Inappropriate Group Names

Kidding aside, time to go to the CS:
http://secondlife.com/tiki/tiki-index.php?page=Community+Standards

From the "Bix Six" in the Community Standards:
Indecency
Second Life is an adult community, but Mature material is not necessarily appropriate in all areas (see Global Standards below). Content, communication, or behavior which involves intense strong language or expletives, nudity or sexual content, the depiction of sex or strong violence, or anything else broadly offensive must be contained within private land in areas rated Mature (M). Names of Residents, objects, places and groups are broadly viewable in Second Life directories and on the Second Life website, and must adhere to PG guidelines.

So I'd say this qualifies on several fronts.

Can I vote to move over to the kiddie grid... please

Willow, you're permabanned from kiddie grid... you'd convert them to sl000ts!!!

Hiro, I think you should read the thread again and realise the context in which Roberta made her comments, which was the same context that I responded in... if 'rape play' is consensual, its not rape. And as Willow asserted, in Second Life, there is no such thing.

This comes back to the same sort of morality issues as the suicide anims etc. People get offended if I hang myself swinging from a gallows in SL. 'Suicide is not a laughing matter, ya know'. Oh really? Damn. I must stop laughing my ass off every time I hear of someone in real life who was so despairing and desperate that they felt there was no way out but to take their own life.

It doesn't mean I'm trivialising real life suicide, or that these people are necessarily trivialising real life rape. The fact is, the people who do it, or those who aren't offended by it, arent uncaring sick puppies bordering on psychosis, they just realise that Second Life is a virtual play world where no physical harm can come to anyone.

I'm certainly not going to get up in arms about a group name. Especially since I don't know the people so could only jump to conclusions. I'm assuming their group mission statement doesnt say 'we're a bunch of real life rapists who have come together in second life to discuss our hobby?'. No? thought not.

Pardon the offensive phrase I'm about to use.

"Forcefully Driving My Genitals Into Unwilling Victims and Causing Them Lifelong Emotional Damage"

Words have power, Kris. I think it's fairly obvious that "Willing Rapists" breaks the CS, and any discussion otherwise is fairly moot.


No, because they can be restricted to PG sims. The group name is "broadly viewable", as I've highlighted in the CS snippet.


I personally am not saying they are. This is really irrelevant. The name of the group is offensive.


That's fine. I'm not really too offended by curse words, but it doesn't mean they are allowed in group names either.

Is that anything like 'too many hugs crush my avatar bones?'



Not on these forums they don't. It's like hitting your fucking head against a brick wall.

But yeah, to people who want to be offended, they will be. People who can't seperate RL situations from virtual ones, I guess, are always going to find something in SL they'd find objectionable in RL *shrug*

I just don't see what everyone is getting so bent out of shape about. You really oughta watch that group 'Kidney Thieves' too. They might steal your little polygonal internal organs while you're busy trying not to get your avatar raped.

You are confusing two things - words and posts. Words have inherent power. Like, when I say "pie" you immediately have an image in your head - whether it be apple pie, your grandma's rhubarb pie, or 3.1415... Our brains immediately process words whether we'd like to or not. When we come across offensive words like "rapist", many people find that nasty images and/or concepts are produced in their head.

So it is really the fact that by choosing the group name "Willing Rapists", anyone casually looking through group names may see it and have bad images in their head. And since something ridiculous like 1/5 women will be raped in their life, that's a great deal of people who will be potentially offended.


I think it's absurd to say that people who are offended want to be offended. You can argue that some are easily offended, but I think it's safe to say that a lot of people read this group name and are offended.


Kris, it's not about what a group does or doesn't do.

It's the name itself that is offensive.

If you don't think words have inherent power, ask yourself if you'd choose a candy bar named, "rotten stick of poop", over "Snickers" or "Mars".

Hiro, you are confusing two things - real life and second life. Sure, in real life, people get raped. In Second Life, they don't, because there is no such concept. Quoting rape figures means nothing, unless you're suggesting that all people who have been raped in their lives who might happen upon the word 'rapist' are suddenly going to be hugely offended and plunge into a trauma relapse? I think you'll find people are more well balanced than you give them credit for, Hiro. Maybe they don't actually need you to second guess their mindset and fight their battles for them?

Those who are offended will take the appropriate course of action (which is starting drahma on the forums, obviously). If you were offended by it, if you think it's against the ToS, abuse report it *shrug*

When I saw the words 'Willing Rapist' in the context of an SL group, I didnt think of brutal real life sexual images, nor of avatars experiencing the same. Actually, what I thought was 'What is a WILLING rapist? Thats silly!'. And I actually thought it was sorta amusing purely BECAUSE it's a concept that can't exist in Second Life.

What a sick, uncaring psychotic mofo I am, huh?

Oh, and yes, I couldn't give a flying fuck what my chocolate bar is called if it tastes ok. I'm not that shallow.

Btw, whilst I love these little chats with you, and knowing that you HAVE to have the last word even when we're going over the same ground over and over, I'll make this my last post on the subject, no matter what you respond. So have at it... I'll just bite my tongue

w/e

If you'd respond to my arguments rather than putting your fingers in your ears and repeating what you have already said, it wouldn't feel so repetitive. Each time I've tried to address what you've said and present my point with new information and/or in a different way.


