An Open Letter to Philip Rosedale and the Entire Linden Lab team

Actually, Regnar, I have to agree with Nolan in that the minute I read about this 'event' I had serious doubts about whether it really happened. You prior postings on the topic of the forums have been rather vehement, and you have repeatedly indicated your dislike for them. Then last week you conveniently let drop in a post that you would be having visitors. And then this. I am sorry, but it sounds lke a 'set up' to me. If LL IS contacted by someone about this, well first he has no legal leg to stand on, LL didn't do nything wrong. And second, I would advise them to consider that this is just a friend trying to do you a favor in your quest to 'change' SL to meet your standards.

He'd better start calling 80% (or more) of all the sites on the web.

If he's pissed at anyone, it should be YOU. What else is bookmarked that he might have stumbled on? You never did answer that one.

hmmm, there's this mysterious liquid in a container in Regnar's fridge. It's not labeled and I have no idea what it is. I think I'll feed it to my daughter.

I have to agree with Nolan about the fact that this entire situation seems contrived. Not one time has Regnar referred to the post in question. It all fits in too perfectly with his crusade to clean up Second Life.

And I called you a loon because this is complete lunacy, Regnar. Nothing else can explain why a seemingly intelligent adult would post such a ridiculous thread. I have stood up for you in the past, but this is indefensible. If you hate Second Life so much and need a more controlled, censored environment, try There or TSO. Though I am sure you will find in TSO the 13 year olds use far worse language than we do.

Cristiano

We're definitely not allowed to use foul language in any forums that are accessible without being logged in. I have no idea how A) this is Philip's fault or B) where you get off complaining in the first place. Plenty of web sites have discriptions of adult things on their front pages. If you are so concerned, you can either not let people use your computer with kids around, or install nannyware.

BTW where is this horrible awful thread your guests saw?

Uh oh, Regnar's going to tattle on us and we'll all be in big trouble.

Have you noticed that no one on this forum treats ANYONE quite like they treat you? Even the people that do get flamed get flamed because they whine or start drama. But you start drama about your own personal problems... AND NO ONE CARES! Do you think that's because it's all a huge conspiricy against Regnar? No. It's because you bring up stupid crap (NAUGHTY WORD, CALL THE FREE SPEACH POLICE) like this. You add NOTHING constructive to the forums. If you want a letter to LL, email LL or call LL, don't post on a public forum. No one here cares about how you think SL should be run besides LL, so just talk to them. If they tell you to shut up, don't come whining to us.

Ok, now that you've read this critisism because you think you're perfect and anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong and evil, you can report it to LL and maybe they'll delete it.

Wow, for someone who thinks WE'RE immature...

No, YOU'RE ugly.

Parents do not take enough responsibility for there children when it comes to the Internet. When a caregiver is given responsibility of caring for children they then must act as the guardian. It is wrong to allow any child-unsupervised access to the Internet in my opinion. Now to cast blame on anyone but the parent or the caregiver is a cop out.

LL's has nothing to do with how we as adults, care for our children. Further more if we were to give that kind of power to anyone but our selves then we must grant them all rights as to how we raise our children. Wrong!

Here's a thought, turn off the computer when you cannot supervise online activities.

Catherine

Wise words, Dae.

and I say 'silly' when I really mean stupid, but I was just trying to be nice.

So, by your logic, if the father turned on the TV and you had been watching a cable tv channel, let's say.. Showtime, it would come up and the child could have been 'exposed' to some new words. So it is now an issue for Showtime? Puh-leeze.

By all means, its the responsibility of the cable company to cleanse thier content so that hyper sensitive adults can live in peace and harmony. Did you get the sarcasm in that? Huh?

Hyper sensitive/sheltering parents are just as bad as non-existant ones, in my book. They overreact to the smallest thing and expect everyone else to bend to thier will, so they can feel comfortable.

Go cleanse yourself and your friend, delete SL from your Favorites, and then head on over to There.... have fun and best wishes!

Moral of the story. Secure your computer. If there is anything you want restricted to anyone, secure your machine.

Passwords. Use them.

.....hahahahahahahahah...God i hate librals...take better care of your kid jackass.

end of story

Fact: Some parents have unrealisic standards they expect there children to follow, Most of these kids end up hating there parents.

