong to plagiarize. Besides that, the speech was good. |
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| Posted by: Jake @ 11:02 AM on 5.26.2010 | |
| Aside from Columbia's misspelling Mr. Oswalt's name (which they later corrected), I think they responded to this perfectly. To delete the video would unjustly deflect blame, and it's best and just for everyone that the video remains with this note. That said, if the university were to look into the speaker's academic work to find other instances of plagiarism, I wouldn't object... |
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| Posted by: Josh @ 10:12 AM on 5.26.2010 | |
| To all the people defending this Valedick: you do know that it's unethical to claim someone else's work as your own, right? Saying "Well, he didn't mean any harm" or "He's entertaining the crowd" doesn't cut it. Had he done the same thing on a paper, even with one sentence, he could be expelled. People have in fact lost their jobs after plaigiarizing. So yes, it is a big deal. And for those saying, "Well, you can't copyright words" -- uh, yes you can. We copyright slogans all the time. Those are a series of words put together. Sure, it's arguable whether the dude who wrote "I'm lovin' it" is an artist, but there's no doubt PO is one. And he was stolen from, plain & simple. | |
| Posted by: Greg P @ 9:33 AM on 5.26.2010 | |
| Turns out that Brian Corman's real name is Ned Arcel.. | |
| Posted by: Mira8 @ 6:53 AM on 5.26.2010 | |
| Oswalt is great, and was right to call Corman and Columbia out for this. Plagarism bad. But in the face of larger world events I can't see cranking my rage-o-meter up to 11 for this one. It all sort of reminds me of Kevin Smith and the airline seat debacle. Are all comedians fueled by this cauldron of seething rage burbling just under the surface? |
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| Posted by: Rachel @ 2:53 AM on 5.26.2010 | |
| And by the way, I direct the previous comment towards commenters on this and other sites who seem to be out for blood, not towards Mr. Oswalt. He's a(n awesome) comedian and I'm not going to tell him how to do his job, especially since he indicates that this post is the end of the discussion for him. | |
| Posted by: Rachel @ 2:49 AM on 5.26.2010 | |
| It was smarmy and low but let's tone down the lynch mob. I'm sure this has been public humiliation enough without people trying to keep the torches lit. The kid didn't seem like much of a public speaker and overachievers aren't generally known for their social graces. Sure, it's good that people called him out on it, and it's good that he apologized. What more can we ask for? Incidentally, I don't think the implications of this offense extend very far. Chances are he is that guy at parties who tells jokes you already heard on Comedy Central. People laugh, but you know better, and you think less of him for it. The jury's out on whether such people are more prone to murder for a perfect GPA. | |
| Posted by: rafa @ 10:51 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| Oh, and he's a fucking VALEDICTORIAN. Are you honestly defending his inability to create a speech worth listening to all by his lonesome? Get real | |
| Posted by: rafa @ 10:48 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| jojoba....don't be dense. It was blatant plagiarism. Patton has every right to be upset with people stealing his material (material he's worked long and hard on both constructing and perfecting) The fact that it's happened more than once is even more irritating. Try creating something you genuinely care for and then allow some jagoff simply lift it with little-to-no effort and see how it feels. Dismissing where an idea originally came from is truly a deplorable act. | |
| Posted by: JoJoba @ 10:12 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| You can't trademark a joke. I don't really see this stealing. The guys not a profesional comedian or trying to be he just wanted to punch up his routine. I would say to Patton you're a profesional this guys is a kid. Lighten up. | |
| Posted by: Lynn @ 10:11 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| Right on. At least he apologized, but sorry you had to go through that again. A guy that educated knows better than to use the material you created which contributes to your livelihood just so he can get a few laughs. He should be setting an example, acting professionally for potential employers, and better representing the school he was chosen to honor. | |
| Posted by: Jeremy @ 10:02 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| @Kurt: Brian bought it on himself by stealing one of Patton's routines (on camera no less) and then not even having the decency to give proper credit to him. I stand by my earlier statement concerning Duane. We all quote our favourite comedians from time to time. However, some of us have the decency to at least give proper credit BEFORE we are called out on it. And did you honestly think Brian would escape a public flogging once this got out? You seem to forget how loyal Patton's fans (including myself) are. We would have called this guy out sooner or later with or without Patton's involvement. |
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| Posted by: Jeremy @ 9:51 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| @Matt Neffer: What I like to do is preface the joke with "Patton Oswalt (or whatever comic you're quoting) has a bit where he goes (joke goes here)" It will still get a laugh if the joke's funny and you're good at telling it. I told a slightly abbreviated version of the "Physics for Poets" joke (I focused more on the Star Trek aspect of it) to some friends at a party (giving proper credit to Mr. Oswalt of course) and got a huge laugh. However, nobody was recording me nor did I claim it to be mine. As long as you aren't taking credit for or profiting from the joke and are saying it at a party or in the car as opposed to say, at a graduation ceremony I think it's okay. | |
