Showing posts with label reader submissions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reader submissions. Show all posts
Age verification in SL and the new 'ADULT' rules
"First, they came for the communists, but I didn’t object, I wasn’t a communist. They came for the Socialists, and I didn’t object, because I wasn’t a Socialist. They came for the Labour Leaders, and I didn’t object, because I wasn’t a Labour Leader. They came for the Jews, and I didn’t object, because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to object"(Pastor Martin Niemoller)
First things first. I implore ALL readers of the SL newspaper to search for Bixyl Shuftan’s excellent work (opens in new window) on the topic of age-verification in this very paper, and to read it carefully and digest fully.
Then I ask all readers of this paper to get the word out to their online friends about the matter, to point them in the direction of this paper, and urge them to join Xantarius Cain’s “Revolting Adults” group (it’s free) to register their objections to age-verification. Assuming the protests match my online times, you will see me on the picket lines.
Ladies and gentlemen, six weeks after my previous piece on the ill-thought process of age-verification, I’m back. While it has been hugely tempting to contribute other pieces to this paper on a variety of issues relating to SL, I have resisted, spending the time wandering the sims of SL with a view to a follow up article on how, exactly, it might affect my -and your- Second Life.
Until this week it all seemed rather much of a storm-in-a-teacup because, despite my best efforts, I had only discovered one sim from which I was denied access on the grounds of it requiring age-verification. My best efforts to be denied entry to orgy theatres, BDSM sims, freelance escort clubs and so on all failed, and my febrile imagination eventually gave up on trying to find “adult” sims from which to be turned away.
However, that changed this week, and I’m angry. Now, to quote from Pastor Niemoller’s poem, they ARE coming for me.
Your correspondent is a keen naturist/nudist, in real life as well as in SL, and likes nothing better than a week soaking up the sun in Spain or Croatia without swimming trunks on. Part of the appeal of SL was the chance to indulge, virtually, in long dark winter months and dream of the next naturist holiday planned. Not all SL naturists are the RL variant, but along the way I have met and enjoyed conversations with RL naturists with whom I’d share experiences, tips on good restaurants and so on, and for me it appeared to be an example of SL at its very best -a social networking facility from which valuable knowledge could be utilised back in RL.
This week, rather sadly, came the news that Manatee Naturists is to close, although I’m not altogether certain that this is related to age-verification, but rather the result of dwindling numbers. It’s a shame. Back in those dark winter months, as a newbie, I was able to log in and share a little while with fellow naturists, dancing naked in the sun with people who have become firm SL friends, and with whom I converse regularly.
Sex? Well, no. We danced naked in the sun and discussed the global economic crisis, pretty much a replication of interaction at a RL place, where the nudity is incidental rather than central.
This week comes notice that another naturist sim, Sunset Cove, is going to opt for the adult route, their group notice suggesting that it might be best to do so now because Linden Labs will charge for this in the future. This is where they DO come for me. This is where the time comes to add my voice to the “Revolting Adults” group and object any which way I can.
Readers are advised to read Firehorse Rearwind’s article (opens in new window), also in this paper, on the topic. I paraphrase:
“You can’t wander through a pg shopping mall with your xcite bits swinging, although as a European I have to wonder why anyone would be offended by nudity”.
Well said, that man.
There are global cultural differences, and Linden Labs broad-brushstroke approach takes little account of it. As another European, I have to say that it’s sometimes rather more surprising to see a bikini top on a beach in RL, such is the widespread acceptance and toleration of bared female breasts (and in front of children and adolescent boys, too!) To us, it’s normal behaviour. Now, do I invite one of my SL female friends to join me on one of SL’s many beaches, and chat away on a variety of subjects while she sunbathes topless? How can a beach sim possibly designate itself to mature or adult in such circumstances? How can Linden (or sim owners) even make it workable? Oh, I forgot: they’re based in a country where Janet Jackson’s nipple caused more public comment and outrage than the rather more disturbing pornography of violence, usually referred to as “the news”. Pictures of dead Iraqi’s=OK. Janet Jackson’s tit=a scandal.
