Plagiarism – a defect of character?
Plagiarism is prevalent in many ways and in many places and not just in journalism. Though the plagiarism in journalism is what attracts most attention these days.
Wikipedia says Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the “wrongful appropriation,” “close imitation,” or “purloining and publication” of another author’s “language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions,” and the representation of them as one’s own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous boundaries. The modern concept of plagiarism as immoral and originality as an ideal emerged in Europe only in the 18th century, particularly with the Romantic movement, while in the previous centuries authors and artists were encouraged to “copy the masters as closely as possible” and avoid “unnecessary invention.”
In India we find plenty of copy cat products and services that have plagiarism at the very core and with patent and copyright laws being absurdly weak, they have a certain authenticity – even in critical products like medicines and nutrition.
But nowhere is plagiarism more apparent than in politics. Giving credit where it is due is the one thing required to remain authentic in using someone else’s work. The trouble is people copying others’ work are afraid that they may either not get permission to do so or cost too much. So it’s easier to ignore giving credit and let the original author do all the work to prove plagiarism, knowing full well the laws are stacked against him.
So in plain English, that’s cheating. And cheating is certainly a defect of character.
This practice of plagiarism is global. Take the huge legal battle that Samsung lost to Apple – in the US. The US is perhaps the only country where plagiarism or infringement of patents is viewed seriously and the laws and courts are fair and even handed.
No wonder we in India often see one TV channel show video clips of another channel (under license) but the clip still carries the originator’s logo or name scrolling in the middle of the frame! How ugly is that?! It is a comment on our public integrity.
And perhaps the foreigners who come live here have embraced our lack of integrity!