As a tool

Anything can be used as a tool, things like wrenches or hammers but other things like people, thoughts, knowledge and language. Writing is just another tool and like any other tool it us only there for use. How it is used is the real dilemma.

Writing is one heck of a tool. Depending on the skill and intentions of the person, it can change the outlook of millions, for better or for worse. Writing can be very persuasive; it can make people consider things they hadn't before.

Thomas Paine is an excellent example; he was the author of Common Sense. It had a huge impact on the people; it was one of the major factors that started the Revolutionary War.

Adolf Hitler also wrote his own story, Mien Kampf, or My Struggle. This particular volume made many believe of "the Jewish peril."

The written word is a wonderful thing and a dangerous thing. The fault is not with the writing in and of itself but with the people who choose to use it without considering the consequences.

When a writer or author takes up his pen (or keyboard) they must, absolutely must, take into consideration the kind of effect their writing may have on others, only attempting to write the truth as they understand it.

It is one thing to write in ignorance, not understanding completely but another when to write with malicious intent, to confuse the reader and twist their thoughts to selfish purposes.

Language and writing is just a tool, waiting to be shaped and formed and used in everyday life, to make an effect for our benefit. We should enjoy it, thrive in it, and watch ourselves and our words. “The pen is mightier than the sword.”

Forming a system of moral principles through writing

I think in every assignment, exam, test, quiz, etc. that I’ve ever taken or has been given and will be given to me and other students here at BYU there is a higher standard then at other Universities, it’s because of this honor code I think attracts and detracts so many people. The law of Moses or in the Ten Commandments says that thou should not steal-Exodus 20.

It’s easy to come up with creative truths called lies. Those that are LDS know that Satan is the father of all lies; thus we would be serving Satan. So don’t do it. No matter how great the temptation is. So what if you get an A, it will haunt you with misfortunes. It’s easy to plagiarize, it’s growing problems and concerns are real and evident in our world today. In fact some of you will see many mistakes that I’ve made in this paper and you will say that I didn't have the right documentation. You are right I apologize for my many imperfections and mistakes that I make everyday at the same time I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time getting it right the first time.

GIVE IT BACK!

What makes our writing acceptable by the general public? What are the general guidelines, rules, and regulations to writing? Depending on where we writing on whether it be on facebook, a blog, an article, or an essay, different ethics apply. As for writing on social networking-like programs and systems, it is completely normal and acceptable to not cite sources and etc.; however, for a research project, we must cite where we found solid facts which may not be known by the general public like, "During the 1960's, when AIDS came out of the shadows, AIDS was known as the homosexual disease because it just happened that the several individuals whom reported cases of AIDS were homosexual. (insert citation: page, author here) Someone took time to formulate theories and research a specific topic to prove said theory.

How do you like it when someone takes credit for your work? How do you like it when in class, your teacher asks a difficult question and you answer under your breath the correct answer and then your friend shouts out the correct answer verbatim and then your friend gets credit for your answer? Don't you just loathe it? Doesn't it make you go crazy?

In the youtube video, "Creative Commons- Get Creative" that Sister Cowley wanted us to watch for class on Thursday, there was an example of what we as writers should do to make our writing more appealing to our audience. The story was about The White Stripes' album, "White Blood Cells" and Steve McDonald. The White Stripes are a rock band that rock without a bass guitar. This is where Steve McDonald comes in. He took The White Stripes' "White Blood Cells" album and added a bass. What did Steve McDonald just do? Not only did he take the outstanding work of The White Stripes, he brought something more to offer to the audience.

*I'll finish later.

I built a house once.....

As writers we need to make sure that we are not plagiarizing. If we get something from someone else we need to say where we got it; credit where credit is due. Imagine that you spent years and years building a house and finally, at long last, you finished it and someone came and took credit for it. I know I'd be heartbroken. All that hard work was for nothing. And maybe someone's paper isn't a house, but it could be something they really prize and in some cases it could have taken them years to complete. It's their work, so we need to credit them.