As Bixyl points out in his questioning of Blondin Linden, pony players have succeeded in having their roleplay removed from the filter system because they argued that there doesn’t have to be anything sexual about pony play. Here’s some news for you, Blondin, neither does naturism, either in RL or SL. One excellent naturist sim, Harbour Village, perhaps reflects RL naturism more accurately than anywhere else in SL. Not a single sex poseball exists on the sim, just as you’re not likely to see any acts of intercourse on a RL naturist beach. But according to Linden Lab’s rules, Harbour Village should be adult.
What a bunch of mixed, confused, “make it up as we go along” messages we’re getting from Linden Labs. Slavery and whip marks, in the context of a Gor sim, may be OK? But the naked human form is not. Combat zones, guns, grenades and such like are OK? But female breasts (or the genitalia of either sex) are not.
Pony players may be satisfied, for now, at their exclusion from adult filtration but, mark my words, and those of Pastor Niemoller, Linden Labs will be coming for them shortly.
Despite my European identity, which renders many of the elements of age-verification useless, I could attempt to age-verify in an instant. But I won’t. I may, perhaps, just take to wandering the malls of SL with my xcite bits swinging, until the Linden Labs Nazis come for me, too.
Submitted by Howie Lamilton
The notices are going up!
Age-verification in SL apparently beckons, in early May. And, my, but the natives appear to be restless, as a quick shimmy through blogs and out-of world websites demonstrates. Of course, much of this comment is mere speculation. Truthfully, no one -perhaps even Linden Labs themselves- seems to be entirely clear as to what age verification really means, in terms of access to sims, and more importantly, how it’s going to be implemented and retain the confidence of users. It would appear a policy of “suck it and see” seems to be the best way to describe the entire policy: Linden Labs will introduce it and then see how or if it works and tinker endlessly thereafter. I have spoken to people who believe that age verification is going to be necessary for “mature” sims, which means about 99% of all sims. One person I spoke to was under the impression that any form of “nudity” would require users of sims to be age-verified. This meant that freebie shops showing skins for sale would even fall into that category. From what I can gather, this is not going to be the case (although, as with every element of the entire age-verification thing, no one can really be sure how it will manifest itself). Linden Labs are, apparently, going to introduce a new ‘Adult’ category, above and beyond ‘Mature’. Although I cannot be entirely certain, I’m guessing that ‘Mature’ will include, for example, nude beaches (and freebie shops), while “Adult” may include orgy venues and BDSM sims.
However it eventually shakes down, it all seems a little ill-planned. We know that minors are barred from the grown-up version of SL, yet this demand for age-verification seems designed, in part, for the purpose of protecting minors from potential predatory paedophiles. There can be no complaints, from anyone, on this issue. It is right, it is good, and it is important that minors (who shouldn’t be there in the first instance) are still afforded as much protection as they can be afforded, even if they are contravening the terms and conditions of use by logging into the grown up version of SL.
What I’m less enamoured with is that age-verification seems like a sop to ‘outside forces’, self-styled moral guardians, making demands that SL cleans up its act. While protecting minors is vital, demanding that SL conforms to some code of morality defined by others is most definitely not acceptable to most users. People use SL to create their fantasy life and fulfil their dreams, a fact borne out in the way that most people are virtually siliconing, botoxing, and working-out their avatars to make it the land of the beautiful people.
If they wish to create the cantilevered breasts or impressively proportioned genitalia they lack in RL, what’s the harm? It is escapism. It is a dream. It is fantasy, and it is entertaining relaxation time.
Chaining a submissive girl to some instrument of torture and gang-raping her is not my idea of fun but, hey, if that’s the fantasy of consenting adults who can fulfil a fantasy/dream (albeit with cartoon characters), then it is not for me to judge. Personally, I find the entire thing incomprehensible, but I’m not going to judge the morality or fantasy of others. I cannot accept that, and neither should you. It is vitally important that users make it clear to Linden Labs we all understand and accept the need to protect minors (who shouldn’t be using the grid anyway) but we will not stand for interference from a self-styled morality police.
