In this article, Martin discuss plagiarism among individuals and groups alike and the lack of repercussions for them. Martin classifies plagiarism into two groups: competitive plagiarism and institutionalized plagiarism. Competitive plagiarism includes verbatim plagiarism and paraphrased plagiarism. This type is a grave sin in the academic world, although it is taken more seriously in higher education than in grade school. Institutionalized plagiarism is more accepted between the two. The only difference between them is that institutionalized plagiarism thrives on the exploitation of more people. This seems like a great injustice, but Martin explains that it is needed in hierarchal organizations. I suppose it is comparable to a beehive, where all of the worker bees work together for the well-being of their queen. The job is self-sacrificing, but necessary.
After reading this article, I was surprised to say the least. never condoned plagiarism. I expected that college would be the same story. This article made me reconsider what I was taught which I assume was the intention. I also think Martin was somehow trying to defend institutionalized plagiarism and the structure it upholds. In fact, Martin believes that the destruction of institutionalized plagiarism would only lead to an increase in competitive plagiarism. While plagiarism use exploitative, it seems that in hierarchal organizations it creates a sense of unity, so people do not feel the need to outdo each other when it comes to the influx of their ideas.
