Nonsense. It’s not theft, it’s called alluding (which requires no attribution), or more likely either a coincidence or a subconscious use of a catchphrase when one doesn’t either remember - or for that matter care about - the source.
Do people give Reagan attribution when they say “There you go again”?
Remember Bentson’s barb to Quayle “I knew Jack Kennedy ... you’re no Jack Kennedy”. That whole narrative, word for word, was used by Reagan (who made also made it a joke about his age since the subject of the comparison, in his case, was Thomas Jefferson). But attribution isn’t needed when you can assume that anyone familiar with the past use of a similar narrative will understand you are making fair use of that for your own purposes.
Imagine how ridiculous it would sound if someone concluded their remarks saying “That’s all folks ... oh, and by the way, I’m quoting Porky Pig”.
This is not a college thesis we’re talking about here, so any rhetorical devices that were once used in the media deserve no attribution. Besides, it’s quite likely that the use of this phrase goes back even further.
“Senator, you’re no Ronald Reagan.”
[[Nonsense. It’s not theft, it’s called alluding (which requires no attribution)
This is not a college thesis we’re talking about here, so any rhetorical devices that were once used in the media deserve no attribution. Besides, it’s quite likely that the use of this phrase goes back even further.]]
Shhhhhh- people are allergic to facts around here- don’t interrupt the ragefest-