Craig, I don't know. I mean, I understand that this professional journalist from Knight-Ridder was just trying to make a stylish point, but to say that he should not be responsible for knowing or citing the origin of the idea he used seems a little...thin.
I mean, what if somebody used a dead, horse head to illustrate a point in a movie nowadays? Would it be homage, campy, or plagarism? And would you believe that a professional film maker could have come up with that idea independently? In intellectual-property pursuits, the professionals involved are obligated to know and RESPECT their influences. After all, "a dwarf standing on the shoulders of a giant may see farther than a giant himself" (Robert Burton).
I guess the whole article just pushed my buttons - Wal-Mart, cheapo electronics, non-union workers, trade deficits, WTO, journalistic integrity, etc. Ick ick ick ick ick. What was that something-pants-itis you were talking about?
