A few words about the Metaverse Justice Watch

It does nothing to trivialize to understand that the big incidents which horrify are indeed tied to the small occasions which are evident in everyday casual conversations and encounters. To call attention to the small offenses is usually the only way most of us can combat racism. It takes strength of character to point out these incidents as the resulting backlash exhibited here is common.

Katy, I saw the first two incidents and was saddened; I left before seeing the pictures. I commend you for standing up. I didn't have it in me to take it on and just walked away. Racism is complex and insidious not for the big horrors but for the subtle ways it is woven into our everyday experience. I don't need the majority approval to know what was offensive and am unwilling to debate it; thanks for picking up my slack.

Sometimes it seems that society hasn't progressed as far as I believed. There were racial incidents in 3 suburbs in my rl community this week, one being a cross burning. I am aware that the incidents here were certainly minor in comparison. Whatever.

Here is one example, taken from the thread started by Editorial Hare "exposing" the MJW and the meeting with the Lindens. Sorry, I don't know how to make a link to the post, so I just copy/pasted the post here:

Yesterday, 05:58 AM #139
Weedy Herbst
Not defined within scope


Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: B. C., Canada
Posts: 758 Quote:
Originally Posted by Siggy Romulus
ALL YOUR CONCERNS ARE BELONG TO US! ... FOR GREAT JUSTICE!



I make new group. We stroke company and have happy ending. You like?

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Not the only example of pigdin English used to ridicule Anshe, nor the only one to imply things about her activities within SL, nor the only one to use a racial slur. If I had the energy to go looking for the others I would. Just keep going through the thread that this came from to find other shining examples of race/gender/language slurs against Anshe. Whether or not she has used her race/gender in the past to extract sympathy from others, this is clearly racist.

link: /120/e2/59836/6.html

Er... Sansarya, that's a reference to the infamous "ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US" meme that swept the Internet a while back. It's obviously not a reference to Anshe's ethnicity.

I suppose this falls inot the mind the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves. I find it odd the people who would say that the terms FIC and Tekki wikkiati were personal attacks , can justfiy racial steroptyping as mere political incorrectness.

No, actually I do not "get the drift."

A link to the posts, even edited by Jeska, would answer my question just as well as a direct quote.

Since you choose not to do that .. I will draw my own conclusions.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

First of all, Siggy's quote is IN NO WAY RACIST WHATSOEVER. It is a play on the phrase All Your Base Are Belong To Us, one of the most famous video game translation blunders. When Prokofy said I was cornering the snapshot market, and I posted "All your snapshots are belong to us", was I making some horrible racist slur against Prokofy? Give me a break.

The second one I will concur is mocking her speech pattern, and is in very poor taste. I would however suggest that you learn what a racial slur is before you throw the term around. Neither thing you list contains a racial slur of any kind.

DON'T DISS ME CRIS



I HAVE REAL STREET CRED ON THE PLANET I'M FROM

Keepin' it real since 26,038 C.E.

Source of Siggy's quote:



http://www.tbhccs.com/mother/all-your-base.html

huh? So mocking Anshe's speech pattern is in poor taste, but mocking the speech pattern of whomever translated 'all your base are belong to us' is ok.

Now I AM confused. Though I'm still undoubtedly racist, I'm sure

Oh that is classic Tor!
In more ways than one!

hahahaha!

I do know for a fact you have like a Deunan Knute fetish because she's like "exotic" and stuff.

I wish someone had told me when mockery and bad taste became equivalent to racism. I should probably get a lawyer.

Sorry, I don't buy that this is necessarily racist, although it is pidgin english and it did give me pause.

It is sometimes difficult to draw a line between justifiable satire and a possibly racist remark. To my mind, this is a good case. This could be a satirically-changed version of the famous send-up from the Stanley Kubrick movie Full Metal Jacket, the line just after the Vietnamese prostitute told the group of American soldiers, "Me fucky-sucky you long long time." In turn, these lines were satirical modifications of dialogue from a movie I mentioned previously in this thread, The World of Suzie Wong.

Given Anshe's background as a virtual sex instructor and the rumors that she may have been an escort, and given that her controversial behavior has always been imbued with a sense that she could be a deliberate caricature, the comment above can be construed as satire. Blatant, disturbing, on the edge, and rude, yes. But isn't that what satire often is?

Now we know why women should be seen and not heard.



Mockery and bad taste? Or sexism?