| Posted by: Kurt @ 9:49 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| I agree with Duane Jonasson. It would've been much more professional to send Mr. Corman a message privately. I'm not sure what the point of the public humiliation was. Especially since, once again, Mr. Corman wasn't trying to profit from anything, he just made a dumb mistake. I highly doubt Mr. Corman had anything to gain from telling a story from Patton's stand-up routine. He was just trying to add some humor to his speech. However misguided it was, I don't think he deserved to be publicly humiliated. I also understand that Patton makes his living being an arrogant ass, but it seems harsh to direct that towards Mr. Corman. | |
| Posted by: Jeremy @ 9:34 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Duane you're a fucking idiot. | |
| Posted by: Jeremy @ 9:33 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| @Travis: Patton's not the douchebag, you are. | |
| Posted by: The Kyle BEets @ 8:39 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| Maybe you need to write more jokes about how being a nazi makes it harder for you to buy ice cream. No one will steal that bit. | |
| Posted by: Adam McKee @ 8:38 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| @Duane: there's nothing inappropriate or excessive about Patton's response to this. According to you he's supposed to let everyone who heard the speech continue to think the material WASN'T plagiarized?? Also, it's not like Patton needs this to elevate his career... Get a life. All in all - a pretty bad episode for Columbia University. First we see what is apparently the result of years spent at their institution: a dishonest idiot. Then, in their statement they misspell Patton's name! Seriously - WTF is going on at this so-called "institution of higher learning" ?! |
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| Posted by: Travis @ 8:33 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| Way to be a complete douchebag, Patton. And FYI: Commas generally go inside quotation marks. | |
| Posted by: lebaneselooker @ 8:31 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| People saying that this dude didn't prophet from his theft (unlike the other plagiarist) are missing the point. One: words matter. Two: comedy is a person's writing and arguably their intellectual property. Three: When giving a speech with a profile like that in front of Columbia's graduating class - you are presenting yourself in certain way to future employers and the people you will be networking with for years to come - so in a way he stands to prophet with his phoniness. His actions should have consequences - Also, it wasn't a 'joke' - it was an actual retelling of an experience that someone that was not him had. Sloppy is a mild term for this dishonest Millennial, more like 'scary.' | |
| Posted by: Arthur @ 7:40 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| I hope this dude goes off to the professional world and somehow lands in a episode of Law And Order SVU only in this case it is not ripped off it is a reality and he really being pimped out to french businessmen and winds up murdered. | |
| Posted by: Mercutio @ 6:40 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| @Kim: Indeed. @Kurt Chiarelott: Misspellings and typos can (and often should) be overlooked. They can't (and shouldn't) be ignored, however, when they take place in public statements from institutions that claim to be at the forefront of this country's academic elite. |
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| Posted by: Scott Jurkowski @ 6:37 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| ". . . you’re quickly becoming snarky, condescending, and pompous." Becoming?! He makes a fine living off of that, genius. And, as someone who was being addressed during that speech (as in, a graduating member of that particular class at Columbia), I can say that correctly spelling the name of a victim of plagiarism that took place under their watch is not a lot to ask. And I think it's perfectly understandable to rip somebody apart who does something like this. It's worse than ripping it off as a comic, in my opinion. At least you know that comics embellish and that their stories are just stories, not always true anecdotes. This was a blatant and inexplicable lie. It makes no sense at all. |
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| Posted by: Kim @ 6:32 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| Disappointed to hear the criticism of Patton Oswalt. BOTH plagiarists are equally culpable; one because he sold himself as a comedian, and the other because he is the valedictorian of a prestigious university. And YES Columbia should have made the effort to spell his name correctly. You know what I do when I want to double-check spelling the name of a public figure? I use the Google search function window. Ten seconds of effort is all it takes. It's a genuine PR gaffe, and the least the bureaucrats could have done was spend ten seconds verifying Oswalt's name. | |
| Posted by: Mercutio @ 6:32 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| @Duane Jonasson: Are you serious? This situation doesn't need to be dealt with in a "private and professional manner," as it is an instance of blatant, public theft. If anything, Patton took it easy on this guy. | |
| Posted by: Tom Bergum @ 6:29 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| If Mr. Corman had taken the bit verbatim and acknowledged it as a joke, that would be one thing. But he took the physicist/art school bit and made it seem like it happened to him in a physics class. That's just lying. That's not an homage. To think that you could get away with that in front of so many people just seems short-sighted in the extreme. I mean why steal something for less than a minute of laughter? It's just strange. |
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| Posted by: Duane Jonasson @ 6:01 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| YOU ARE AN ARROGANT ASS !! You obviously wanted some attention that you can't earn on your own, otherwise you would have dealt with in in a private and professional manner. |
