The Truth About Benjamin Nicholas' 15 Minutes

[+ purplekow]

So to summarize the last 148 or so posts:

 

Plagiarism BAD

Sex with BN GOOD

 

BN the Plagiarist BAD

BN as a Man for Hire GOOD (If you don't mind the plagiarism thingee)

 

Or perhaps in the style of Amex:

 

Profits from reams of plagiarized material that wasn't really all that witty in the original form......Lots of Aussie Bum Underwear

 

Cost of an hour with BN and a pair of autographed Aussie Bum Underwear.......$250

 

The look on the face of this thread's posters when the BN story comes out as a collabrative film on Lifetime and Logo.....Priceless

[Guest zipperzone]

There has been over 12 thousand reads in only six days. Is this a record for this forum?

[Guest PWIT]

>IMHO, whenever someone resorts to the tired old put down of

>"bitter queen", it means they have lost the argument and

>cannot defend themselves.

 

Of course you are correct. The reason I used the BQ comment was since Doug does not prefer a more genteel response (passive aggressive in his eyes), I wanted to present an alternative with more punch.

 

 

>Doug gave you an opportunity

>to intelligently reply to the fact that you are defending BN's

>crime by attacking everyone else but BN, and you chose to play

>the "bitter queen" card, lay the bitter queen card and you

>lose.

 

I never defended a crime, nor intend to, so taking that opportunity was out of the question. To have done so, intelligently or not, would have been disingenuous of me. My arguments have all been on the manner of the presentation of the misdeeds, the poor arguments used to compare against rape etc., and the glee that has resulted from the exposure.

 

Bottom line: Yes I should not have used 'bitter queen'.

[Luv2play]

What makes this thread so enjoyable is the absolute catfight that the original topic has produced. So predictable that one of the original responders actually predicted it. I agree with the poster who said that the only conclusion one can draw is "Plagiarism by BN BAD, Sex with BN GOOD"! God help us all!

[Guest john1927]

<"There has been over 12 thousand reads in only six days. Is this a record for this forum?">

 

 

I never realized that Dave Barry, Andy Borowitz were so popular.

[Louis]

The thing is, if something is dealt with at the begining, then things won't get out of hand. Now had I said nothing to that student, he would have kept on using or stealing other people's work. He never attempted to do that again, and I know that because I helped him with ALL of his assignments. I just wanted to use that as an example fromo my own experiences, and I am sure there are people on the list here that have had similar experiences so my story is not unique.

Things can get out of hand very easily, and its far easier to stop something at the begining than later on once momentum has been built up.

So how does this all fit in to what's been talked about?

If someone would have picked up on BN was using other people's material at the very start, things would probably be different today, and 15minutes would be considerably different. Am I trying to shift blame or responsibility? NO.

I might appear to be soft, on the issue discussed here, I'm really not. I have very strong views about theft, and that people have to amend their ways, and deal with the situation, by restitution for example.

Doug pointed out what was going on with 15minutes, but 15minutes is only a small part os BN's life. How many people on the list know about BN's life away from escorting? How many people know his personal friends? How many people have met his family? How many people have met him at the gym or in a social conteext,

There may be those who imply that 15minutes is only a mirror of who BN is as a person. I think such a broad statement would not be fair, or correct.

[MindThe Gap]

>How many people on the list know about BN's life away from >escorting? How many people know his personal friends? How many >people have met his family? How many people have met him at the >gym or in a social context.

 

 

The problem is, you can’t separate the crimes from the person, just because he might be in a different venue from where he originally perpetrated those crimes. A thief who steals from neighborhood homes at night is still a thief when he’s vacationing at DisneyWorld with his friends or family. A thief who plagiarizes other peoples work on the internet is still a plagiarist when he's holding his sisters new born baby in his arms. You’re just trying to justify Ben’s crimes by inferring that, he might steal, lie and defraud people on his blog or when he’s escorting, but in other walks of life he’s a very upstanding citizen. That’s just delusional on your part.

[+ Charlie]

I don't know Ben Nicholas. I have never even fantasized about hiring him, and I never read his blog. My overall impression of him, from his posts and things I had read or heard about him, was mildly negative. I also feel a special repugnance toward plagiarism, having spent much of my career teaching students why it's wrong (I always failed a student who turned in a plagiarized paper, no matter how smart or likeable the student might otherwise have been). I was impressed with Doug's unmasking of Ben's plagiarism.