Aside from just giving credit though, we need to make sure we don't take the information out of context. For instance if we're talking about our government and we want to prove someone hates it we could quote them saying, "It's bad." But are they actually talking about the government? It's our responsibility to keep things in context so we don't mislead people. It's also our responsibility to do our research so that when people are reading our papers on whatever we're writing they can know it's true.

The responsibility of us as a researcher is to make sure we are using reliable sources. If I quote a 3 year old giving her opinion on public education then I'm really not getting information from a reliable source. If, however, I quote a passage from a scholarly journal than the information is going to be more reliable and can actually be trusted and used.

As a reader it's our responsibility to make sure we are actually reading the right things if we really want the information. I know we've all looked on Wikipedia for information at least once, but if we're trying to actually get good information on something we should probably be looking at articles or books that we know can be trusted.

Study Shows Titles are False

Communication is so essential to the everyday life of anyone. When the information communicated isn't true it can cause many problems, because humans are social creatures and it spreads very rapidly. In writing that information can now be spread very well through the internet. Who hasn't had a friend log into their facebook and post something silly? It's easy to to have information, that isn't true, go beyond the grasp of the writer. In writing, I feel, it is most important to have something to say, some reason why one should be posting what they ate for breakfast or where they are going that day. Meaningless communication distracts readers and creates unnecessary clutter. Primarily it is the writers responsibility to be saying something useful, and meaning it.

Writers must also pay their dues to those before them, hence the reason to care so much about research and citation. Not all writers have the ability to be out studying for the first time what is going on, nor do all have the clout to publish un-cited works and expect to be received in public as new fact. Opinion shouldn't make its way into the realms of fact (although that can't always be helped). We live in a changing world, but truth, fact, and numbers are still important. All writers should be able to distinguish sources, to give them credit, and make it clear when things are opinion or not whole truths. Another important step is not misrepresenting facts to back up opinions all the time. Frank Lloyd Wright said, "The truth is more important than the facts. " I whole heartedly believe that, it is more important that the writer get across the message, the importance of the goal than be a cold calculating robot. We all have the responsibility to give those around us information as we all live together.

Guide to Idea Thievery

A brief note of explanation and welcome to the amateur thief,

A thief king in the world of education once gave me this idea free of charge, "a symphony well stolen is half composed." He taught his thieving pupils to mimic styles, incorporate ideas and learn from the brilliance of those who have accumulated wealth in the world of ideas, but to have enough pride as a thief to do it well. His classroom became a training ground for thieves of the first rate. And thus it is appropriate that I began my training of you, fellow thief, with a stolen idea from my own tutor in the art of thieving.

The trouble with making an honest living in this world of writing is the fact that half the good ideas are already taken by philosophy and history and the like, and a thief simply doesn't have the time to earn another quarter of the specialized ideas that have been discovered out there. The remaining quarter -- if indeed there are even so many ideas left to the poor thieves of the world -- are not the sort that can sustain a reforming thief through college. So, join the den of careful, brilliant thieves and learn what to steal and how as you dip into the funds of a treasure trove of ideas.

Any common thief can steal an idea that is being widely talked about in his time, it takes hardly any skill at all. When many authors are saying the same thing the thief can slip right in and take what pleases him. It requires the barest smattering of research to be able to cleverly cover his tracks by simply putting it in his own words, a task that is easy to do with such a commonplace idea. Well stolen, this idea almost enters the territory of the new ideas as the thief practically feels like he has thought it all up himself. This is all well and good if a thief can afford to live off such ideas, but some require a richer prize to sustain their luxuriant, idea-packed lifestyle.

Thorough and fearless research is the brand of an excellent thief of ideas. It is almost embarrassing to a high order idea thief to steal from another thief: how much greater the prestige if he can steal it from the original owner. The more research an idea thief does the closer he can trace it to the original thinker himself, not all thieves have this kind of time but still have enough pride in their work to take it closer than . . . say, wikipedia, the breeding ground for petty thieves. High order thieves turn up their noses at stealing from such a blatant thief, one who lacks any of the subtlety or slight of hand of a good thief. A thief who wishes to keep high standing in the world of ideas will at least trace it back to whomever the site stole it from. Wikipedia's safe has such a simple code to crack that any thief with pride will never own up to having gained his precious gem there.

