Gladwell piece.

"The difference between a crime of evil and a crime of illness is the difference between a sin and symptom." This was a quote written by Malcolm Gladwell. But is this quote owned by him? That's the very same question he asks himself as he writes his article "The Picture Problem: Should a Charge of Plagiarism Ruin your Life?" and as I see unfold as I read along. It was a really interesting article. I found a lot of the points he made very agreeable. In the case of Andrew Lloyd Webber copying himself, or The Beastie Boys using the same note, or even Kurt Cobain taking from Boston's "More then a Feeling," all the cases Gladwell brings up makes a relevant point.

One thing that did upset me was that he never said what ended up happening to Lavery after this whole matter ended. Although his goal in writing the article was not to do a biography on the so called "plagiarist," a little epilogue would not have hurt the man. In the end though, I found my self on Gladwell's side. Lavery had no idea what she did or was doing was wrong, and it's ART for Christ's sake! Let people explore and be creative, and if they make something better out of your idea, or words, don't be upset you didn't have the talent to do so.