And that brings us back to the age-verification issue. How do we ensure the matter of being confident that there are only “consenting adults” involved? Why have Linden Labs embraced this ridiculous third party age verification system when a global standard -the purchase of internet hard-core porn included- would be a credit card?
On that issue, I need to make it clear I am a European user, so the matter of social security numbers aren’t really applicable to me. But I am led to believe that giving your social security number to a third party is actually an offence in some states (of the US).
My “data” has previously been verified by my credit card company. My use of that card creates an audit trail. My purchases, of whatever and wherever, are traceable. Is there really any need to adopt any other sort of system? What are the benefits of Linden Labs chosen method of age-verifying, over that of the credit card system? The fact that a street-wise kid can probably borrow Dad’s credit card. Yeah, but will the same street-wise kid not borrow Dad’s social security or passport number?
The person fulminating over the fact that “nudity” demanded age-verification brought up the matter of “cultural differences” in what is judged to be acceptable and unacceptable. “I can go to a beach in France where topless women are my expectation and norm”, said SL resident Jimmy Humbridge, “but that is not the case on US beaches, by and large”. While Jimmy’s fears appear at this stage to be unfounded, it does raise the issue of local cultural acceptability. Could someone, for example, rezz some poseballs that replicate a woman being stoned to death or a man flogged, things that do happen in real life and are understood to be part of the justice system? It’s a horrible idea, to the overwhelming majority of western SL users, but possibly unworthy of comment by some other SL users.
The real world is diverse. There are many elements of it we embrace or deplore, but we implicitly understand (or should understand) that it is impossible to impose our values on others. Their reality is their reality, and ours is ours. I do not wish to be judged on my views to nudity within SL anymore than I wish to judge others views on submissive females or instruments of torture.
In the end, the age-verification issue is fraught with dangers from a lack of a clear indication of what it entails. At this stage it would seem that users should desist from age-verifying until the nuts and bolts of the matter becomes much, much clearer.
Submitted by Howie LamiltonSanity, Not Sanitation
by Deltango Vale
“[We] cannot play the role of arbitrating personal grievances or defining behavioral standards. This is particularly important as Linden Lab becomes more international. We don’t want to force a California-centric set of rules on the virtual world.” - Linden Lab, December 2006 Linden Lab seems to have got its knickers in a twist regarding sexuality in Second Life. While seeking to improve the ‘user experience’ by segregating residents based on their sexual preferences, LL’s proposed policy changes have instead opened Pandora’s Box. The blogs and forums groan under the weight of hair-splitting detail concerning the best method of classifying sexuality within Second Life, but Linden Lab asked the wrong question.
Background:
The establishment of anonymous accounts in June 2006 opened the doors to underage players. This resulted in international legal scrutiny, increased exposure to legal liability and damaging media coverage. Linden Lab responded by intruding into residents’ sexual relationships and expelling two consenting adults for underage roleplay - even though no underage players were involved. Refusal to close the anonymous accounts and dogged insistence on an ineffective and unsound ID-based age verification system cost Linden Lab considerable political capital with no benefit.
Many of us who came into SL in 2006 (and brought money with us) were horrified by the policy changes of 2007. The deal was that LL would provide a basic property rights structure and act solely as a referee in property disputes. We sighed with relief when LL reassured us that they had no intention of applying overarching codes of morality on the community. I also vividly recall LL announcing that we there would be no change in gambling policy. Then came 2007 and bitter disappointment. All the reassurances given only weeks before were abandoned as Linden Lab slammed the gearshift into reverse. For thousands of people, the trust and faith they had in Linden Lab was badly damaged.
During 2008, the company’s reputation slowly began to recover. Yes, the openspace pricing model was flawed and, yes, there was a second round of mainland supply problems, but at least LL were not bungling policy anymore. The micro-parcel issue was resolved within reason. LL seemed to be developing the ability to handle complex issues...then bang! We are back to square one with a crude policy on social behavior.
