Increased Interconnectedness Suppresses the Spiritual

Media and World Religions Midterm
Question 6

Discuss the interconnected nature of our lifeworld. What is the impact of this interconnectedness on our spirituality?
As the world grows more and more interconnected, mankind seems to simultaneously be losing its connection with the divine. In the earliest times of civilization, people seemed to focus their time and attention on religious matters. In fact, it is difficult to completely divorce the divine from daily life during much of the earth’s history. Entire religious groups intentionally separated themselves from “corrupting” influences and society, and established their own belief systems where they lived in isolation, cut off from the world. These people were often viewed as religious zealots. We think of them as monks, reformers, Puritans, the Amish, and others. Often, these monks would sacrifice all their earthly possessions in order to grow closer to the divine. Their entire focus was their personal spirituality.
Conversely, in these so-called “modern times,” mankind has become so busy and distracted, that we have distanced ourselves from the divine. This process has been so gradual that most people seem to have not noticed, like a frog you place in a pot in which you gradually increase the heat. An ever-more interconnected world inevitably leads to the stifling of originality. An ever-more interconnected world is an ever-more homogenized world, as weaker practices and cultures are forced to adapt to the whole. In a setting such as this, the spiritual has become marginalized, and in some places ceases to exist altogether.
It has been said that the human mind is like a stage where only one actor can be performing at a time. This means that in our frantic attempts to simplify our lives with invention and innovation, our lives have become so cluttered with “necessity” that other, former, and arguably more important actors cannot break through the din for their chance to perform. Deity has taken a backseat to politics, the economy, entertainment, professions, and leisure. Religion and spirituality was once seen as as much of a necessity as anything temporal. These times have passed for all but the select few groups we mentioned earlier. Indeed, it requires great effort to maintain the spiritual aspects of our lives, and our society in a world where doing so has become looked down upon, and is no longer touted as honorable by at least a vocal minority who would seek to stamp out spiritual practices altogether.
It is evident that increased interconnectedness suppresses the spiritual.

Religion's Survival in a Mediated World

Media and World Religions Midterm
Question 5

Present media tends to be more visual. How is the visual interpreted by religions? What do you forecast for major changes in visual media and how will that affect religious practice?
The visual nature of today’s media dictates adaptation for survival of religious practices as we know them. Increased media exposure makes sacred things less sacred. The term “sacred” could practically be synonymous with “scarce.” The very nature of the sacred thing, practice, location, etc. is almost tied to its scarcity. The more people who have access to something or somewhere, the less sacred it becomes. In an ever-increasingly visual world, more people have access to more things than ever in the world’s history. Now, things that were once sacred rites or practices are now fodder for tourists, spectators, and TV Producers. The cathedrals, mosques and synagogues of the world have been converted into tourism hotspots for architectural or historical junkies.
I suppose it was inevitable. The predominant mediated religion is Christianity, and Christian structure dictates communication. In Christian tradition, a single person or limited group of people has control over information, and has to disseminate this information to their adherents. This source takes different forms, whether it be the Pope, a prophet, a leader, etc. Indeed, the centralized nature of Christian religions necessitates this system of dissemination of information. Within the sects of Christian religions, congregations tend to be as close to uniform as possible in their practices and teachings. This cohesiveness is the strength of the organized religion. But religion’s dependence on visual media could prove its undoing, if it goes unregulated.
So-called “televangelists” got their name from the showmanship of their profession. In the Book of Mormon, we read why televangelists cheapen the very faith they seek to build: “…if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith…And neither at any time hat any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God.” (Ether 12:12, 18)
Those religions which seek to use the media without being used by the media are those religions who succeed in an ever-mediated environment. Religions like The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who embrace every new medium to share their basic tenets with the world, without divulging the sacredness of their rites by splashing it across computer and TV screens. This allows for true faith to exist where other religions have consciously or subconsciously “damned” their own progress.
Indeed, one might explain that the very reason The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had to be restored when it was is because of the inevitability of the mediated world not long after. If Joseph Smith had seen God the Father and Jesus Christ in 2008 instead of 1820, the world would demand proof, and he would be publicly decried and largely ignored…his efforts would have been in vain. “Seeing is believing” is really a phrase that can only describe our most recent history. Because Joseph Smith had no “tangible” evidence of his claims, the people of his time had to genuinely believe in the teachings, instead of believing in the miracles alone.
One might argue that ALL organized religions depended on an unmediated world to establish themselves and expand. Would the world accept the Islamic religion if someone named Muhammed claimed today that he had been visited and instructed by an angel? And what of polytheistic religions such as Hindu? The simple fact of the matter is that these religions exist today because they were conceived in an unmediated world.
That being said, the religions exist. The LDS Church enjoys one of the fastest growth rates at a time when church attendance worldwide is down, largely because they have embraced television, the Internet, Blogs, etc. and used them without being used by them. Today, they—especially Christian religions—must adapt to an ever visual world in order to continue to thrive and grow.