But it is only the most daring thieves of all who steal from the great or the specialists. As daring as they must be to brave such an attempt it should come as no surprise that they have the audacity to hang quotes and a citation on their stolen idea and leave it right in their front room. Of course they could put it in their own words but sometimes the original says it best and either way, only the best of idea thieves could get away with flouting their thievery so openly, it is a badge of honor to be able to frame such an idea. Obviously these thieves are no fools, they never would leave to many ideas out in the open, they know just how many they need to be accepted into good thieving society and they do not cross the line. I mean, do they want to be arrested and sent to prison? And end their good thieving days? Hardly!

The greatest thief isn't the thief who steals everything in sight and becomes gaudy for his presentation of ideas, the greatest thief is the one who steals the choice ideas and hangs them with taste for all to see. This thief mixes many levels of idea thievery into the decor of his home, all in harmony with the general theme of the room. In this way he can pass as a true idea aristocrat, as indeed he will be someday as the aristocracy does not mind taking thieves who only thieve on the side into their midst.

As the thief's wealth if ideas accumulates he will find himself guided into the territory of, first, the positive relics and cherished antiques of ideas and, second, into the realm of new ideas. For the society of ideas is not so priggish about who they promote their world, they have no distaste for thieves. Thieves are first rate material for high society in the world of ideas, just so long as they have learned to steal well.

Best wishes to a fellow burgeoning idea thief!

The Seeming Impossibility of Accountability

Several years ago, when I was going through the certification process for the PEARL World Youth News Organization, an AP-Reuters-style news affiliate for high school students, I had to complete some reading assignments, one of which was a code that journalists should live by. It emphasized the importance of telling the straight facts, without spinning or misrepresenting them. The reason: as journalists, the public looks to you for information.

If we don’t give them the truth, who will?

It is alarming how often the defense of semantics is exploited when a journalist or newspaper or reporting group or even politician is caught in a lie. They will mince words to try and wriggle their way out of trouble, but only end up wriggling their way out of credibility and integrity. But once you lose the trust of the public, BOOM! It’s over.

Forget the Pulitzer Prize. You will forever be branded as untrustworthy and as a cheater.

And when your livelihood depends on people turning to you as a trusted advisor, you cannot afford make that mistake. You just can't.

Literally.

I must applaud wikipedia for instituting the “citation needed” element to their sites. It forces accountability upon the opinionated irresponsible. And if there are no citations for specific statements, the site informs the reader. In language, as in currency, there should always be something of substance backing up what is circulated.

I saw this because to me, false- or misinformation is one of the greatest crimes of current society. Commentators on nearly every subject are the greatest perpetrators. They will exaggerate the facts, omit damaging arguments, and present complex, convincing arguments on fallacious assertions. The uninformed reader or viewer is helpless against this onslaught of counterfeit reality.

And often the excuse for misrepresenting the facts is, “Well, they know that I’m kidding,” or, “look, I’m not a professor, I’m just giving my opinion,” or, “it’s a radio show! They don’t want to hear the boring facts. I’m just spicing them up!” As media consumers, we need to differentiate between satire, which is useful in its own right, exaggeration, fallacy, omission, and outright distortion of facts.

The aforementioned excuses are common symptoms among politicians, who will say just about anything to gather a following and when they are exposed will spin the story to do some “damage control.”

A truly talented commentator does not need an image consultant because he is always honest, even if the truth is less exciting, and honesty is a winning quality.

If we keep this in mind when we are the ones holding the information, we will succeed as writers, educators, and scholars.

Being a thoughtful writer

I've had a hard time with writing lately. I am in this English writing class and my communications classes and the two are so different. For English, writing is more about style and the technical aspects and expounding to the seemingly point of no return. Journalism is blunt and straight to the point. No fluff and no messing around. I tend to find my writing right in the middle which unfortunately means I rarely win.

