What, if anything, is sex in SL?

Colette, I have argued vehemently against those who have dismissed cyber as unimportant or silly.

Do a forum search on av sex and you will find that I am loud and clear in condemning those who think that way. I participated in several ridiculous threads wherein people were called "losers with no real life", "losers who can't get any in real life", and the like, because they engage in cyber or "av sex". I have done this myself. I dated someone from TSO in RL for 2 years, and we used the telephone and the game when we were apart, when she was off interning in foreign countries. Then, I dated someone both RL and SL for 1.5 years, and we also did this, between trips to spend time with each other. It's a valuable, legitimate outlet during times when partners are seperated by distance. I still don't think it constitutes a sex act between two people. I think it constitutes mental and emotional closeness which sometimes is culminated in masturbation, and that is why I do not define it as a physical sex act involving two human bodies which are touching each other.

I think you may be attributing my very literal stance on what constitutes a sex act between two human beings as a condemnation of people who do this. As I am one who has, this couldn't be further from the truth, if that is what you are thinking.

I apologize Nolan - After my comment on WE and dramas none of my post was meant in retort to you. Was for the general thread.

I will edit it to make that more clear.

And I apologize as well, and will think twice before using analogies of that nature in the future. Clearly, it offends some people, and regardless of whether or not I think it should, it does. Therefore, I will refrain. Please understand that it was employed to illustrate why I personally believe that "cyber" and "av sex" do not constitute a sex act. It wasn't meant to offend, and I am sorry that it did.

Here is my reasoning for waxing semantic:

This thread was spun off of another thread which was predicated on the belief that "Escort" always equals cyber. While I am sure that many times it does, we have no way of knowing that this is true all of the time, therefore, I think that it is unwise to initiate a campaign to disallow escort services to be advertised in the classifieds. There are a whole host of things that are advertised, such as weapons, that could be used to break the ToS, so I see the call to remove escort service ads as a very slippery slope, unless it is stated in no uncertain terms that it will involve interactions of an erotic nature.

Yes, we do - and the classifieds forum was not the appropriate place for you to grandstand on your opinion about escort advertising.

When you have an "overwhelming voice of opinion in the matter", then I may agree with your concerns. I think it's quite clear, that while most people think that escort = sex, that most people also disagree with your stance with regard to removing escort ads.

Perhaps you should have polled us on whether or not escort ads should be allowed.

Instead, you tried to reinforce your argument that escort ads should be removed by employing poll trickery, by making the poll you did, and then pointing out "look, most people agree with me that escort = sex, therefore it should be disallowed." What we don't know, and what is significantly more important, is whether or not the majority believes that such ads should be disallowed.

Too bad Lindens can't just snip a thread from a certain point and relocate the rest, eh?

I don't need to. It's against advertising rules.

If you would like the rules changed, then you can do the poll.

Guys, girls, miscellaneous...
The truth here is very simple, you watch an animated character, human, non-human, mammal, vegetable or rock doing the usual humping, rocking associated with mating and sexuality, then your mind simply works the answer.

It is sex.

But the important thing here is not what you see, but what you describe with your text, you simply let yourself go and enjoy the fruits of your "skill" at typing; and at the same time you enjoy a nice animation that adds value and content to the moment.

Can be casual, can be loving, can be raunchy or passionate...
Can be forced, can be playful, can be hard or soft...

Again, it matters not, no matter the moment, the action is the same, and if one gets aroused by the sight and text typed in, then great, you are primed up for whatever comes next either for RL or for SL.

Don't take it too seriously though, and if you do, remember that SL is not RL.

Who knows?
Maybe someone, somewhere liked what he/she saw and did, and then they meet in RL and found they liked it there too.

Not sure I follow you.

A poll is not advertising unless you're trying to sell something.

Asking people if they think escort ads are a no-no or not, isn't advertising as far I can tell.

I do believe he was saying a poll was unnecessary, as advertising for escort services was already verboten.

Ah, ok, is there a link to where this is stated?

Hiro, if you mean that by Jeska saying that "this discussion is inappropriate", I took that to mean that the discussion that the ad had turned into was not appropriate, not the ad itself. Did she state implicitly that escort ads are a no-go? If so, could you tell me where that statement is?

I was not aware that it is against the rules - I was just restating what I thought he was saying. For all I know, it could be perfectly fine - it seems odd that it would be forbidden, since it is about the only viable job in SL it seems.

Well this is no help, it just adds to the confusion:

http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/sex

this is an interesting take from allwords.com:

" sex - sexual intercourse, or the activities, feelings, desires, etc associated with it."

from answers dot.com comes, inter alia, this:

"The sexual urge or instinct as it manifests itself in behavior."

of course one interesting this is that the most scientific definion of sex does not include reporductive intercourse at all:

"definition of sex Sex

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The distinguishing peculiarity of male or female in both animals and plants; the physical difference between male and female; the assemblage of properties or qualities by which male is distinguished from female.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the two divisions of organic beings formed on the distinction of male and female.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The capability in plants of fertilizing or of being fertilized; as, staminate and pistillate flowers are of opposite sexes.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the groups founded on this distinction. "

Interesting how sex can be different things to different people.