Plagiarism, history and forgiveness?

Question:

Plagiarism, history and forgiveness?

Last night I was discussing a historical matter I'd researched extensively and written about during the early 1990s. My memory had dimmed a bit on the details, so I did a web search to sharpen it.

One of the first descriptions I encountered surprised me. The words were my own, word for word, from a piece I'd published 15 years ago. But they were quoted from a book and an author I've never heard of.

This got me thinking the phenomenon of plagiarism of the work and words of others, so I did a web search.

Here are some remarkable sites I came across:

http://chem-gharbison.unl.edu/mlk/plagia...
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/0305...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/martin_luth...
http://www.worldaffairsbrief.com/keytopi...

If a man as deeply admired and respected as Martin Luther King can indulge in such behavior, I suppose it must be acceptable.

I'll forgive this man who stole my words.

What are your thoughts?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Do I like it? No
Is it going to happen? Yes

I think there is this weird combination going on right now -- a huge boom in publishing since the desktop computer became ubiquitous so there is a lot more material available and the huge jump in online material.
Meaning, on one level, that if a lot more people can get their work out there then a lot more people can use it -- and maybe, just maybe the material is not quite so precious?

If 40 years ago it was a huge deal to get published, then stealing the persons work is a shame, wrong and evil. But if millions of people are putting their work out there -- is it possible the work now has less value?

So, then, I wonder if the Larger Picture looms in a way that maybe we are really trying to answer a very Big Question and a lot of people are working on it -- copping material may not be at issue, but solving the very end question is the issue.

Crazy, no?

I've written a lot online via blogs, posted a ton of photos, posted a lot of graphics made in Photoshop -- and I fully expect them to be used, stolen, changed, ripped off, etc. I figure it's the Nature of the Beast. When I see it (very rarely), I'm flattered.
However, my postings are all original -- I've way too much pride to steal someone else's work.