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| Posted by: Kurt Chiarelott @ 5:54 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| (Con't) What Mr. Corman did was stupid, for sure. But I’m not sure he deserved to be ripped apart. Now you’ve even made fun of spelling errors of Columbia University, which could have easily been a typo. I’m sure you’ve made plenty of spelling mistakes throughout your life. What’s become obvious to me is you’re quickly becoming snarky, condescending, and pompous. You remind me of a bitter classmate of mine that was not smart enough to be class Valedictorian, so instead he just made fun of and pointed out any little mistake every other person made in the class. Unfortunately you’re only going to open yourself up to extreme criticisms the moment you do something wrong or make a misstep. | |
| Posted by: Kurt Chiarelott @ 5:53 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| Obviously it’s never right to plagiarize material from anyone or for any reason. A few others have made the point that in this case, however, maybe you jumped the gun. The Nick Madson thing needed to be pointed out and Madson deserved to be ripped apart because he was attempting to profit from your comedy, not only monetarily, but also in popularity. (Con't) |
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| Posted by: Mark @ 5:09 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| Patton: if Brian Corman had asked permission to use the joke prior to the speech, would you have granted it? The Nick Madson thing was absolutely dirty because he was profiting and furthering a career on someone else's work. I felt gross just watching it. But Brian didn't make any money off this (presumably). Since he didn't ask permission or atribute the joke to you, obviously that's plagiarism. But isn't this situation a little different than that scumbag Madson's? (Plus, let's be honest, Brian is miles better at joke-telling than Nick.) |
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| Posted by: frangelica @ 4:40 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| Original comedy should be treated as an original song, and people who steal original comedy should be treated as someone who.... decided they were going to take a Jay-Z song and put their name at the top of the piece only to have their kneecaps blown out with a baseball bat. I am thrilled that Patton is fighting back!! | |
| Posted by: heather @ 4:31 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| The one thing I hate more than bike thieves is joke thieves. Douche bag with a capital D. Bring Brian and Nick to Chicago - my roller derby team will take care of them. | |
| Posted by: smd @ 4:29 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| In Columbia's defense -- name typos are not uncommon. Case in point: "Did any of my crafty, diabolical fans "grab" a copy of the Brian Corben video? Something? Please?" -pattonoswalt via twitter. |
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| Posted by: Matt Neffer, Boy Spotwelder @ 4:28 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| Putting aside questions of ethics and just general stupidity for a second, what do these guys GET from stealing jokes like this? How is it satisfying on any level? I scored big with a Patton line at a party a few months back, and got a HUGE laugh (part of the attraction of stealing from Patton, I think, is that the jokes are so precise and well-crafted, that if you put the words in the right order, even a hack like me can do at least okay with it no matter how ham-fisted the delivery). But I immediately felt so guilty I had to come clean five seconds later and tell everyone it was a Patton Oswalt joke, not mine. It's fun to make people laugh, but when it's not yours it just feels dirty. | |
| Posted by: Billy @ 4:24 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| When i googled "SLOPPY AND DESPERATE" this is not exactly what i expected to find. | |
| Posted by: Daniel @ 4:14 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| Congratulations on being an internet meme, Mr. Oswalt. I'm going to make a youtube video of myself ripping you off while my cat rides on a Roomba. | |
| Posted by: Ben @ 4:11 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| Demand a degree from Columbia as compensation. And a commencement gown. Both to be hand delivered by the plagiarist. | |
| Posted by: Bill_P @ 4:10 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| He retold "Physics for Poets" for those who weren't aware | |
| Posted by: ElephantDanger @ 4:07 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| The real problem, that it seems some people aren't quite grasping, is that Mr. Corman passes this bit off as personal experience. What a tool. | |
| Posted by: joe c @ 4:02 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| It's the School of General Studies. It's always been regarded as the community college version of Columbia. When I was there, a friend plagarized part of a paper and he got in HUGE trouble. (This was pre-Internet.) What an idiot. Way to live up to your school's stereotype, Brian. |
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| Posted by: carlos @ 4:02 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| In Brian's defense, maybe he's just a big Nick Madson fan, and he thought he was stealing the bit from him... http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=39258606&l=4642ef2fd4&id=36603421 |
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| Posted by: PatonOswaltisGay @ 4:01 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| What routine did he steal? | |
| Posted by: Jim@Moviebrainrot.com @ 4:00 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| I did not see the routine, but it seems like flattery rather then theft. He was just trying to be funny. It is hard to get up in front of people. Of course, I did hear or see this. |