The Right Question:
The right question, then, is a) how best to prevent underage players from mingling with adults and b) how best to zone the mainland in a tolerant and efficient manner? Needless to say, eliminating anonymous accounts solves the first part of the problem. Instead of creating a complicated system of filters to prevent kids accessing adult content, keep them out of SL altogether.
As for the second part, when constructing the mainland, Linden Lab established a patchwork of Mature and PG sims such that a loud BDSM club can open next to a quiet, residential home. The introduction of a third sim type, ‘Adult’, though badly named (all SL is adult by definition) - let us call it ‘Xtreme’ instead - makes sense. Constructing an ‘Xtreme’ continent and allowing residents to migrate there - at their own choosing, at their own pace - also makes sense. It may take a year or two, but I believe most ‘Xtreme’ players will prefer to be free of the moral harassment they receive from PG residents.
The New Problem:
As has been known since the dawn of time - articulated again recently by the US Supreme Court - one man’s obscenity is another man’s beauty. To attempt to codify the wide range of human social norms into a regulatory system is counterproductive. At best, it will generate high monitoring and enforcement costs; at worst, it will lead to confusion and conflict within the SL community.
Context and Perspective:
1. Second Life is virtual, voluntary and adult
Seeking to apply RL standards to a virtual world is silly. There is no safer place on Earth than the privacy of your RL home. It is voluntary in that one must sign up for an account and it is adult in that everyone in SL is an adult (or should be). That means one has passed through puberty, has learned to relate to people and become responsible for one’s decisions - including the decision to be in a virtual world with other adults. As an adult, one recognizes and accepts that people have different styles and tastes and that rudeness or harassment should not be confused with sexuality.
2. Creativity needs variety, complexity and synergy
Second Life is unique in catering to a broad, international population of adults. Because of its richness and diversity, SL attracts a wide range of entrepreneurs who provide a wide range of services to a wide range of residents. The organic nature of this mix is itself creative. The functionality of a BDSM collar may benefit another entrepreneur making improvements to a ‘PG’ hugger; Gorean silks may generate new ideas in traditional fashion design; techniques learned to make vampire animations are transferable to dance animations. As for ‘deviant’ behavior, Penicillin was the result of dirty dishes. Post-It notes were a mistake. Lord Byron was a scoundrel. Virginia Woolf was a manic-depressive. Alan Turing was a homosexual. History is littered with the corpses of the brilliant heretics.
The founders of Second Life understood this. They recognized the organic nature of the IT industry and that ‘creative destruction’ had to be embraced rather than shunned. They were amazed by the fall of IBM and inspired by the Burning Man festival in the desert of Nevada. They built Second Life - against all the odds - and it was hugely successful. Sadly, in 2007, the regulators, lawyers and bureaucrats arrived. All this organic stuff had to go, they said. The time had come to strip away risk and uncertainty, to seek the lowest common denominator and penetrate the mass market. I summarized the spirit of this new direction in my profile: “In the name of safety and security and to protect residents from themselves, all activities requiring intelligence and maturity will be banned.”
3. Don’t micromanage the rainforest
Getting rid of snakes may seem like a good idea, but they play a vital role in the natural ecology/economy. Without the snakes, there are too many rodents. Importing hawks to solve the rodent problem disrupts other birds, causing a new problem. Soon, like a vast cascade of dominoes, the whole ecosystem goes out of balance. Hiring 1000 managers and forming new committees to provide more control only makes things worse. In an ever-descending spiral, the managers scramble to repair the ever-increasing damage until the rainforest is finally paved in concrete. Problem solved.
Conclusion:
While my criticisms may seem harsh, I feel it imperative to warn Linden Lab of the long-term consequences of ‘cleaning up’ Second Life. Yes, improvements can be made in the property rights structure to enable residents greater privacy and control - I am very much in favor of this - but Linden Lab does not seem to realize that the lowest common denominator is poison for any creative enterprise.
I implore Linden Lab to note the howls of protest against this new policy drowning out those voices raised surreptitiously beforehand in its favor. Please reflect on the nature of the world you have created - that became a wonder before you began meddling with it. Please remember that Second Life is virtual, voluntary and adult and understand that Disneyfication will buy you at best a temporary advantage before the whole edifice slides gently into banality.