 

Nevertheless, I am actually beginning to feel some sympathy for a character who has been attacked with such obsessive hatred in this thread. There is a kind of feral feeding frenzy going on here, which often occurs when a public figure is brought down. (I am reminded of the expressions of glee by white racists when it was revealed that Martin Luther King's doctoral dissertation was full of plagiarism--not that I would compare Ben to MLK, of course, nor Ben's detractors to racists.) When a somewhat temperate perspective appears, Doug explodes against someone who dares to suggest that his thread is part of a vendetta (yet why is the topic so important to him that he reappears after such a long absence?), and MindTheGap admits in post #85 that he has been on a crusade for three years (!) to damage Ben's reputation. There has to be more to this story than just impersonal outrage about plagiarism.

 

The other shoe has yet to drop. I am still waiting for Ben to admit his wrongdoing and declare that he will enter rehab.

[MindThe Gap]

I think what many of you are deluding yourselves into believing, is that Plagiarism, fraud and thefts are the only things that Benjamin is guilty of in this thread. They are most certainly not.

 

Let’s not forget the post where Benjamin relates how he helped his “single female friend go through childbirth.” I know I’m repeating my self from an earlier post, but it certainly merits re-stating.

 

It’s like, if you or I stole, and then plagiarized an entire portion of a book written by a firefighter hero of the FDNY, chronicling his and fellow firefighter’s entry into the towers, pre-collapse, and then subsequent rescue of those trapped from a certain and horrific death. Then, to make matters even more egregious, you or I then claim to be that very firefighter hero to our readership, who risked his life so that others might live, only to baste ourselves in the glory of someone else’s heroism. You really should ask yourself, and think about, what kind of person does that? What kind of person NEEDS to do that? Ben is now stealing other people’s personal life stories and turning them into stories about him and about his life. It is just simply appalling, this assault on other people’s lives, for his own personal gain and celebrity.

 

The situations may be different, but the crime perpetrated against the reader and public is the same. Benjamin Nicholas has nothing to offer his readership about himself when it comes to good character and decent acts, so he steals it from those who do and makes it his own. I’ll even bet he regales about it to “his guys” when on a date, amongst other similar type stolen and made up type stories.

 

And let’s not forget about the latest fraud which Benjamin intentionally and maliciously inflicted upon the readership here and at other on-line venues about the death of Lynden Thomas. Again, lying to and deceiving everyone, to make himself look as though he was someone other than who he really is. I don’t know about anyone else, but using someone’s untimely death to promote yet another fraud is without question the mind and doings of a very evil and sick individual. This type of shit has been going on for years, only the stories have changed.

 

Benjamin Nicholas is a lot like Norman Bates. Norman Bates knew that what he was doing was wrong, but he just could not stop himself from doing it. The harder he tried to fit into society, the more you saw and realized that something was terribly, terribly wrong. Norman had his animals to stuff and preserve so that there was at least something around him that would not talk back to him with conscience, and, at the same time, help keep him company. Benjamin is just like Norman in this regard, but instead of animals, Benjamin has “his guys” for that, and obviously, some of the posters here too.

[Guest EuropTravl]

>>"Benjamin Nicholas is a lot like Norman Bates."

 

He is NOT! And you two, I agree with Charlie, are becomming bigger drama-queens than Tallulah herself.

 

He's a pretentious -even his "fan's described him as a - "braggart", who never has

flown in any cabin but 1st class, never has stayed in any hotel room but the penthouse, and never has known any celebrity (well, any celeb featured in the most recent news-cycle) who he isn't

aquainted with.....somehow.

 

And how do I know this - having never met the guy? Because I LOVE slowing down at a car-wreck, in this case his blog. And it WAS his "baby" because he was proud to "share his world" with his many readers. And I loved (well, ok, guilty pleasure - "enjoyed") seeing how far Tallulah could go sometimes. KUDOS to the detective work and all, but this "evil reincarnate" is so over the top.

 

And WHO THE HELL WANT'S TO MEET THEIR ESCORT'S FAMILY? You people need to see pyschiatrists, or get out more.

[jackhammer91406]

Navigation- Here there be monsters

 

When this thread first appeared, my reaction was "hang on, this one's going through the roof".

 

That is exactly what has happened. The responses have been fairly predictable. Those that support BN have said so in no uncertain terms. Those that find the actions unacceptable under any circumstances have said so.

 

Then it has degenerated into name calling in absence of any response from Ben. Mindful that this whole situation was brought about by Ben's actions exclusively, it is hard for me to understand why some feel so strongly that Ben is the victim. I mean, he did this. Is there any doubt in anyone's mind that he did this ? So to call out anyone who acknowledges what is the truth as having a vendetta seems ridiculous in the extreme.