Sources though, are used for all types of writing. I think my ideas are very valuable and my goal is to get my point across. But to do this, other sources are obviously needed. I believe that in both writing situations accreditation is not only important but crucial. For journalism, transparency is key in gaining the trust of readers. Anyone can make up facts but real news is supported by information from trusted sources. I believe the same goes for writing in an general English setting. The author owes it to the readers to be open about what ideas they have and what they are basing those ideas on or off. Giving accreditation to sources will only help gain trust and make for a stronger paper. If a person wants to write without being accountable, it is inherently fiction or an autobiography or opinion writing of some sort. Those all have their place, but most other papers deserve the honor of the official seal of a bibliography and correct citations which are not too hard to get together. A little effort goes a long way.

The best way to describe plagiarism in general is lame. As a writer, musician, or artist, no one would want to be in the position where their work is being used without consent. It is not only rude but can really damage the sanctity of a work. Desecration proclamation! Only the inventor can choose how a work should be used unless it is distinguished in it's context. As I help my friends write music, I see the different times when sharing is great... Like promoting a song or having it passed along and also when it is horrible - song ideas being stolen, music being illegally shared instead of bought.

Writers owe it to the readers, the people/ideas that inspire their work, and really the whole world to cite sources and be as transparent as possible. No matter what is being written about.

This just in: The Y has just been changed to a G...G for gullible

Today’s society suffers from two major problems that are closely related: laziness and instant gratification. These two problems cause a great number of issues, but I want to focus on rhetoric. Being divided into two, rhetoric consists of conveying a message (writing) and receiving messages (reading). Too many people want to take short cuts and finish faster while appearing to be just as good as everyone else, which would create the illusion that they are better than they really are, and better than others. This occurs in both the writing phase as well as the reading phase.

Did you know that 86.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot? I was shocked too. It just so happens though, that it is a lie, but a better example of the irresponsibility or writers in today’s world. Too many times, we are guilty of not checking our facts, or even worse, making up our own facts. I include myself because most writers at early levels can easily fall into this trap – sometimes without trying. If you’ve ever used something and not cited your source you are guilty of not being a reliable source (and plagiarism for that matter). Oops!

Plagiarism causes problems by lifting ourselves up and not giving proper due to whom it properly belongs. It is taking a shortcut and stealing from those who have done hard work to further whatever field they work in. If we gained something from someone, we should let it be known. We owe it to those that have gone before us. In short plagiarism is the combination of laziness and instant gratification.

What about taking something out of context and twisting it to meet our needs? Is that responsible writing or justifying our way to instant gratification? Take into account Stephen Colbert: a funny mock news reporter who frequently reads quotes and shows video clips yet takes them out of context. He is irresponsible as a news reporter (whether or not his intention is to come across the way he does will not be taken into account here) and is taken as a credible source by far too many people. The intentional lying is unethical. Every writer owes his reader his best effort and the most in depth research. Too often reporting something wrong due to this unethical approach is gone uncorrected.

It turns out that it’s really 45.2% of all statistics are made up on the spot. I was actually “corrected” once by someone who “knew” the real number – I guess some people don’t get jokes. Maybe this person heard this “statistic” from someone whom he considered reliable. Maybe he expected the truth and nothing else. While we as readers can and should be trusting, who can we blame when we have been duped? It is our job to figure out if each person is reliable or not by checking out said persons history as well as their works cited. I know, I know, heaven forbid we put any work into understanding what we read! If we know we are guilty of cutting corners, is it not possible that maybe some writers do the same?

In a world of 24 hour news, text alerts, twitter updates, and any other form of communication, everyone is looking to gain the advantage. We owe it to ourselves as writers and readers to do the work, present the truth, and learn the truth. It is only once we hold ourselves to this higher standard that we can hold others to it and better today’s problems – at least in rhetoric that is.

