When its seriously time to unplug your computer

It was recently brought to my attention that some 3rd party website is promoting a boycott of merchants that have ever had an advertisment in which a cigarette was used. Last time I checked .. your avatar can't get cancer..thats one of the cool things about a virtual reality. I mean this is an adult game.. its not even promoting cigarettes to minors. Its an avatar with a cigarette. ( Mine was not even scripted with smoke so I can SERIOUSLY say no other avatars were harmed with second hand smoke during the making of the ad. LOL) Am I missing something here? I mean this is about as rational as launching a safe sex campaign amongst avatars that practice virtual diddling without prim condoms. Its a MOOT point.. avatars cant get STDs!! Unless of course you want them to have them.. by all means buy an open sore infested skin.. I dont mind. If a large amount of the population is finding advertisments that show things like cigarettes offensive.. Id really be curious to know, or if you think this is just plain silly I'd like to know that too.


PS - I dont smoke in RL.. I think its icky, but I dont judge people that do.

What, a boycott based on *Second Life* advertisements?

You can mention the URL if it's a third-party site, that's okay....

Eh, it is a bit silly, but it's valid psychologically. When something is allowed in one context, it will tend to bleed into others. I'd be more worried if minors were allowed on the main grid. There are minors on the main grid, but virtual smoking is the least of their risks for corruption .

haha, i bet im on the list!

Put me on the list for using a full figured woman too, it might make women who arent size 0 comfortable with their bodys.

I don't smoke cigarettes in any of my adverts, but I do take smack heroin. Will that get me boycotted?

Call me a freak and get me into therapy, but the sight of a virtual cigarette disgusts me as much as a real one
Seriously. I feel nauseous just thinking about the damn things.

I'll only boycott you if you buy FATPACKS of Cigarettes! HAHA

Sorry, I was pointed to the same thing earlier, just coulnd't resist. <3

Smoking in RL - EWW, just don't understand it myself, but don't judge (too harshly) those that do, as long as they don't blow smoke around me or my daughter, i'm happy for them to do what they want!

Smoking in SL - EWW, but really, boycotting designers because of it? ooooooooooook then.

The concern is that exposure to such things in-world can be exported to the real world.

While many of us know how to separate SL from RL. Some might bring the extreme freedoms that SL has and replicate it in reality, smoking included.

As far as influence goes, an image inside SL is no different from an image in a magazine or on a website. The image still reaches real eyes.

Seeing smoking is no big deal to me but I can see why they are concerned.

What third-party site is this?

coco

Six.. you evil wench!!! Because of you I ran right out and bought a pack of smokes and started a bad habbit! I also pierced everything I could on my face and colored my hair pink!!! How could your advertising promote such things and enflunce my RL so much?!!! Dang you!!!!

OMG.. get me a SL lawyer.. I want to sue!!!



hehe *hugs*

Those people have greater problems then avatar smoking. Really.

As far as posing the link to that third party site , I think someone else should do it .. I nominate Willow!! ( LOL) Id feel so dirty doing that seeing as though Im not the only person on the BOYCOTT these people list Yeah about the whole sl smoking thing, Im not one that walks around with a cig in sl either .. Out of about 500 hair ads I had ONE in which I featured a cig as a prop so to be labled as some cancer peddler feels so rediculous to me. And I understand if some people are offended and Im not belittling the fact that it makes you nauseated to see a picture of a cigarette or any of that. Thats a whole different issue and I respect your feelings on that. I just meant that stirring up a boycott over something so trivial , might lead some to feel that you need step back.. walk away slowly from the computer .. look around you .. for several minutes even .. and take the the time to notice the subtle differences between real life and Second life. Maybe focus some of that energy in a RL anti-smoking campaign or somewhere it would actually matter?

Oh geesh, I've go to see this site, someone PM me with it lol.

Oh come on, don't tease us. Teasing means you're a bad role model and you'll have to be omg boycotted. What if little kids grew up thinking teasing was okay?

*rolls her eyes* Okay... call me insane (I am, honestly!) In RL both my parents smoked, but I don't and never will. I guess all those years of the adults telling me that since both my parents smoked I was GONNA smoke made my mind up to tell 'em to sit n' spin.

Am I gonna boycott a store that has smoking in it's ingame ad? *snickers* Only when the in game smoke starts stinging my RL eyes and nose, otherwise, I can tell virtual from reality! Now, if I could just quit trying to figure out how many prims it'd take to replicate my desk in game....

Eyes that are (or at least are supposed to be) in the heads of legal adults who can make their own decisions. I could see an argument against virtual cigs for Teen grid ads, where the audience is (or, again, supposed to be) not yet to legal adulthood, but the main grid? Pfft.

Please post the URL. I want to visit each of those stores that are being boycotted and buy something from them in support of freedom.

-Ghoti

LOL don't look at me, if you want it PM me or IM me, if I post it I might get picked on

Oh wait, i'm an inventory bloater anyway!, What the hey...

I'd like a pancake please.

Yeah, but a sexy hawt inventory bloater

Must have been taken down. I can't find it on there.

coco

Its in the new prodcuts bit, about 2/3rd's of the way down. You need to read a bit to get there.

You know its funny I don't smoke in RL either. The only reason my AV smokes sometimes is cos you don't get cancer from it in SL & for whatever reason I wanted to.
My AV likes it. but try knocking some sence into HER.. tsk tsk.

I can understand boycotting real life advertising that support smoking cos young kids think its cool. Then I'd also like to boycott places that advertise by sexualy objectifying 12 year old girls to sell clothes & shoes. this isn't sarcasm if you can find a way to stop all the negative things that advertising causes i'm on that.

I saw that "3rd party website" I laughed & I closed it.
It's so absured I don't even give it any attention.

But since six directed my attention to this post & is so eager on the subject.. here's what I think:
SL is for adults. this isn't the teen grid. So no one is supposed to see that & go buy a cigarette. Your SUPPOSED To be old enough to know better past 18.
& If anyone is seeing stuff in SL & is going to mimic them in Real Life.. I'd throw in slavery & prostitution as stuff to watch out for as well. oh yeah - and trying to fly.

Nor can I.

I look at smoking as a natural evolutionary function. It culls out the less intelligent and therefore improves the overall gene pool.