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Vixxie
02-23-2006, 05:23 PM
There are these two friends of mine who are no longer friends with each other because of an incident involving a competition. Consider this, and let me know what you think:

Tyrell (names have been changed, for what purpose I’m not sure) entered a competition, this past November, to win an Xbox 360 and a trip to the Mojave Desert (for two) for some kind of gaming convention. The competition called for the entrant to submit a photo relevant to the theme of the competition. Along with the photo, Tyrell was required to write a short blurb. He did all these things, entered his work, and was lucky enough to be one of the competition’s winners. He won the Xbox 360 and the Mojave Desert trip.

Now herein in lies the problem: Tyrell submitted a digital photo that didn’t belong to him…as in, he was not the photographer. He was in no way, shape or form involved in the taking, or scene set-up, of the digital photograph.

Lauren, the friend of Tyrell, took the photo at her workplace. It was a fun shot of an office cubicle completely wrapped in tinfoil. It was done as an office joke, which isn’t important to the story, but it was a cool idea and shot. Lauren wanting to share her fun work antics with her friends emailed the digital photo to various people. One of those people was Tyrell.

Lauren sent that tinfoil cube shot to me in Spring 2004. Tyrell hunted through his email, found the photo, decided it was just what he was looking for to gain an edge in the competition, and entered it as his work. The competition’s rules stated that whatever you submitted was considered your own work. It’s interesting to note that Tyrell is a good amateur photographer. He even has a photography business on the side of his regular day job.

Lauren found out about Tyrell’s deception because he phoned her and told her. He was probably feeling guilty. He said he didn’t seriously think he had a chance of winning. And then he offered her half the Mojave Desert trip, which she turned down. She’s not exactly a heavy gamer, but has been known to enjoy a rousing night of Halo on Xbox. He kept the Xbox 360 for himself to keep his old Xbox system company. He didn't go on the Mojave Desert trip.

So why am I telling this story? Because I want to know people’s opinions. I think that Tyrell is a scumbag (or something much more colorful). He stole somebody’s digital photograph and entered and won a competition. This isn’t so much about Tyrell winning and keeping a gaming console, it’s about the difference between wrong and right, black and white.

Lauren and Tyrell no longer speak. Lauren was too disgusted by Tyrell’s thoughtless, and deceitful, actions. And Tyrell has been in no hurry to offer an apology. He feels like he did nothing wrong. :confused:

What do you think? Thanks, in advance, for your responses.

morea
02-23-2006, 05:46 PM
Yuck.

Not knowing any of the people involved makes it easy for someone like me to look at it as a black and white issue, in which case it is a simple conclusion that "stealing is wrong." In this case, it is more than just a moral issue, because it would have disqualified Tyrell from winning the prize... which he kept.

Some people think nothing of stealing from a "nameless" entity (taking images off the web and claiming them as their own), or deceiving a company by buying something on sale and returning it to get cash back for its full value. But stealing from someone you consider a friend is not only stealing, imo, but is also a breach of that person's trust and friendship.

I can understand why Lauren would be upset, and I think that she has every right to be. It is unsettling that someone who considers himself a professional to ANY degree would do something so underhanded.

btw, I like your avatar. >^..^<

PrintDriver
02-23-2006, 05:47 PM
If the Xbox company finds out, they'll be taking away the gaming console. He broke the rules. Your friend Lauren could drop a dime on him with proof the photo he used was hers.

BTW, there's been a photo making the email rounds showing among other things, an office wrapped completely in tinfoil. Is this your friend's office?

Drorain
02-23-2006, 05:49 PM
the guy is in the wrong, and perhaps should have been disqualified from the competition, he made financial gain (by way of a product and trip) through someone elses work (or hobby)

Lauren has every right to be angry, she could even demand reperations in some way, but she chooses not to.

But they were both friends and it seems petty they can't get over this, it really is such a small thing, and outright pathetic it's gotten to a point of not speaking to eachother...with you in the middle of course

I'm sorry I dont hold anything against my friends, I hold them and respect them for who they are, the good and the bad.