Tyler... I couldn't agree with you more.. funny though, I'm way over on the left, so before you lump all of us 'librals' AKA liberals, you should know that quite a few of us still believe in personal responsibility.

If you are so sensitive to the materials on the web, don't use it.

All I have to say is, that man's child is in for one h$ll of a shocker when they open thier eyes and take off the blinders.

generally i like to stay out of threads that eminate negativity; however, i have seen a few things that have spurred me to express a few observations:

1) Regnar - i agree. there should be a statement on the front page noting that this is an 18+ community/'game'. that's what it is and it wouldn't hurt anyone by posting such a thing.. as a matter of fact, it could help avoid instances like this in the future.

2) Everyone - true. it is a parents responsibility to watch their child's activity and act/re-act as they see fit. unfortunately, even when this is done, there are times when things will come up that are against the parents wishes. yes, i know, this is how many children are exposed to the world..

3) RE: Forums - i agree with having a password be required to enter. in my opinion the forums should only be available to those who have already joined SL, it is for SLers and there is no viable reason for non-members to be able to see them. i'm not saying this to be 'elitist', but just in the vein of common sense. maybe have one forum available for public viewing, where non-members can read AND post. a sort of 'pre-welcome area'?

4) RE: LL - it is not their responsibility to police other peoples children; however, it would be a good show for them to mark on the front page that this is an 18+ community/'game'.


..and good will to all.

In the future I would suggest using e-mail for this sort of thing.

Many people failed to understand the internet before they hooked it up to their home computers. This is simply another case of that.

All along, the internet was a connection between computers run by adults engaged in rather progressive activities. There never was a "safe" internet. Everyone has always been responsible for their own behavior and for being tough enough to handle the unexpected expressions of other people - or find a way to avoid them.

The internet was never a place compatible with naivete - either in children or adults. I'm sure this assumption of a baseline morality came about because so many people found it in their best economic interest to claim the net was friendly, but that doesn't make it so. The idea that you should be able to browse the web with a child looking over your shoulder is just plain misguided.

This, in fact, is why I think it's impossible for ANY online game - or anyplace strangers gather - to be safe for children. If LL is planning to try to find some way to let children into SL, or even make a "children only" world, it is doomed to fail. Here's why:

Parents should never let their children talk to strangers! Not in person, or on the phone, or on computers. Not young strangers, or old strangers, or camera-enabled strangers, or chatroom strangers, or posting-in-a-forum strangers. If you are in the habit of expecting a standard of moral behavior out of a group of strangers, then you are - in a very clinical sense - a fool.

Oh. Here's the fix I promised:

Tape a large yellow piece of paper to the top edge of your monitor. Using bright colors, scrawl "WARNING! ADULT CONTENT!" on the paper. Alternatively, you can paste another copy of this banner over the mouse button or the On/Off switch.

Let me know if this helps.



[PS My 12 year old has a computer. It is so close to mine on the desk that we often bump elbows. Permission must be received every time he wants to browse a forum or enter a chat room. That permission is rarely given.

Strangers. Try to remember that word: strangers. Don't injure your child by stubbornly acting like the rest of the world must live up to your expectations. It won't - whether you believe it should or not.]

I'm sorry, I don't get it. It's okay to show snuff-films on the news, it's okay to show tampon commercials... and frottage in everything from lipgloss to soda adds (frottage = fully clothed/buttonned/zipped-up sexual bump and grind).

But folks freak out about someone spouting off a few obscenities used just for emphasis and not in a suggestive or erotic way.

Oh and God forbid someone show a little flesh during a half-time show for a 'wholesome sport' played by freakishly massive humans who bash into each other so hard that were a normal human trapped between them they'd be lucky to end up in intensive care.

Don't get me wrong, innocence is a beautiful and valuable thing, which should be lost slowly and gradually throughout life, rather than ripped away all at once. However, if we think that we can shield our children from a few obsenities and prevent them from becoming the uncouth and loutish insensitive potty-mouthed adolescents that apparently fill our high schools these days... then I'm worried that we're leaving our children at a disadvantage socially.

