For those of you without time to click and catch up, here's a synopsis of Part 1:
I entered the Public Radio Talent Quest. I posted a two-minute audio audition piece consisting of me, talking, with two minutes of Paul Velat's rendition of Flight of the Bumblebee as mood music in the background.
I got a lot of nasty comments from people saying how bad I suck.
I replied to the comments that, oh, well, it's a lesson to me that I'm not cut out for this industry, since I was just being myself.
Then I stopped looking at the comments, because it was just hurting my feelings. Anyway, I figured if I was getting badmouthed, I was totally not going to make it through the first round of eliminations, so oh, well, lesson learned. Moved on with my life.
I heard, some time later, that people were still badmouthing me. I logged in to see what was what. Debate = hot. Unrelated, some random blogger had mentioned her delight that everyone was being so supportive of one another's initial forays, and I replied in her comments, "No, not so much."
Shortly after that, someone announced I was a plagiarist, because I had "stolen" the background music.
Shortly after that (May 14), I received notification from them that I had been disqualified for having "none of my own work" in the audition, and, if I had any questions or disputed my disqualification, to let them know.
So I replied at once (May 15) that I agreed with being disqualified for uncredited background music, but there were, also, SPOKEN WORDS on my audition, completely original, and so very hated by the masses that I hoped he would clarify that those had not been stolen from the person who provided the background music.
Here's a synopsis of Parts 2 and 3:
May 26th or thereabouts, I learned they were still whining about me in there, even though my audition piece had, supposedly, been removed.
I wrote a letter to the original person who had informed me that I was disqualified, asking why this was still being debated, and why he hadn't, as I'd requested in my reply on the 15th, let anyone know that I wasn't deliberately trying to use someone else's work to get a job in that industry (as if I'd be able to do the job when someone else had done any of the work)?
I put an additional, more detailed version of this information into the Public Radio Talent Quest's contact page, to make sure it would be addressed and that my profile would be deleted.
I received a reply from the original person, saying it had been removed but I could keep my profile, and I requested that he remove it, since I could honestly see no reason for retaining it — I was out of the running anyway, and I hadn't enjoyed being, first the butt of people's vituperation, then the target of their outrage at my thievery.
This brings us to the present:
Dear Dick and a Stroke:
Thank you for deleting my profile. I'd also like to thank you for clarifying to everyone that I had not actually plagiarized my portion of my audio piece, although I had neglected to properly credit Paul Velat for his musical contribution, and that I had agreed with my disqualification and had, at that time, requested that you remove my profile.
I'd LIKE to thank you for that, except that that was not what happened. What happened was that you left it up so people could keep assuming that I am a filthy rotten thief.
I know this because I got the following alert from Google this morning.
For heaven's sakes, stop making this all my fault. I admitted, right from the start, that I had screwed up. Now will you admit to all these people that I did, in fact, own my mistake and agreed to be disqualified the second I was made aware of it? I'm tired of being the goat because of lack of follow-through on your part.
Sincerely yours,
Golf "Oh, You Have GOT to be KIDDING Me" Widow
Dear Dick and a Stroke:
This is a copy of an email I got from Paul Velat himself, today. Can we consider this matter closed once and for all now, and will you please clarify the situation for the listeners who are so upset with me?
hi golfwidow, its cool, thanks for being a fan...
since this all went down, the people at weekend america had me appear as a guest...
so it was cool...
anyway, thanks for the apology and really, no worries...sincere, paul v.
Sincerely,
Golf "I Am Totally Through With Supporting NPR for the Rest of My Life, Thanks to You" Widow
So then I got another reply on June 5th from Dick and a Stroke, saying that a) I hadn't requested he remove my profile till the 29th of May, and b) he never promised to explain anything to anyone who was mad about my being a plagiarist.
I forwarded my original reply (dated May 15th, the day after his first email to me) to him, reminding him that he had stated, in that email, that if I had any questions, I should let him know.
I didn't have any at the time, but by now, I was wondering: why did he even bother to ask me to reply if I had any issues, when he wasn't planning on addressing them?
I closed that last email with the words, "Never mind. I'm a thief and you guys like it that way. What. Ever."
Dick and a Stroke replied, insisting that there was no voiceover on the audition piece — just Velat's music.
Well.
I can't check this now, because I had him delete everything, but I know that I checked that piece before AND after I submitted it and it was complete. My voiceover, Bumblebee in the background.
Even leaving out the fact that all the negative comments that had been on the page were about my voiceover and not about Flight of the Bumblebee ...
... and leaving out the fact that, if there really was no voiceover, he should have pointed that out in reply to my email of the 15th, when I said, specifically, that the voiceover was original, even if the background music was not ...
... and leaving out the fact that I have since heard back from someone who said that they not only heard my voiceover when they went to vote, but that they barely noticed the background music ...
... for the love of all that's good and holy, did someone actually think I would be so stupid as to say, "I want to be in radio, so let me submit someone else's music and nothing that lets them know why they should pick me"?
We won't even go into how I feel about plagiarists. These people don't know me and that's not their problem.
So here's what else happened AFTER all of that.
They emailed me the mp3 they claim I submitted, which
does not contain my voiceover
does not contain my mp3 tags
does not contain the last two minutes of Flight of the Bumblebee (which were what I used for the audition piece, to synchronize with my spoken bit) but the beginning
It's my word against theirs. The only way I could possibly make a case for myself would be to involve anyone who heard my voice in the voiceover, which would make them the targets of these people too. I don't want that. It's been uncomfortable enough for me; I can't ask it of anyone else.
So I emailed them back, apologizing for getting so angry and telling them that I am grateful that I am no longer in the competition with a piece not belonging to me, whether I uploaded it unintentionally, as they contend, plagiarized it from Paul Velat (which some of the angrier people contend), or by some other means.
And now ... the punchline.
They then asked me to please set the record straight with my readers, to stop emailing their customer service with complaints.
After I finished laughing and gasping, "Oh, no, you DINNIT!" I am hereby complying with their request.
Stop emailing them. Stop complaining. Really.
I'm no longer in the competition, so it's not hurting them, and Paul Velat accepted my apology, so it's not hurting him, and I know I'm not a plagiarist, so it's not hurting me.
Case, as far as I'm concerned, closed. Let's all let it go.
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