Hey DCI Wooderson, you wrote: “But I would love to have someone’s take on the burden of the author of parody to properly reference the original work on a platform as fluid as Medium’s.”

I don’t see the reference to the original. Do you?

Heather Nann you wrote: “Plagiarism, says MW, is “the act of using another person’s words or ideas w/o giving credit to that person.” So: can you see how this was, in fact, plagiarism?”

The structure, tone, formatting is all the same, with no credit to the OP. Do you agree?

Hana Leshner you wrote: “The most basic of basic things on Medium — respecting each other as writers and our right to our copyright was violated. A person I won’t link to stole Kel Campbell’s article and by tweaking some words turned into a condescending, and profoundly disrespectful MRA article.”

Is a similar thing not happening here? A writer wrote his personal feelings, and they were taken, copied, and twisted, no?

Michelle Stone you wrote: “People are mentioning “fair use and “parody”. I say rubbish. When Lon Shapiro used something I wrote, as an idea for parody and went on to create The Grammar Games. He complimented, consulted, respectfully asked permission and has given credit to all writers contributing.

That’s how a writer and human being conducts him/herself in a respectful way. I thought this, was what made Medium a special and civil place in which to express myself.”

So it’s respectful and civil to bash one person, but not another?(Even though you “think that they would be able to appreciate that this whole writing challenge was simply a light-humoured and very tongue in cheek, parody of the situation.” You think? That’s quite an assumption for people you’ve met on the internet)

Can you give a ruling on who we are allowed to mock and bully on Medium? I know there are varying accounts of whether gladiators were professional or slaves or whatnot, but I think at the end there was a lot of blood and dead bodies. You seem to like that sort of entertainment, but only in certain cases I guess?

Solitary Cook you wrote: “There appears to be an unspoken agreement among readers and writers of Medium that there is room for all, and all will be treated with a communal respect. That people will participate in an ethical manner, in agreement and disagreement alike. I realize I’m painting with a broad brush here. I also realize now that I may be wildly optimistic. Kel’s troll didn’t stop at simple disagreement; he took her words and not only used them against her, he openly mocked her. Not her words. Her.”

Words have been taken and used. You said you would turn in Trolls. Is that the case here? Did you contact Medium?

Ray Delizo you wrote: “The reasons are simple. First, it’s the right thing to do. Second, I feel that a writer, regardless of gender, has a responsibility to stay true to themselves and their own voice. What happened to Kel is a grave injustice. Plagiarism is bad enough, but the bullying and Gestapo tactics she had to endure that forced her out is both outrageous and totally unacceptable.”

It appears this writer co-opted the voice and structure of someone else for this piece. Is this not similar bullying and Gestapo tactics?

Jennifer Smith you wrote: “I don’t know shit about copy right. I don’t know shit about laws and lawyers.

I do know about trust. How hard it is to build it. How easy it is to lose it. How nearly impossible it is to re-build once it’s broken. I can’t speak for Kel, but it seems to me you have broken her trust. I don’t know if you can earn it back. I certainly hope you can.”

Okay, so here’s a case that isn’t about laws or lawyers. It’s about the trust of one writer to not be mocked or bullied, and another writer doing that. What’s the call here? Can we as a community band together to stop this behaviour and get this attacked person’s trust back?