Media and Religion

Media and World Religions Midterm
Question 2:

Comment on specific interaction between media and religion by providing an example from the media.

“The media”, as we traditionally think of it, sets out to explain the inexplicable, to frame the spectacle, and give it meaning. As a viewer of a news program or the reader of a newspaper, would you care about the news at all if it didn’t have some kind of application to you, or—worse yet—didn’t even make sense?
To much of the world, the recent “spectacle” of the raids on the FLDS polygamist compound in Texas were inexplicable. Inexplicable, because the world could not relate to the polygamist culture. Inexplicable, because the world could not abide by taking children from their loving parents. Inexplicable, because if polygamy is illegal, how had this gone on for so long and on such a scale?
In this case, the polygamist leaders originally denied the media access to their compound, fearing their way of life would be further threatened. They soon realized, however, that they needed the media to plead their case. That is when you saw teary-eyed mothers begging for their children back. The impact of that visual was enough to sway almost all public opinion in their favor.
The media destroys religion, but religion needs the media.

Thought and Action

Media and World Religions, Midterm
Question 1:

Describe and comment on the relationship between thought and action.

Thought and action are inextricably related. In fact, even sayings and phrases can be attributed to mankind’s recognition of this universal truth. In the Book of Mormon, we read “…if ye do not watch yourselves , and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds…even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish.” (Mosiah 4:30) This warning is reflected in a common phrase “think before you speak” which brings to mind the many times that you, or someone you know has regretted the things they said—things they probably WOULDN’T have said if they had thought about the consequences.
In this season of political turmoil, political slips of the tongue—or gaffes—seem to highlight the headlines in our media. While much of political discourse is premeditated and carefully planned, the things that seem to have the greatest effect on potential voters are the unscripted, unrehearsed things that slip out. Consider the now-famous statement by Governor Sarah Palin that you can see Russia from her home state of Alaska. This single statement, though initially innocuous, has evolved into oft-repeated versions of her statement that have lost the original meaning. Versions such as “I can see Russia from my porch” permeate the media more than any actual statement that Palin has said. In today’s hyper-active mediated world, it has become almost impossible to avoid such misinterpretations of even harmless statements. Indeed, the permeation of the media into the lives of public figures has created an unattainable ideal for them…for who, ever, is flawless part of the time, to say nothing of all the time.
Jean Gebser outlined five stages of consciousness that do much to help us understand the evolving societal standard of the relationship between thought and action. In the first—or archaic—stage, mankind is barely aware of their communal existence. In this setting, it was often every-man-for-himself, and any sense of thought before action would have been minimal. In the quest for survival, actions were often as instinctive as anything. In the second—or magic—stage, a sense of community begins to emerge, and relationships are unavoidably formed. Society is characterized by superstition and magic like voo-doo. These beliefs are reflective of the thought that their actions had begun to have consequences. Thus, you would do or not do certain things to get or avoid the result. In the mythic stage, the concept of “I” begins to emerge. You start to see divisions in society, and people’s thoughts about possibilities even beyond the laws of nature begin to dictate their actions. In the perspectival stage, individuals are beholden to a rational or mental perspective. In this stage, every action is seen as having an “equal and opposite” reaction. This logical state of consciousness is where we most fully see ourselves at this time. If I do this, then this will happen. It is the foundation for every law-based society. The very functioning of the legal system is predicated on the fact that there are consequences for our actions. In fact, we make distinctions between pre-meditated crimes and crimes of passion. Pre-meditated crimes indicate thought before action, a weighing of possible consequences, and a decision to commit the crime anyway. These pre-meditated crimes bring harsher punishments, as a logical person would expect. The final stage of consciousness is the integral stage. In this stage, people begin to see all parts at once. The art equivalent of this concept is cubism—the most famous cubism artist was Picasso, and his art is characterized by seeing all sides of an object or person simultaneously on a two-dimensional plain. Our “modern” world seems to be moving toward this integral stage, and examples abound. To return to the example of the legal system, in this stage it becomes more than a matter of what is logical. If someone has committed a crime, a logical society would say that they should be punished. An integral society might say that his rights—to life, for example—supersede the punishment affixed.
So, while the evolution of the relationship between thought and action has evolved in meaning over time, the relationship between thought and action is undeniable.