A Reflection Upon Writing

From personal observations, I have found writing to be powerful, persuasive, and deeply personal. I know that academic research and analysis is important and essential, but for me this is not a pleasure. Instead, I have found writing to bring joy when I use it as an outlet for my creativity, a way to express my feelings, and for reflection. To be completely honest, I have really hard time doing research and trying to prove a point when all I really want to do is write my own thoughts and feelings about the issue. At times I wish I had a doctorite degree just so that society wouldn't take my unique ideas as plagarism. Now don't get me wrong, I do like doing research of my own, but I do find reading others' findings almost pointless. Why would I want to find a study to back up my point when I can conduct an experiment of my own? I guess what I'm finding out about myself is that I like to create original works. I like to compose music, write poetry, write stories, make up my own ideas, and write essays about things that I have come up with rather than express someone else's view in an original way. Sometimes, I even feel that all the rules about plagarism go too far. I agree that we shoudn't steal obvious aspects of others' works, but having to cite everything seems like I am appealing to selfishness. My problem with writing is that it is often boring. Most of the time, I feel like I have to follow structure and rules and my writings come out robotic. However, when I go crazy with my own ideas and thoughts, writing becomes fun, not always as "well-written", but fun. If I had my way, I would write a 8-10 page paper without doing any research, just to put my ideas out there. I feel like I don't agree with a lot of research I find, and that my own ideas are more interesting. This might be rude and selfish of me, but it is simply the way that I feel. Writing is wonderful when used for personal reasons, often meant to be kept from the general public. I find most joy when I write for myself, just to express how I feel at a given time and place. Every time I read my personal writings, emotion comes back and personal reflection becomes deep and life-changing. At the same time, writing for an intended audience appears more difficult and less interesting to me. I almost feel like I don't care if people believe me or not. Perhaps this emotion will change after I get back from my mission. I just don't like being responsible for others' feelings and responsible to others for the research that I did to disguise my central messages. After this class, I have learned a lot about myself and my issues with formal writing classes. I hope I can learn more and that others will read this and tell me that I'm wrong, helping me see the greater purposes of academic writing. In general, I have found writing to be very peculiar, and that my attitude towards it change depending on the purpose behind why I write. When I write to express and create, I find magic and relief. Its a wonderful, wonderful thing.

News: Reporting of Political Opinion

The paperboy hums quietly as he rides his bike through the empty suburban streets. Occasionally a car slowly drives by, but at 3:00a.m., action is limited. Working to save money to buy the newest baseball rookie card, the American boy goes about his business, delivering the Washington Post to each house on the street. He may think he is delivering news, but in reality, he is throwing papers containing biased opinions of journalists; opinions trying to secretly instill the writer’s beliefs into the mind of the reader.

Whether it is newspaper journalists or 5:00 news reporters, they have the responsibility to the viewers to do exactly what their name infers: report news. News is not opinion. News consists of facts. Journalists today pick and choose which topics they want to write about and, if it does not coincide with their belief patterns, they choose to ignore the subject altogether. The act of picking and choosing news is completely unethical.

It has been said that there are three topics that one does not want to bring up in a conversation if she wants to avoid controversy: sports, religion, and politics. For journalists, politics reigns supreme. They want to increase the value of their political party while demeaning the values and principles of the opposing party.

In the case of newspapers, liberal ideology reigns supreme. Several examples occurred recently that can be analyzed and proven that some newspapers do not report news at all; they create it, or completely ignore it. One example occurred in 2004. Dan Rather, a news anchor on CBS, created documents portraying former president George W. Bush as “shirking his duties in the Air National Guard.” Evidence started piling up after only a couple hours that the documents were phony. Rather ended up losing his job, and for credible reasons.

Another example happened recently, after the November 2010 elections. Dana Milbank, a columnist for the Washington Post, flat-out lied in his column on November 3. Trying to make some blows at Fox News, he wrote saying that Fox News brought in one democrat on election night, in the midst of all the republicans, to be “fair and balanced.” Again, there is no truth to that statement. There were eight democrats just on the O’reilly Factor, a one hour program that just happens to be the number one watched cable news show. Unacceptable. Columnist have the responsibility to tell the truth and report what is happening in the world around us. When one reads the newspaper, they expect truth, and should get exactly that.

6:30a.m. on the Suburban street, a man opens his front door and takes a breath of fresh morning air. His favorite part of the morning has come: time to catch up on the news. He bends down, picks up his newspaper, and starts to read. He thinks the facts are straight, but what he does not see is a journalist, somewhere in Washington D.C., laughing at his unethical deed, laughing at the phony newspaper that was just sent out for millions to read and believe as fact.