The best thing would be for them simply to make up, but forgiving someone is a lost art.

D-Frag
02-23-2006, 05:51 PM
ive also seen other tinfoil office cubicle pictures that are different from the one above.

but the point to the story is thieves suck, and she be punished as so

PrintDriver
02-23-2006, 06:00 PM
That's just the one I keep getting (sometimes I wish my friends would get together and decide amongst themselves to just send me their silly stuff ONCE). LOL!

EC
02-23-2006, 06:00 PM
Yeah I mean obviously stealing is wrong. Duh. But maybe the guy didn't expect he had a chance in hell of winning, maybe it wasn't a grand sceme at all, maybe it was something he put very little thought into and thought if he won, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. Which he did, by calling the gal.

No it still doesn't make what he did right. And of course that gal has every reason to be pissed off.

But I'm sorry if this is the biggest moral and ethical dilemma in your life, if it causes you to walk around in anger unwilling to forgive -- then you have bigger problems than the thief. I feel sorry for people that are so damned petty.

Vixxie
02-23-2006, 07:38 PM
Thanks for all the responses, thus far.

morea: I like your avatar too. It seems people on this site like cats or something.

PrintDriver: Thanks for the tinfoil photo. Close, but no cigar. That's not the work of my friend, Lauren.

I think what would have been the right thing for Tyrell to do, was to apologize for his misdeed. My friends and I would like for him to realize that he screwed up. I would have liked him to have either disqualified himself, from the competition, or given the Xbox 360 to charity. He didn't earn it honestly. And this isn't the first time he's done questionable things, although nothing illegal or an infringement of copyright.

EC
02-23-2006, 08:18 PM
I think what would have been the right thing for Tyrell to do, was to apologize for his misdeed. My friends and I would like for him to realize that he screwed up. I would have liked him to have either disqualified himself, from the competition, or given the Xbox 360 to charity. He didn't earn it honestly. And this isn't the first time he's done questionable things, although nothing illegal or an infringement of copyright.

Why don't you tell HIM that?

Vixxie
02-23-2006, 08:43 PM
EC:

Good question, not so simple answer. Because I fear that he’ll somehow twist my words and make me look like I’m being silly and vindictive (we have a personal history). He has a good support group around him and is perceived somewhat as a pillar of the community-type. I wish that I could tell him what I think of him, but I don’t think I’m the right person to do that. My words will not carry much weight. I’m sorry if this sounds like a soap opera. Besides, Lauren, already told him what she thought of him, and he made no move to reconcile/apologize. And someone told us that Tyrell feels he has NOTHING to apologize for because he feels he didn't do anything wrong. That speaks volumes to me.

I guess I posted this story because I wanted to know if I, and others, were being irrational. I've learned that what Tyrell did is viewed as wrong, and I'm grateful for that. I've also learned that forgiveness is about give and take. He took and shows no remorse. That is unforgiveable.

morea
02-23-2006, 08:45 PM
Well, if he thinks he didn't do anything wrong, you probably won't be able to do much about it.

You *could* kick him in the shins, if you want, but that'a about it...

EC
02-23-2006, 08:50 PM
Yeah well that last bit does say a lot. I say kick him in the bleep-bleep, pause to point and laugh ... then make a mad dash out of there.

morea
02-23-2006, 08:51 PM
^ ooh, that sounds like a plan.

Drorain
02-23-2006, 09:02 PM
He took and shows no remorse. That is unforgiveable.

well this is what you can do, forgive him, truly, but understand this is who he is...and its time to hang up the friendship before he does similar to you, either that or dont trust him with anything

EC
02-24-2006, 02:21 AM
well this is what you can do, forgive him, truly, but understand this is who he is...and its time to hang up the friendship before he does similar to you, either that or dont trust him with anything

Sage advice. And something that you can use in oh so many situations in your life. You forgive others as a gift to yourself, not to them.