Reader Submission - I was thinking of getting an Island...............
The truth of it is I lost my island which would I still be there if the person I went in on the island hadn't completely ripped me off.
I posted on the Second Life Forum which has had good and bad comments. I was not asking for either. I just was looking at it as a place to vent my frustration with the whole ordeal because even not one Linden would look into this which is really Internet fraud.......................
Read on in the PEOPLE section
Official Playboy Demise in SL
I have been an observer of the Playboy brand in sl for more that a year now. I have been fascinated with how and why companies choose to have a SL component for exposure, sales and increased visibility throughout the SL world. The contract (which btw) was the only official island of Playboy. Many others paid a license fee to use the name within SL.
Th
ere is much written on the rise of the brand within SL and now like many brands, the license was pulled from MSgiro Grosso and we see another brand disappear from SL sight.The Playboy island enjoyed success with broken records for their parties and events. My impression when I first attended was just another strip club feeding off the Playboy brand. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was not a strip club. The bunnies were professional and brought great fun to the events and boosted the numbers by sheer entertainment. It became a place people wanted to be and be seen.
This run is due in my opinion to the managers and bunnies that worked tirelessly to promote the island and the brand in a way that was not only classy and upbeat but by continuing to find new ways to entertain the Playboy VIP's.
Watching the group grow leaps and bounds was evidence that they were doing something right. It was also my impression that there was little or no exposure to the man who claimed to have brought Playboy to SL, Mr. Grosso. I personally have never seen him on the island or heard of him until I investigated in the record of owner.
I returned one day to find that the managers had turned over .. two quit and one was fired. The subsequent team that took over began to model the brand after other clubs in SL. Nudity was allowed and encouraged. It began to resemble a strip club in most aspects of operations. The classic bunny uniform was now transformed to resemble those seen in adult entertainment venues.
The numbers dropped and it appeared that many stimulus pushes were tried in an effort to bolster the numbers to the island. It would appear that at some point , staff was advised that they would not be paid as they had been. They were expected to work for tips, which in sl can still be lucrative if the numbers are maintained.
New content failed to rouse the crowds they had enjoyed under the previous management. Mr. Grosso lost the contract and now we see a spiral to the end. I have just received notice from another VIP that states ...Playboy Island will be closing on December 31st.. another valuable brand bites the dust in sl...
playboy observer
COGS in the VAT Machine, by Deltango Vale
As an American living in Europe and, more importantly, as a resident of Second Life since 2006, I have become increasingly concerned by the apparent lack of strategic vision on the part of Linden Lab. At the beginning of 2008, I wrote ‘An Assessment of Second Life’ in which I said:“Philip Rosedale and the Board of Directors are highly skilled engineers with little or no knowledge of economics, economic history, strategic planning or customer relations. As Second Life grows from a technological startup to a mature business, they are out of their depth. They are making serious mistakes. They are destroying the wealth and confidence of the entrepreneurial class who risked enormous time and money to build Second Life in the first place.”
In May, Mark Kingdon replaced Philip Rosedale as CEO. In July, he gave us his second-month ‘State of the Union Address’. His first major policy review concerns VAT. This is an important issue because it not only affects European entrepreneurs (landowners and content creators), but LL’s solution to this problem will tell us much about the new executive team and the future of SL’s social, economic and commercial environment.
Let me put VAT in context. Linden Lab is no longer a software startup or even a service provider. Linden Lab’s product, Second Life, is more akin to a national economy than a game or social network. The closest historical parallel would be the Virginia Companies of London and Plymouth (1606) whereby the success of the Virginia Company of London depended on the success of Jamestown (1607). Yet this description too is limited. Linden Lab has created the world’s largest realtime, transnational, free-market community.