Mockery. I laughed.

oh, you noticed

BTW, I shouldnt really be seen talking to the likes of you, what with my racist tendencies and all.

Oh, and would everyone else mind disclosing their real life nationalities so I know who else I hate? Thanks

Aimee, I have only referred to the resort to the use of pigeon english and the posting of pictures intended to ridicule as racists acts. I never made any of the conclusions you draw. The posts were reported and I know the pigeon english ridicule was removed.

Does everyone who was here during the land baron hysteria really forget the horrible ridicule directed at Anshe in the past. I will never forget how I felt when I read post after post composed by seemingly intelligent people, written in pigeon english wiht pure glee at the fun they had with tormenting her.

I dont know Anshe very well, and you know what Aimee, I would not care if it was Anshe, or you, or even Nolan, if I saw an ethnic slur being delivered I will shout it out. Shout until its eradicated...and thank goodness there are people willing to step forward and stop bigotry.

Whether the casue is racial, sexual orientation, political association, religious, no matter how unpopular the actor or the belief, we all have the right to exist and to co-exist without having to suffer discrimination and bigotry.

I attended the meeting with the best of intentions to learn more about equal treatment in SL since that indeed is my PASSION in life. PASSION to which I have devoted my efforts since law school. I dont just talk it.. I live it.. and i do what I can to make it happen.

It now seems clear that thie group can not effectively function to achieve the good objectives they defined and there is no reason to be associated with it to accomplish the goals of even handed treatment that I have long advocated.

As a result, Jake Reitveld and I have decided to offer our skills and experience as advocates to help people in SL one on one to address such issues, without and group affiliation.

I maintain my beliefs no matter how unpopular or controversial. My shoulders are strong and I can carry the weight of insult and pressure from those who disagree.

Any member who has concerns related to a TOS/CS determination, especially as it relates to inequitable treatment, please IM either Jake Reitveld or me to set up a private confidentual appointment to discuss the matter.

Anything else?

Then I am defintely the lawyer for you.

Have you ever seen this site on the fine art of weird translations?

http://www.engrish.com/

The translation from the game is not being mocked and ridiculed - the phrase is incredibly popular because of the sheer silliness of it. That is quite different from purposely mocking how someone talks to try to hurt them. My mother, god love her, cannot say the letter Y, so she says "Jahoo" instead of "Yahoo". I also knew someone challenged by the letter "R", so he would call me "Cwis". I love both phrases and am not making fun of the people speaking that way by saying them.

Only if I can sue you for damages to my hurt feelings. $$CHA-CHING!$$

~shakes head disapprovingly~ Always puttin' the watermelon avatar down...

What does it take?


One time Francis Chung was explaining to me about something in scripting called a "race condition" between two bullets and I thought it was like a "racist condition".

Then it appears as though you have some things to talk to Prokofy about.

Racist!



Impedimentalist!

Mebbe there's a function in there that looks for targets with Chinese surnames?

Wow. And so this thread becomes an advertisement for a virtual law firm handling virtual defamation and discrimination cases.

Wow.

In all seriousness, and my sexist mokery aside. I think One important issue to remeber is how people feel about reading posts. We may not intend the results to be racist, and we may indeed expect that or words will be received with the same humor we intend.

But trust me, that is not always the case. Some comments, no matter how innocuos their intent, also carry with them a harmful interpretation. Part of the the reason for the TOS is to promote an environment where people can comment and feel safe for the retaliation of personal attacks. These forums are meant as aplace to debate issues. Sometimes we cannot always tell when someone is offended by the remarks. But there are some that we must accept could make someone uncomfortable.

When I posted my comment about women being seen and not heard, I aske myself, even after I posted it, did this go to far. I am not sure in these forums, parody of a person's mamnerisims or spelling is not a personal attack. I do know that Anshe Chung is chinese and is the subject of some controversry. BUt really if you want to debate anshe's sincerity stay with the issues and the facts.

I don't think Katykiwi was suggesting that everyone in the forums is a racist, I think her initial remarks were an analogy to the running out of certain members. Anshe has come under attack before for her business practices. But paraodying her accent or her positng style, even if there are disticntions, is an attack.

And frankly I think everyones personal attricutes should be safe from mockery and bad taste in these forums. If you don't like anshe because she is spearheading the new FIC and you are an entrenched member of the old FIC, then by all means have at her assertion that she is aout to protect the causal player and level the playing field.

But making fun of her grammer, or her racial background, even if it is not racism, is jsut mean.