The days of political correctness seem to be coming to an end, we have a president who is incapable of completing sentences, or making speeches without smirking at his opposition every chance he gets. Folks are so tired of being expected to say only the right thing that now it's fashionable to be as crass and insulting as you can get away with... just to show that you have the freedom to be that way.

Where the heck are the folks that take the high road, and lead by good example? They've drowned in the sea of people out to change the world by being the biggest loudest victims they can be.

I'm sorry, but for every safety and guardrail we add to our already overly pampered and spoiled lives, the more pointless and ignorant the lives of those that come after us will be. If you disagree, just look at our spending habits. Folks buy things they don't need and think nothing of financing them. Fine for a house, but for a car stereo? Come on! We're being trained to be better consumers... and intelligence is being bred out of us as a nation.

I'd rather open our kids eyes to what's going on, prepare them for the nasty world this has become and live a decent and happy life as an example despite it all to show there is still hope.

Gosh darn it.

By your own stated values SL should have been off your PC to make it 100% sterile.



That is your issue and has no bearing on the subject you brought forth.



Respect is earned. Repeatedly posting about what you think is wrong with the community is not a good way to earn it.



Good luck taking *care of the issue*.
I am sure LL will restructure the forums for you and your irresponsible friend.



This is my favorite part. You can email Philip directly if you're so upset. You can call them direct or on the toll free number. I have always spoken to a real, human, LL employee when doing so. So, it's fairly obvious to me you intentionally placed the *open letter* here to draw attention to you goals. Once again.



No, you didn't put anyone down personally, but this goes hand in hand with the general put down you are directing at the entire community.




This is what it's really all about isn't it? Your crusade to cleanse SL. What is amazing to me is the realization that you actually think you have a shot at it. Why else would you still be sniffing around a game that has you in such a moral quandary?



You talk about being disrespected then you come out with this?



We only know of him that which you have represented here. Based on that info you provided it seems most folks seem to think he is a responsiblity/blame shifter, assuming he actually exists... convenient how he's going on vacation...and that you will be dealing with the issue in his stead on monday...



Wrong. if this happens to me I will assign the blame to my own inattention and/or poor planning. Then I will take steps to make sure it doesnt happen again, i.e. passwords, etc. I CERTAINLY would not take it to a public forum to complain about it, being that I would be embarassed to do so. But see, there is the sad part. You would sacrifice self respect to attain (or try to) your goals.

Grim summed everything up here, and I wish to reiterate and exemplify what he said:

Ummm then why didnt you send it to Customer Service..????

Haha, good one cy
Can you believe this guy? Like, 6 months ago he came to me out of the blue saying how much second life sucked, that LL basically banged together havok with a couple of other libs, and that There was so much better, and that he was going to quit SL.
One wonders when on earth will we be blessed with the keeping of his promise.

First of all, you posted a, by your own description, OPEN LETTER on a PUBLIC FORUM.

And your going to be "taking care of the ... ... disrespect you got from this thread?"

Regnar is a complicated person. He seems to hold many contradictory ideas.

I wont say more since I don't want to dredge up old (and settled) drama, but certainly, the first word that came to mind on reading this was "hipocrite".

Or maybe I'm just too naive. It's possible.

To many pages to read but I will say this about the whole thing.

Other great stupid things in life:

* I spilled hot coffee on myself and am going to sue McDonalds because there was no warning that the coffee was hot.

* I burlarized a persons home, I broke into it and broke my leg falling through the ceiling. I'm going to sue for unsafe environment.

* I'm fat because McDonalds serves nothing but fatty foods that are unhealthy for me and its their fault.

* I'm going to sue and demand an apology because my friends kid got on my computer and saw offensive things.

-------

What it boils down too, common sense. Maybe they can counter sue for you allowing a minor onto your computer to view offensive material. It was on YOUR computer right?

Why are folks always quick to blame and put blame on things that weren't the cause for it.

Come on. Let's not make changes to SL forum because the adults in the household were'nt doing their adult responsiblities. I've aggreed with you in the past but in this case, no go. Someone should have been paying attention to what she was using, and you can't blame LL or Phil.
Tell you what....
Since you dislike porn, which many of us do, understood, go after the porn sites that allow you to download videos for free without money or any personal info, then after you've got them, come back to LL, and place a bitch.
Until then, let it go. And watch children in your home.

Crow