VAT is a sales tax levied by the European Union on goods and services, passing through the value chain like a bad penny to the final consumer. To the best of my knowledge, Linden Lab got itself into this mess by opening an office in Brighton, England, thereby gaining a physical presence in the EU, thereby acquiring a legal presence in the EU. The most efficient solution to the VAT problem, therefore, would be to close the Brighton office.Presuming that LL cannot now extricate itself from the EU Tar Baby - even by closing the Brighton office - how should the VAT problem be resolved? Here is what Zee Linden has to say, “Our business in Europe has quadrupled each year since 2004 and already it has more than quadrupled in 2007 through September. As a result, we can no longer afford to absorb these costs for European Residents.”
Yet the conclusion does not follow from the premise. In terms of propositional logic, Zee’s argument is incomplete. In fact, I could draw the opposite conclusion: that as a result of its enormous success in the European market, Linden Lab can afford to absorb VAT - and do so without detriment to non-EU residents. Let’s take a closer look.
COGS (Cost of Goods Sold) is a cost that varies with sales. The simplest way to think of it is the cost of hiring more salesmen or designers when your business grows. Alternatively, think of the cost of electricity for a restaurant. The more customers you have, the more food you cook, the more electricity you use, the higher your electricity bill. Needless to say, it would be stupid to turn away customers in order to save on electricity. You need to measure costs against revenues.
Gross Margin = Gross Revenue - COGS.
By absorbing VAT, Linden Lab would face an increase in COGS. In addition, Linden Lab would face a surcharge on existing European revenues. At the same time, passing VAT onto European entrepreneurs reduces Gross Revenue because 1) existing European entrepreneurs withdraw their financial and human capital from SL, 2) potential European entrepreneurs decide against investing in SL and 3) the reduction of European participation undermines the Network Effect (a term used by economists to describe increasing marginal returns).
In other words, passing VAT onto European residents is not ‘free’. While absorbing VAT reduces Gross Margin, passing it on reduces Gross Revenue. I maintain that absorbing VAT is the lesser cost - especially in the long term. I believe that by passing it on, Linden Lab is turning away customers to save on electricity.
Imparting VAT is akin to charging European customers higher fees based on higher European electricity costs. Such ‘discriminatory pricing’ would make sense if customers and commodities were encapsulated in geographic areas (cars or restaurants in Tokyo versus Paris), but it does not make sense in a realtime, transnational market such as Second Life.
Here is the problem. For a player in Arkansas, the price of a new island is $1000 + $295 per month tier; for a player in Aberdeen, the cost is $1175 + $347 per month. Multiply the difference by 50 sims and it is obvious that no European will create a continent such as Dreamland, Caledon or Paradise dAlliez. Yet, it isn’t just the big players who get hurt. I watched a neighbor’s half-sim mainland store go to the wall the day VAT appeared on her bill.
There is more to it than just money. The once-harmonious relationship between Americans and Europeans has come under tremendous stress as a result of Linden Lab’s current practice of discriminatory pricing. The issue has run like an open sore for months as European entrepreneurs bled out of the game to the catcalls of their American brethren. If SL is to be an American game, no problem, but unless LL reverses its policy of discriminatory pricing, it’s nonsense to pretend Second Life will become a ‘global village’ in the face of massive regional disincentives.
Discriminatory pricing balkanizes the SL community and distorts the transnational market. It creates a set of inworld social and economic conditions that undermine the current and future revenue stream of the company. The result is not the healthy competition of the free market or Olympic Games, but the pernicious business of economic nationalism. A restaurant that turns away customers to save electricity is bad enough, but one that does so by setting higher menu prices for Europeans is unlikely to remain convivial.
Deltango Vale
Do have a story to tell?
Most of our readers don't know that we love to hear from them!Of course you can always comment under articles that appear, but what if you have a story you think should be told?
How about news we haven't got to hear about that could affect other readers?
Do you have a strong opinion about something happening in Secondlife? Or another side to a recent article?
Maybe you have discovered a better way of doing things or a wonderful new gadget that could help hundreds of players if only they knew about it?
We are always willing to listen, send me a letter and we could publish it in an appropriate section.
Try to keep it short and to the point and include an image in jpeg format.
You never know you could be reading your story here next week!
Email me at dana.vanmoer(at)gmail.com
Time to speak out for one Furry
Dear Second Life,What did you think when you started this game? Did you think it was gonna be better? Did you think the world wasn't as easy to deal with on the outside as it should be in here?