Internship Report, Week 7

Intern Name: Mark Hamilton
Internship Site: KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM
Emphasis: Broadcast Journalism
Semester and Section: Fall 2008, Section 001
Week Number: 7
Number of Hours This Week: 18

Week 7 Report:
BYU played TCU this week, and got trampled. By “horned frogs”. The headlines in the papers looked ridiculous, especially if you looked at it some a standpoint of just comparing the mascot animals involved. Could a horned frog really beat up a cougar that badly? That’s just what happened.

When the microphones were still hot, just before breaking for commercials, you could hear the restrained frustration in the voices of the announcers. And when we were in the commercial break, you could not misunderstand Greg Wrubell’s feelings about the performance of BYU’s team. He really just captured what we all were feeling, when right from the get-go, the cougars seemed to choke.

The air of excitement that had existed in the newsroom in previous weeks was squelched, as the cougars gave their worst performance in recent memory. Not to overlook TCU, since they deserve a lot of credit. They came out swinging, and looked like a top-ranked team that they now are. The game changed the mood in the newsroom in a way that nothing else has. Normally it’s all fun and excitement to be working there, but Thursday seemed painful for more than just the players—it hurt us.

It was also interesting this week—as I eluded to last week, that the industry is tenuous—because on Thursday night, there was someone being trained to do what one of our Producers does. After that person left, our Producer was visibly uneasy, and when asked who the trainee was, he responded “Meet my replacement.” Now, I know little about actual newsroom politics, and what is really going on, but it seemed to me to be somewhat unfair. This particular producer seems like the kind of person everyone would want in a newsroom, and at least from my observation, it seemed like management had gone behind his back, and the first he found out about being replaced was when this new person came in to be trained.

I guess I am finally witnessing firsthand the ugly side of journalism.

We need a car. Last week we heard nothing from our car broker, and I need to call him today or tomorrow to help him understand that we need one NOW. I think he may still be of the understanding that we have all the time in the world, because it seems he puts other people ahead of us in importance. Hopefully by this time next week, I will be driving a “new used car.”

That’s all for this week!

Thanks,
Mark

BYU - Helping Students by Not Helping Students

I drive. A lot. And because of how amazing my car is, I love it, except for the commuting associated with my internship.


My anguish over commuting stems from three things:

1) I have to get up at 4 a.m. to get to downtown Salt Lake from Provo,
2) I have a car that may die at any time, and in any place, and could even kill me, and
3) I have to find parking near BYU campus.

Here's an article about the situation from the Daily Universe, BYU's newspaper:

Last Friday, I recieved the following E-mail from BYU admins:

As the last line emphasizes, this is a project that will benefit students. Well, it would have been TRULY beneficial if they had undertaken this massive project DURING THE SUMMER.

