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 8

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: 8

Number of Hours This Week: 21

Week 8 Report:

I felt like I shared in BYU’s victory this week, because almost everything seemed to go right.

First, we have been up in the air about this whole car thing, and we knew we needed one before winter hit. Thus far we had been lucky, but we felt like we were living on borrowed time. We kept paying that we would get the right car at the right time. Things had gone on so long that we figured maybe we weren’t supposed to get a car yet, and that maybe I’d be fine with just the old one we had, since we had already made it this far.

Well, Wednesday at my internship, Greg Wrubell started talking to me about the upcoming BYU Basketball season, and how they needed to find someone to work for them through the end of March. He started adding up the hours, and it only ended up being about 90. He said he would love to get an intern to do the job, since they wouldn’t have to pay them, and asked if I had any friends. I told him that I didn’t think 90 hours was enough to count as a 4 credit-hour internship, and that I didn’t think anyone would be willing to come up to Salt Lake for a 1 credit-hour internship during the school year. He agreed, and that’s when I suggested they could hire me to do the job, since it is essentially what I have already been doing, and they wouldn’t have to train me further. He loved the idea, and got on the phone with the powers that be. He then offered me the job for $75 a game, or about $18 an hour.

So, starting next week-ish, I will be an “official” employee of KSL Newsradio.

It’s by no means full-time employment, but it’s exactly the kind of “in” I was looking for. In fact, I will be working with the guy who did what I will be doing LAST year. Suffice it to say, if I can do well here, I may very well be able to stay on with KSL after graduation in April.

So, after Greg offered me the position, I drove back to Provo, and called our Car Broker, who informed me that he was looking at a car that matched the description of what we wanted. He bid on it, and we got it! The car arrived in Provo, on Thursday, and we picked it up on Friday night. I was able to take it up to Salt Lake on Saturday for the UNLV game, and this car will make all the difference in my commute and my ability to be a viable future employee.

My new love, a 2001 VW Jetta. Black with beige interior.

Saturday, after the game and the post-game interviews, the board operator and I were the only ones left in the studio. He needed someone to help him start the next program, so I sat in the other room, and when he cued me, I clicked a button that started an audio track that introduced “The Best of the Doug Wright Show.” Then I had to click the actual archived show’s button so the program would start. That means that I had brief—yet important—control over the entire radio station, broadcasting 50,000 Watts of power to the entire intermountain west. I felt powerful. It was fun.

So, that basically sums up a great week!

Thanks,
Mark

Mission Statements and "Organization" Charts

As a part of my internship with KSL, I was supposed to find out what their Organizational Chart looked like, and where I fit into it.

Here is the "organization" chart...see if you can figure out where ANYONE fits in.


To be honest, the “organizational” tree for KSL is so muddled, it’s anything BUT “organized.” I’m not even sure where my internship supervisor fits into it, much less myself. I would assume that he would count as an “On-Air Host,” and I report to him.

For any of you who got through that boring part, and made it this far, and are still interested, here's the mission statement for KSL:

Mission Statement
Bonneville International,
Parent Company of KSL

People
We expect top performance of ourselves. We provide the right environment for success and growth. We communicate honestly and sensitively. We have fun.

Communities

Our products and services entertain, inform, and lift our audiences. Our communities are better because we get involved and make a difference.

Profit

We meet aggressive financial goals consistently to drive growth of our businesses. We create value for our clients. We set the standard for how business should be done.

"Winning with Integrity," we're proud to be Bonneville!

_______________________

Source: http://bonneville.com/?nid=9

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