The Ethics of Writing

Writing is a powerful tool. When composed properly, words can induce war, declare independence, constitute divorce, and confess passionate love. Works such as this, as well as many others can change the life of one or the lives of millions. Knowing this, it is only logical to assume that the author of any work can wield power from the ink of their pen. It has been said by the Spiderman character Uncle Ben that, “With great power comes great responsibility.” With the power to change the minds of man, cautions must be taken to be sure a composition is ethical. One of the most prominent ethical problem concerning writing today is the onslaught of plagiarism.

In today’s age, knowledge is everywhere. It is constantly being bounced back and forth across the globe where it can be analyzed, twisted, or, interpreted. As a writer, it is their responsibility to cite and give credit to others when they write a piece. At first, it may not seem very wrong to leave out the sources with which one wrote the paper. However, not giving credit to those who did the research would falsely imply that the writer is the one who deserves the credit for the information. This is a blatant lie. What may have begun as an effort to improve a reputation through writing can end up in an entire demolition of reputation.

Though consequences for plagiarism are a sure deterrent, there is an even higher reason to not plagiarize. This is simply by having enough self respect to know that it is always better to tell the truth than to lie. As a writer, you have many responsibilities to your readers. It is your job to keep them interested, to expand their mind, but most importantly, to inform them. A reader will trust your work more often than not, and I know from personal experience that trusting someone that is lying only leads to pain.

It would be a lie itself to say that plagiarism is not tempting, but it is always well worth the effort to create your own ideas and tell the truth. Some day we are all to be judged, and I want to be able to stand at the judgement bar with honor. Fleeing from even the thought of plagiarizing will only bring me one step closer to that goal.

Our Responsibility as Writers

Before taking this class writing was my number one hated subject which is why I didn’t take it my senior year. I dreaded, in high school, getting two page papers about anything and often would just write without really thinking or researching the subject. I assure you that my view of writing has changed severely. Writing is a way of expressing my opinion in a new and exciting way that no one has done before. I believe this is the most important responsibility a writer has to the reader; give the reader new information about a subject that he/she has already heard info about.

We have all been researching different materials for our research project and all of us should have found at least twenty different sources giving us more than enough information to develop an opinion. One question that I kept asking myself as I was reading was “how am I supposed to incorporate this into my essay without taking the same idea?” I think I spent more time thinking about how the material fit into my paper than I did actually reading the material. It was frustrating!! It is definitely easier to just read a paper, agree with the views expressed, and use them in your paper. But the responsibility that we have to the people that will read our paper is to show them a whole new way of looking at that particular subject. We should be constantly challenging our view and keeping an open mind.

My essay is on software piracy, which is a growing problem in the world for the technology world. As I was reading the articles, books, website blogs etc. there were so many aspects of piracy to be analyzed and researched. As writers, we should go into depth on a specific subject and get into the nitty-gritty of a specific aspect; just as other writers have done before. We have things like encyclopedias to show us a broad spectrum of a subject, it is up to us to use the materials professors, doctors, and teachers have given us to develop our own opinion. If we don’t develop our opinion deep enough in a subject and instead, use the opinions of others, we have failed as writers. As we are all researching and gathering bucket-loads of information, take a moment to think about how what your reading will be useful in your paper.

Avoiding Plagiarism Takes Work

When Mrs. Cowley's old student told that story of when the majority of his class was busted for plagiarism, my jaw dropped. I couldn't believe that many students could be caught plagiarizing for one assignment. Why would so many students be that dishonest? Then I realized that plagiarism isn't always intentional. I bet it would be easy for any English teacher to be nit-picky enough about proper documentation to "catch" virtually any paper one of their students wrote. Writing a research paper, it's hard to perfectly document, paraphrase, quote, in-text-cite every single piece of information. It takes both creativity and hard work to really avoid plagiarism.

