Utopian Plagiarism, Hypertextuality, and Electronic Cultural Production

"Plagiarism…has been viewed as the theft of a language, ideas, and images by the less than talented, often for the enhancement of personal fortune or prestige" (83)
          After reading this article and considering what it had to say about plagiarism/hypertext; I think I can formulate my opinion.  Plagiarism is present in every daily aspect of our lives.  It has only become more relevant today due to the increase of technological productions.  "Plagiarism is necessary…it often carries a weight of negative connotations" (85).  Even though it does have a negative aspect to it, or people look at it as negative, I think that plagiarism is not necessarily a bad thing.  It it going to happen because not one person can claim everything they do as their own work.  Some other person earlier down the line may have thought of a concept or idea and not have had the technologies to produce or follow through with the concept, so if you are now producing that idea you are essentially stealing from that person.  I believe plagiarism doesn't exist.  Instead I think that every one should build off of others ideas, hence making it their own.  Just like in the article, Marcel Duchamp would place an object in a different context, "repurposing" the object.  As long as plagiarism is "productive", then I believe you are making it your own and not copying from the originator.
          In terms of art and appropriation, everyone is going to have ideas that are similar or exactly the same as the creator.  What matters is that you as the artist can make it your own and make it your passion.  Even in terms of our upcoming project we will be taking clips or using clips that are not our own and repurposing the clips to have a different context. I think the last paragraph in the article serves as a great representation of how I feel about Plagiarism:
"The present requires us to rethink and re-present the notion of plagiarism. Its function has for to long been devalued by an ideology with little place in techno-culture.  Let the romantic notions of originality, genius, and authorship remain, but as elements for cultural production without special privilege above other equally useful elements.  It is time to openly and boldly use the methodology of recombination so as to better parallel the technology of our time". (102)