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| Posted by: Glen @ 3:59 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| Wow, it's one thing to be a thieving bastard in a theater with a dozen people in it, but this guy does it at the commencement of one of the biggest schools in the country?? As the prophet Bill Hicks would say, "What chrome plated balls on this guy!" My faith in humanity is very dependent on the belief that this guy can't possibly thought this was going to be unnoticed. Then again, it was also dependent on Sarah Palin being mauled by socialist pro-choice bears, so win some lose some I guess... |
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| Posted by: synergy @ 3:59 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| In fairness, the first spelling is correct probably because they were looking at as they were getting ready to write that. By the time they got to the end, they went with the admittedly much more common spelling... I missed the whole brouhaha... |
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| Posted by: Johnny @ 3:59 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| Why does anyone care that a student speaking at a graduation ceremony stole a joke from a famous comedian? He's a nobody speaking to a few hundred people, most of whom were probably grateful for a joke amidst all the regular commencement tedium. It's not as if this guy is trying to be a stand-up comedian - it's a fucking graduation speech. At least he had the good sense to steal a funny joke. Regular people steal jokes from real comedians all the time at parties and in emails. Do all those people deserve to get called out too? | |
| Posted by: karin @ 3:55 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| I guess it's just a sign of Patton's good writing, everyone can relate, relate so well they think it happened to them. | |
| Posted by: nikki @ 3:54 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| what a douche. this is the future of America. Just great. | |
| Posted by: QuoterGal @ 3:53 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| @SanFranMan This related TrueSlant blog shows Mr. Os-WALD ; > doing the particular bit that was stolen: http://trueslant.com/level/2010/05/25/columbia-valedictorian-apes-patton-oswalts-physics-for-poets-jokes/ (I've not shortened the link so you can see it's not a link to, you know, viagra or something...) |
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| Posted by: MissCheeVious @ 3:53 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| "Welcome to the hard road Bri Bri...". You're my hero Master P. | |
| Posted by: Andy Rich @ 3:52 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| Patton, I hope - really, really hope - this and the Nick Madson incident are proving to be tasty grist for the mill of your future stand-up material. My favorite parts of your act are always the relating of stories that happened to you personally (the interrupted orgy and Dr. Pepper being two of my all-time faves). | |
| Posted by: Carrie @ 3:52 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| I totally agree that this is blatantly wrong, but apart from the (admittedly stupid) misspelling of Oswalt, I don't think Columbia is really at fault here. Unless this guy was known to have a history of plagiarism, how could they have anticipated this? Let's place the full blame on Mr. Corman here. It's not Columbia's fault that he acted so stupidly. | |
| Posted by: Doug Frye @ 3:50 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| Wow! at this point you should just rent out your stuff! It's all the rage apparently. WTF? | |
| Posted by: puffpuffdub @ 3:50 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| That bit about the figure skater was killer... what a hack that guy is. | |
| Posted by: puffpuffdub @ 3:50 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| That bit about the figure skater was killer... what a hack that guy is. | |
| Posted by: ElephantDanger @ 3:49 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| Yeah, it's great that he apologized, but he really had no other option. In the few hours following your tweet, a mini-explosion blew apart the Interwebs. And you certainly bring up a good point. If he, so easily and carelessly, ripped off one of your bits for something as forgettable as a valedictorian speech, who knows what else he has done along the road to that position. A simple note of credit before the joke is all he really needed. Poor choices all around. |
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| Posted by: James @ 3:49 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| Patton Oswalt Patent Oswald Baton Oscar Batting Austin Patron Oz Balls Pylon Owaltz Python A Wasslin Picayune Wasserman Passin' Oscar Pratton Orswald Paton OshKoshBGosh Pastly Ostrich Portund Ozmund etc. Columbia University of General Studies! We're... General! |
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| Posted by: mr_josh @ 3:48 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| The "smash a watermelon" part made me spit coffee a little. | |
| Posted by: clint page @ 3:48 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| Good old George S. Lee Harvey Patton Oswald. The official general/comedian/school book wrangler of the University of Columbia. | |
| Posted by: Jim Trust @ 3:47 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| Maybe he couldn't score the Adderall in time to write it... What a jackass. | |
| Posted by: Carl @ 3:46 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| Patten Auswold. | |
| Posted by: Jim @ 3:46 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| Can we read the apology? | |
| Posted by: Jim @ 3:46 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| Can we read the apology? | |
| Posted by: FilthyRichmond.com @ 3:45 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| At least a tenth of the people in the crowd must have known that material was not his when he said it. There was just no way on Earth it was going to go unnoticed. Not too bright. | |
| Posted by: SanFranMan @ 3:44 PM on 5.25.2010 | |
| What bit did he rip? | |