During the summer, campus looks kinda' like this:

Photo by Mark Hamilton

Empty.

According to this site, the Spring and Summer Term enrollment is actually on the DEcline, and sits at roughly one-fourth that of Fall and Winter Semesters.

If you're interested in exact numbers, in 2007, there were 10,321 students at BYU for Spring Term, and just 7,563 for Summer. Compare that with the 30,426 for Fall Semester and 29,004 for Winter, and I think we've built a pretty compelling case.

Instead, what BYU has done is disrupt the already tenuous parking situation in the middle of what we have just shown to be the busiest time of the year for BYU. I have a hanging A-lot pass that I'm not supposed to use for things unless they're KSL Radio, and because of the disruption of this parking lot, those A-lot pass holders are forced into other lots too, meaning that there weren't even A-lot spots. And since I'm coming from SALT LAKE to Provo, I don't have time to circle campus looking for a spot. As it is, I was late to my quiz in class.

Boo, BYU. Shame on you. Is it so hard to take care of things like this during summer term when only 24.86% of your student body is in Provo? I think not. Planning like this would make the school's namesake cringe.

11 September 2008

I was going to write this yesterday, but time didn't permit it. I thought a lot yesterday about the events that happened seven years ago. I almost can't believe that so much time has passed.

The events of 11 September 2001 left an indellible impression on me--they changed me forever. They changed the way I looked at the world. They changed my values, my patriotism--my life.

It was then that I decided that I wanted to do something that would make a difference. Something that would help people around the world, and give me a platform to share what I considered to be most important. They say "no man is an island," but prior to 9-11, I think the feeling in the U.S. was that we WERE. It was immediately apparent that the world had been forever changed, and from that point forward, the world's concerns were ours and vice-versa.

That's why I am a journalist. To help this nation in its continuous struggle to break free of ignorance and closed-mindedness and reach out to the world around us. Knowledge is power, more than any other force.

Every day of life and freedom that I--and you--continue to enjoy is thanks to the millions throughout history who have fought for that life and freedom. Whether you agree with the events that have transpired since that fateful day 7 years ago or not, ALL of us owe the men and women in the Armed Forces our support and gratitude for their sacrifices on our behalf.

Freedom isn't free.

Palin-who?

I woke up this morning later than usual...since it's my day off from my internship, "all" I have to do is work at BYU Television International today.

When I woke up, one of the first things I found out was that John McCain had caught us all off-guard by reaching deep into left field for his VP pick...first-term Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. I don't think ANYONE expected that. And maybe that's why McCain picked her. I mean, who had even heard of her before this morning? Probably no one but the 670,053 residents of Alaska. That's about the population of the college town I live in during the school year. And I don't think the Mayor of Provo is qualified to be Vice President.

"Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency." - Bill Burton, Obama campaign spokesman

Sarah Palin
Governor of Alaska

As I broadcast industry-insider, I did enjoy watching the media scramble to come up with information and video about her, in an attempt to try to explain this inexplicable choice. It should be fun to see what happens in the next few days as we near the Republican National Convention.

The only thing I can say is that I, along with millions of others I'm sure were hoping his pick would be Mitt Romney. I fear this choice will help Obama win in a landslide, and this morning the Obama camp is drawing up a statement addressing the issues of bringing in someone "without experience" who is "under investigation in her own state" etc. Others note that choosing a woman as his running-mate may further help McCain attract those disgruntled voters that still support Hillary Clinton.

Only time will tell what the repercussions of this choice will be, but I am now mentally preparing myself for 4 years under a democratic Presidency.

What’s Religion Got To Do With It?

This is a paper I had to turn in for my Comms. 300 class (Media Literacy), and I thought you might enjoy it:
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What’s Religion Got To Do With It?

I have watched the political world with interest and eager anticipation as we head toward elections this Fall. The prospect is captivating. For the first time in a national race, we have a woman, an African-American, and a Mormon running for office. Any one of the three, if elected, would be the first of their kind to achieve the office of Commander-In-Chief of the United States.