 

Ben has enjoyed "most favored nation" status here for a long, long time.

With apologies to the author for misquoting; For whom much is given, much is expected. It is safe to say, more was expected of Ben.

 

IT has nothing to do with like, or dislike. It has nothing to do with love or hate. It has to do with right and wrong. Even when your closest, dearest love one or friend crosses the line of right and wrong, you have to make a call in your own mind. A check if you will, on your own conscience.

 

Yes, in the world of escorts and clients, lines get blurred because of the flaunting of the law. But there are certain basic precepts that cannot change without losing our compass entirely.

 

I have met Ben. He is a very likable guy and I have said so. I have no personal grudge against him. but I reserve the the right to call it as I see it.

 

As a site started to help protect the client from would be rip offs,fairness dictates that an escort who lies or steals (intellectual property) for personal gain or status, needs to be spanked. Otherwise, we are just jacking off to eye candy here (not that there's anything wrong with that). But this site's stated purpose requires more.

 

Take a breath everyone. Ben will go through whatever he has to go through and he'll be fine. He has too many of his "guys" who adore him to flounder very long. For the rest, there has been a course correction on the compass.

 

What remains to be seen is if people can get their bearings and move on.

[+ glutes]

From the Burj al Arab...

 

How'd you like to be the sorry sap who sponsored BN on the QM2 (First Class no doubt. OK, doubt?), and read this thread?

Sure should have made for interesting cocktail conversation on the Lido Deck...

[wayno]

RE: Navigation- Here there be monsters

 

Very well said jackhammer. Everyone needs to take a breath.

 

We may or may not hear from BN, but if we do, I am sure things will become even more intense, if that is possible. He is in a no win situation with any reply so I suspect it will be a long time before we hear from him again.

 

Ben has always said that any publicity is good publicity. I wonder if he still feels that way.

[MiamiLooker]

RE: Navigation- Here there be monsters

 

The apology has been posted on 15 Minutes

[MindThe Gap]

>and MindTheGap admits in post #85 that he has been on a crusade for >three years (!) to damage Ben's reputation.

 

There is a HUGE difference between intentionally and recklessly “damaging one’s reputation” for sport, and, attempting to expose and uncover the lies and deceptions of a persons public behaviors to which he is perpetrating against others.

 

Obviously you don’t know that, or otherwise, you never would have taken my original statement, which was: “I probably have more involvement and time spent, over the past three years, than anyone else, at a variety of internet venues and forums, attempting to expose and bring to light the truth about the many deceptions, lies and fraudulent behaviors of Benjamin Nicholas against others, so that the unsuspecting, and in some cases, brain dead unbelievers, could protect themselves from, and make smart and informed decisions for, themselves about Ben” - and turned it into the twisted misrepresentation of which you have done above.

 

Then again, what else should someone expect, from someone who is feeling sorry for and about the rightful wrath and condemnation that Ben is feeling right now from people with conscience and rightful purpose.

[Guest EuropTravl]

RE: Navigation- Here there be monsters

 

>The apology has been posted on 15 Minutes

 

It WAS a nice apology. Wonder who wrote it?

 

(am I the first with that joke here? I don't believe it)

 

Anyway, SHAME on you BN-blog readers who pressured him to have a new blog entry every week. A pox on your heads!

[+ glutes]

I have sinned!

 

http://www.stiknstein.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/pol1.jpg

[MindThe Gap]

RE: The journey begins today...

 

Although I find Ben’s reasoning for his abhorrent behaviors to be justified as his “laziness and stupidity” as mentioned in his public apology today to be troubling and more honestly a true denial of what his true motivations to lie, cheat and defraud others actually were; I’ll personally and publicly accept his apology, if only on face value and hope that Ben recognizes and connects to many more of his un-mentioned troubling behaviors and finds suitable reconcilition for them as well. This is not an easy apology for me to accept for many reasons, and on many levels. And it certainly is not in any form or fashion, an eraser of the past or precursor for the future.

 

That said, I suspect that if we, as a society, expect others to rehabilitate themselves from behaviors that most of us find contemptible and despicable, into decent and respectable human beings, then we too must act as examples and roadmaps for the misguided, and demonstrate actions and behaviors for them that exhibit something more credible then what they once may have been or once may have known, and, present a more desirable and acceptable way of living for them to achieve those characteristics in their lives. I believe that begins with their expressed remorse and regret for their crimes and behaviors against others, and our acceptance of that expressed remorse, regret and the asking of forgiveness. So, I’m happy to do my part in all of this, and now, it’s simply all up to Ben and his conscience.