Plagiarism is easy to do. It was interesting to hear what Mrs. Cowley's former student had to say about how the best way to avoid plagiarizing sources is to not procrastinate. Since proper documentation is so time-consuming, "cramming" to write an essay usually results in the lack thereof; you'll simply run out of time to really make an argument and not use other people's words. Also, I have been amazed at how tough it really is to know exactly how to cite each work I'm using in my paper, what with page numbers, online databases, blogs, and other funky things that the handbook is kind of vague about. If I get started early though, I can go to the teacher and make sure I've got it right. Otherwise, I'm up a creek without a paddle.

In the Little Penguin Handbook, it sets down pretty strict guidelines for making sure writers paraphrase, quote, and summarize their source properly. To really do these things without plagiarizing, a writer has to make efforts to really put the material from their source into their own words. They can't just change a few words here and there and say it's in their own words (like pretty much everyone did in their k-12 education sometime or another). They have to essentially change or manipulate what is said to back up the point they are trying to make, and it's preferred that they barely use any of the original wording, if they use any at all. This requires creativity. In the publication given to us when Mrs. Cowley's old student talked to us, there's an article called "Good Teachers are Eager to Learn from their Students." It argues (to summarize!) that plagiarism is a lack of creativity. It is the absence of the essence of writing. To really avoid plagiarizing someone else's work, a writer has to make a work of his own.

Proper documentation takes effort and creativity. The more I think about our professor's old student's story of how almost everyone was "caught" plagiarizing, the less I'm astounded. Having to avoid plagiarism stinks!

Okay, I’m convinced, writing is good!

To be honest, there was a time not too long ago when I thought of writing as something to do for those with nothing useful to do; for me the only thing that could explain the plethora of arguments that people bring up in writing was lack of anything meaningful to talk about or do. Of course in my life I had enjoyed many benefits from the works of great writers, most notably John Erickson in his marvelous Hank the Cowdog series and of course J.K. Rowley’s Harry Potter books, but I hadn’t given that much thought.

I think the most useful thing WRTG 150 has given me is a desire to write better and a little bit more understanding why writing is important for everyone. I can’t say I enjoy writing or that I’m an expert, but at least now I understand why so many people care about writing so much.

Anyone who knows anything of significance or importance concerning absolutely any topic ought to be able present it in a way that would help other people understand and use it. Learning to write well is not just about learning to write with correct grammar and punctuation or to have good handwriting (although these may be useful as well); it’s about learning to make an argument, presenting and analyzing information that others’ may find useful. The mechanics of writing are merely a means to the end of communicating more effectively; I guess until one really sees this end the means seem ridiculously pointless and totally dull, as they did to me.

To me it seems like the only people who don’t need to know how to write are those who have either no knowledge worth passing on (which in my opinion is impossible) and/or those who don’t have any opinions, don’t care at all about anything (also highly unlikely). While we are all at different levels of proficiency in these two areas, everyone has something to offer just as everyone can benefit from others’ unique perspectives.

It is sad that there is so much misunderstanding the world, so much miscommunication that leads to all kinds of disastrous consequences. If only we could all just listen to our English teachers and try to realize the need to write well and properly influence others with whatever good we can offer them, which is bound to be something.

A Guide to Promoting a Religion in "Mormon-Dominated Utah"

(Revised)

Trying to establish a religion in a land dominated by Mormons?

Try following these simple steps to success!

Before I begin, I'd like to give some of the back-story to this guide.

I have a decent number of memories at that take place at the Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork.

My earliest visit took place when I was about twelve years old.  My older sister and her friends were all big fans of The Emperor's New Groove.  Of course they went to Llama Fest.  My sister, the great sister that she was, took her younger siblings/fellow Kuzco fans down to the festival with her.

Most recently, I went down with friends to the Festival of Colors.  We took a look through the gift shop and other places inside the temple before going outside to get thoroughly covered in colored powder.

It was only recently, however, that I visited the Krishna website.  It happened to be at a time when I was surrounded by family.  I was curling my younger sister's hair, so I had her read out loud from the site.  

I realized something.

The whole website was excellently crafted.  The Sri Krishna devotees were well aware that their religion was often misunderstood.  They were especially sensitive to what was the common belief here in Utah.