Did you think that Second Life was all about sitting back and enjoying yourselves and waving any sort of concern for common decency or culture or sense of dignity out of your lives.
You can complain about the sex, the lewdness of it, too many people running around trying to make themselves the ideal image of what everybody else in the world thinks is perfect.
Then you have a group, a group of people who has their focus on what they wish, what they really wish they could be, because most times it makes you feel like you are little bit closer to normal.
You have all the traits of the cat or dog laying right next to you now, but you add some and make it just a little closer to humanity. It's not a hard concept really, we're like hippies with fur and not as dirty...most times.
Our concern isn't so much our hair or shoes, it's just the general idea that humans could be better if they took some tips from our animal counterparts.
I was going to write about the issue of the pageant, my anger, insecurity, outrage, but that isn't me, I am a happy kitty and I don't need to publicly bash anyone to make a statement.
That's what words are for, you know the ones you use to actually say something?
It isn't so much an issue of not liking to be told what to do, I could be stubborn and bullheaded until the end and you still probably wouldn't listen.
It's the issue that some of you are still treating your fellow man, wolf, cat, bunny, like the things you don't like to see in the world outside your computer.
I really couldn't care less about how much sex you have or the eighteen times you've been partnered. And I am not saying that your 'I don't give a ****' attitude isn't understandable, but if millions of people can march for a cause in a country and it's totally degrading to holler out certain words in public, why is it ok in a world that you think is supposed to be an escape?
I have heard people say furries are sissies, they don't fight back, I have also heard furries are aggressive (shame on you for that). 'Furries' is a word, you like it? It's just a word, but if you start to pick out traits, flaws, pieces of people and tell them to hide those away to fit your image of what the world is supposed to be like, then you start taking away equal rights. That is the issue here.
You can call me whatever you feel like, but I am NOT crawling under the table and letting you tell me that just because I won't remove my attachments I can't be like you.
I know I will still be furry inside and that is all well and good, but maybe I want to be furry outside too. I was furry when I wasn't in this game, I went to conventions, I have done things that make me seem weird to you. I am fine with being weird, being comfortable with myself it is half the reason I am who I am and it's about **** time you become a bit more comfortable with who we are as well.
Speak out people, this is a whole new world, huge, new possibilities, things you haven't even had the time to center your minds around.
Grab it, make a difference be someone. Peace and equality should be available to everyone, no matter what side of the grid you're on.
Cheetah X
Travel Log—Aroha Tahi
Find out more in our EXPLORE section
EXTRA EXTRA read all about it!
Our new section has been launched - here we will put all those reader submitted stories and things of interest that don't fit in anywhere else!
Click the banner below to read another great reader submission from Bixyl or find the EXTRA EXTRA button on the left below NEWS
Click the banner below to read another great reader submission from Bixyl or find the EXTRA EXTRA button on the left below NEWS
Two new reader Submitted stories for you to read
In the first story Bixyl tells us :My second story had something of a somber beginning. It was Tuesday, September 11, the sixth year anniversary of that dreadful day. In SL, I stopped by a memorial to pay my respects. I was going to teleport out for the evening, but recalled a recreation of the Twin Towers next to the "New York City Block" area. So I teleported there to see if there was any memorial there, and landed in the middle of a conversation between two ladies, "Hey, there's a fox on your head." ;-) ..................................
The second of our reader submissions comes from Ravena:
Everyone likes a good news story in real life or second life and i wish to present one now.
It concerns two people in second life who have defied the odds and been together for nearly a year and married or partnered in second life for seven months....................................
Click PEOPLE on the left to read these fascinating insights into SL or click any of the images
Find out how to get your story in our paper HERE
Second Life... A peaceful society ?
Being a first time Second Life user, the first couple of days inside where great... Maybe even beyond great ! But as with all social interaction(which is going around a lot in SL ;-), I was bound to learn fast........................Reader Submission
Usually when you see something with antlers on the hood of a truck, it's usually strapped down, not dancing on it.Bixyl
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)