 

It won’t be easy for him. I wish him success.

[Guest john1927]

RE: I have sinned!

 

Thank you glutes for giving us repentance as spoken by the voice from Baton Rouge, I mean the voice of America's most beloved defocked televangelist Jimmy Swaggert, a minister of the faith, who was detained by police multiple times for allegedly picking up women who wanted more than a ride, and talking with women who wanted to do more than test a motel room mattress.

 

Swaggert loves to repent. On American T.V., real(?) tears streaming down his sorrowful face Brother Swaggert intoned,"I have sinned." To this day we never know when those dreaded words will drift out from the bayou, we never know when,once again, we will be asked to forgive Jimmy Swaggert.

 

To his credit Jimmy dutifully donned the sinners crown of thorns,subjected himself to the derision and scorn of the American press, and confessed convincingly to the American public and People Magazine. Sin and repentance is a favorite American pastime; the American way of life, like the races at Daytona, and Jimmy jumped at his chance for rehabilitation.

 

With proper contrition, and a firm resolve to never commit a literary sin again, BN's reputation can be rehabilitated. After all Swaggert is still making mega, tax free dollars. Benji, you can do it, Benji. Show those guys the real art of the hustler, demonstrate the seductive charm of the mega - escort, and, once again, you'll have your public begging to eat out of your hand.

 

P.S. Full disclosure requires I admit that I never read 15 Minutes, a title that mirrors the "fifteen minutes of fame comment" uttered by the late, lamented Andy Warhol.

[Guest n2colour]

RE: Norwegian Blue Parrot Award

 

Perhaps this thread ought now be marked by a symbolic Norwegian Blue Parrot?

 

'E's not pinin'! 'E's passed on! This parrot is no more! He has ceased to be! 'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 'E's a stiff! Bereft of life, 'e rests in peace! If you hadn't nailed 'im to the perch 'e'd be pushing up the daisies! 'Is metabolic processes are now 'istory! 'E's off the twig! 'E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!! THIS IS AN EX-PARROT!!

[+ Charlie]

Phrases like your own "rightful wrath and condemnation" say more about your obsession with sin than any characterization I could make of your mental state. And I pointed out your own earlier statement, about spending three years campaigning to undermine Ben in the estimation of others, mainly to show that this piling on of claims about how evil he is must be related to something a lot more personal than just dislike of plagiarism. You may think he is the embodiment of evil, and you may even be right, but you have not convinced me with anything that has been presented so far in this thread.

[AdamSmith]

This is in no way to reinforce the negative claims against Benjamin by others. But, in light of Ben's own admission, to recall Hannah Arendt's disheartening phrase "the banality of evil," and to recognize it can apply to crimes tiny as well as heinous.

[+ deej]

RE: Norwegian Blue Parrot Award

 

Nah, that won't happen. They've tasted blood. This one will flop around for a while before it finally dies.

 

But look at the up-side!

 

The topic brought Doug69, FFF, and even Justice out of the woodwork, three posters widely reported to be banned. We don't know for sure who reported it, but it's been repeated over and over until it was like beating a dead horse. That's one often-repeated rumor that bit the dust.

 

The URL for this thread has been posted all over the internet, boosting traffic for the site. YAY TEAM! Daddy couldn't BUY advertising like that.

 

BN will recover. I'll be surprised if he has any downtime at all that isn't filled by clients who are now curious because of all the talk. As we've seen over and over here, we like our bad boys.

 

But it won't be a dead topic until all the vitriol is expended. And as we've seen before, some vitriol levels know no limits.

 

Dead parrot? Hardly. She's just begun to squawk.

[Guest n2colour]

RE: Norwegian Blue Parrot Award

 

Yes, I see what you mean now. (But I do think a blue parrot would make a far better symbol for those threads that occasionally go into lock-down mode :+) And you are undoubtedly correct about the likely result of all this. We do like our bad boys around here.

 

As for the return of those banned-who-were-never-banned-in-the-first-place-even-though-everybody-knew-they-were-whoever-everbody-is: to be sure, every dark cloud has it's silver lining (although it is obvious that some here sincerely believe that, in certain cases, said silver linings turned out to be hiding even darker clouds ;-)).

[Rick Munroe]

>Rick since you have her diary, why not add to your collection?

>Here's Debbie's current photo albumn. I'm sure it will answer

>all your above questions....and more :+

 

You found Debbie Marie?! MindThe Gap, you're a better sleuth than Doug. These photos are just...well, I'm speechless. But now I understand the diary entry where Debbie Marie was upset after she got caught peeing standing up in the girls' room.