I found one particular page that emphasized my realization.  The very first paragraph was this: 

 The thesis of this paper will address one major question: Why would a Hare Krishna consider locating a temple in [a] low density, rural area of Mormon-dominated Utah?

It amused me how appropriately worded the heading was.  It was tactful and informative.  Directly below the well-done sentence I read this:

"Utah's Krishna Pioneers"

by Chad Young
This piece was written for a history class at BYU in 1994

It was then that I got an idea.  As I read Chad Young's history article, my ideas became more concrete.  I decided to analyze the Krishna website by outlining the rhetorical tactics they used to describe their religion to their Mormon-dominated audience.

Their example is the foundation for The Guide.

Step One: Remember Religion.

Utah is already full of religious nuts.  Most of them have been going to church since birth.  There isn't a need to worry much about the agnostic and/or atheist who would potentially require a religious foundation; you can jump straight into building them up with your religion.  


For example:

The closer your relationship is to Krishna, the more his opulence (All Attractive, All Wealthy, All Wise, All Knowing, etc) applies to you and your life. His love and mercy for us is unlimited. The temple is a means to come into His circle, to experience the bliss of His company.

This paragraph is on the home page of the Krishna website.  They don't spend time trying to convince their reader that there is a Divine Being–Mormons know that.  It's not over-bearing.  It's not tearing down Mormonism.  They just state some of the good things that Krishna has to offer.  

Step Two: Find Some Common Ground.

If you're going to be sharing Utah with Mormons, find some common ground.  Since Mormons have been learning their principles for so long, it's good if your values are similar to theirs.  Mention them!  For instance, 

Central to the lifestyle ... are vegetarianism and abstinence from illicit sex, intoxicants, and gambling.

This article, along with many others, mentions the similarities the Krishna followers share with Mormons.  Mormons are big fans of the no illicit-sex/intoxicants/gambling idea.  Many Mormons are even vegetarians!  

And speaking of vegetarians, the Hare Krishnas have a vegetarian feast once a week on Sunday.  Guess what day the Mormons observe their Sabbath?  Sunday!!

Try it out.  You'll find more success if you're relatable.

Step Three: Know How to Describe God.

Step three builds on the previous two rules.  Mormons, contrary to popular belief, are monotheistic.  The rumor about multiple gods came about because unlike most Christians, they don't believe in the Trinity; their Godhead consists of three separate beings.  However, only one God is in charge of everything.

So take a look at this:

Krishna naturally has His own personal identity, just as each of us does. 

The Vedas define God as the one supreme conscious being among all other conscious beings. He is infinite, we are finite, and He maintains us all.

The description of God follows steps one and two.  It's also very careful to describe God with reverence and respect.  This allows the reader to connect to the description of God on an emotional level, which helps to provide a stronger connection to the overall site and religion.

Stories help too.  If you can, include a story that will tug at the heart strings.

Step Four: Pay Attention to Word Choice.

Once again, this step builds on the past ones.  As can be seen in the last example, the Hare Krishna often substitute the word 'God' for 'Krishna'.  If you can use words that the Mormons already know, it'll help to validate your religion.  Be sure to use words like 'spirit' and 'family' and 'spiritual family'.


Here's a list of Mormon phrases, and the Krishna website counterpoint:
Scripture Study – Scriptural Study
The Pioneers – Utah Krishna Pioneers
The Temple (of the Lord) – The Krishna (or Lotus) Temple

Step Five: Fellowship and Familiarity.

Mormons are all about being friendly.  They like to make friends.  You can use this to your advantage!  Krishna includes many festivals that all kinds of people enjoy!  

Make sure your face is a fun one.  More importantly, make sure your face is familiar!

Step Six: Be Resourceful– Use a Mormon 

This is the most important step.  You can validate everything about yourself if you just remember to Use a Mormon.  That's what inspired this Guide!


If you can follow the example of the Krishna site, you should.  

1. Mormons are all over.  Find someone's work and use it.
2. Brigham Young University makes it even better.  Try to use a professor, or at least a scholar from that school.

Good luck!!