But I have been disappointed.

About a year ago, it seemed hardly anyone knew anything about Mormons, and even fewer had heard of Mitt Romney. Sure, he was a veritable “hero” (at risk of over-using, and thus diluting that title) in the state of Utah. His sweeping reforms and reorganization saved the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake. They came off without a hitch, and were praised for their organization, budget-cutting and security in the months immediately following 11 September 2001. But who, apart from Mormons, is likely to vote for a Mormon?

As a resident of Massachusetts, Romney saw a unique opportunity to propel himself into the political spotlight. As a successful businessman, and now as the hero of the Olympics, Romney capitalized on his “go-to-it” attitude and his past ventures. His vast personal fortune afforded him the unique opportunity of running as a social conservative in a state that is overwhelmingly liberal.

But Massachusetts has done this before.

Why does a state that is so decidedly “blue” seem to consistently elect “red” officials as its governor? Maybe it is because Massachusetts was suffering under the strain of one of the largest budget deficits ever seen in the United States? The so-called “Big Dig” project, to put many of the highways and major roads around Boston UNDER Boston, was the largest and most expensive construction project in the history of the United States. Massachusetts was reeling, and Romney stepped in to once again “save the day” as he had done in the business world, and the realm of the Olympics.

Romney was elected, and under his leadership, Massachusetts climbed out of their budget deficit, reformed health care, and instituted a number of local and state-wide social rehabilitation programs—all without raising taxes. His success in a state that seems to produce a number of political “would-bes” (does the name “John Kerry” ring a bell?) convinced Romney that he might have a chance at something bigger.

Romney for President?

Romney is not the first Mormon to run for office. Even Joseph Smith tested the political waters in the mid 1800s. Romney’s own father led a short-lived campaign just a few decades before. But what was different this time? Why did it seem that the media was out to get him?

I watched, disappointed, as Romney struggled against the tide calling for him to make a “Kennedy Speech.” He reaffirmed again and again that religion should not be a determining factor in politics. But public opinion polls showed otherwise, and Romney conceded. But that has not stopped the media from discounting him, in my eyes. In the vital Iowa primaries, News outlets, both national and local “called” the Republican outcome hours before all the votes were counted, but claimed the Democratic race was too close to call, at just 5 or 6 percentage points. But as I watched, and numbers kept coming in, Romney eventually pulled within 5 percentage points of then-Republican Front-Runner Mike Huckabee. So why was Romney discounted, if Hillary Clinton was not? Because the media plays favorites, and they don’t want to see a Mormon in office.

In his speech, Kennedy proclaimed that he was not a Catholic running for President, but a man running for President who happened to be Catholic, but would not be influenced by Catholic Church leadership in his Presidency. It worked just fine for him, and he went on to become arguably one of the greatest Presidents this country has ever known.

The question is, can Romney win over the hearts of voters and convince them that religion should have no bearing on how they vote? It of course remains to be seen, but after last Tuesday’s victory in Michigan, and Saturday's victory in Nevada, it seems Romney has another chance at proving he’s electable.

I just wish religion wasn’t so much of an issue.

Back to Business--For the First Time

Well, after much anticipation, it's finally here--the semester where I'm actually taking classes for my major.  Finally.

Yesterday was my first day of classes as an official Broadcast Journalism major, and it was GREAT!  Every time I go to class, I am reminded why I'm in this major, and how much I love the field.

With classes this amazing, I find myself wondering if I somehow found a loophole in the system--how could something I enjoy so much be considered "college" and how can I get credit for doing something I already love?

Feel the joy.

On another, not-related-at-all note, the New Hampshire primaries are today, and I have been watching political coverage for weeks in anticipation of what will be decided in just a few short hours.  At risk of betraying my journalistic professionalism, I will not say who I would vote for--just that I would be VERY happy if a Mormon won for the first time ever.