No, I'm not confusing them. I'm just saying that aspect is irrelevent. No one's accused the group of being rapists, no one's asking that they be banned because of fear of that. It's not about what the group does or the members of the group; it's about the group's name.

Please either address the points I've made or concede to them. You're welcome to disagree with me, but please don't simply ignore my points and tell me I'm wrong.

That's not real life. You can't rape in SL.
Also, "willing rapist" is not offensive to me. It sounds like some silly concept ; a willing rapist? What's that? And what is an unwilling rapist?
Also, Willing Rapist sounds PG to me. Unlike, for example, a groupe name that'd include the work "fuck".


What about MY feelings ? What if my dad has been killed by the mafia IRL? Should we remove the dozen of "mafia" groups?
And a friend of mine was christian in turkey ; his familly had to move to another country. Can I ask we remove all musulman groups too? And of course the other way around: christians did and still do a lot of wrong and offend me ; remove christian groups too.

Remove everything offensive to anyone please.



Killing is also a serious and horrible crime, so we ban the guns in SL? To me killing someone is worse than raping him, but that's just my oppinion of course.

The name "Willing Rapists" does not equate rape to consensual sex. I don't think it _attempts_ to trivialise it either ; as it would suggests that the group was created with that goal in mind (it's probably not the case).

rape doesn't exists in SL...or does it?

And i'm glad it doesn't....





I can imagen that , that sort of group name is VERY offensive to some people.
And of course it doesn't sound right.
And of course the person who started the group might think it's funny , or either he's just insane in the mid-brain.

Psycho Bitches and Fuckers

This name does not imply you are willing to commit, or even suggest the notion of, a horrible crime. I have no problem with it.

Hiro, do what I'm going to do. Abandon this one. Just screenshot them, and post it. Deal with the Lindens on this one and get it banned, don't waste your breath on anybody that would defend this.

I've gotten a few names to add to my ban list though, that's for sure.

I'd like "The Rapists" for 600, Alec.

That said, ok ok... it's against the CS. So is the group I started three days after joining SL, and that was... uhm... one year, and one week ago. Give or take a day or two. My group has never been shut down. Ever. (Though it is rather dead.)

If LL's going to go out of it's way to enforce the CS in this particular instance, they should also shut down a good 1/4th of the Escort services as well as a significant portion of other forms of groups out there.

Okay people, this is amazing at how many peoiple justified that name of that group. Willing Rapists.

For those who seem that I am whining, take a look at where I was first before you say that about me. I was in a PF area to begin with, so do not give me that "Its our freedom of speech" crap. There are kids and teenagers here and there and there is no reason for names like that.

For those into the BDSM community who feel I don't have a right or think that I am being too picky, get a life. That is a sexual lifestyle that does not need to be in kids faces or mine. So get a grip. I don't give a rats behind if you wanna run a mature area and have that name, but do you creeps have to come out into the PG zone with those stupid and ludicrous names? Is it really because you need to rebel or just because you are being dumb and obnoxious?

Seems no one can make a legit point here, saying it is their rights or that you can ignore or whatever. If you go into a theatre and yell rape, someone will respond, you go into a club and call yourself a willing rapist, like others have said, you may not make it out.

Here they should just ban the people who use stupid group names like that.

And by the way, any type of sexual roleplay should be left in the bedroom between consenting adults.

Just a quick point. SL is a game for adults ages 18 and over. It is in the TOS. If anyone is in world that is known to be younger than 18, they should be reported to the Lindens. They will then be banned from SL.

Is that a test to see if people are reading, or are there actually people offended by stealthy watermelons? If the watermelons are really very stealthy how do people even know they are there in the first place?

I'm sorry but that list made me roflmao. who knew?

Hang on just one darn tootin minute! Nobody, was justifying the name, ppl were simply stating its probably bad judgment on somebodys part, and yeah there ARE kid's on the grid, but if their parents allow them to play an 18+ game with mature and sexual content so be it, I agree the name is bad, but I wouldn't see this tag and think OMGNONONONONO! I am about to get AV raped. I would probably roll my eyes and carry on, maybe if they were in a PG area, IM them and suggest they might wanna detag till in a M area.

and why the hell should sexual roleplay be left in the bedroom?? alot of people indulge in outdoor fantasies , and I think you will find, nobody can get raped on SL, its a 3D environment, not a walk in a dark park.

Ok so is that last line implied at me to? Cos a) I am NOT defending the name, I am simply not as offended by it as you... that doesn't make me an aide to the 'Willing Rapist', it doe's NOT imply that I would condone this happening in RL, how the hell do you know ppl reading this haven't been affected by this in RL? WE DON'T, just like we don't know stumbling around SL...

Gah... *bangs head against wall and runs screaming*

Lock me up now, I am obviously a threat to society

Okies, I'll lock you up in my personal, private dungeon. You realise I'll have to torture you occasionally of course, just to make sure you're having fun... or that I am...

On topic though. With regard to the group name referred to in the original post. It doesn't matter whether individuals here are offended, and to what degree. It is a "broadly offensive" title, and is, as has been mentioned, a breach of the TOS, whether in PG or M sims. Furthermore, someone new to SL or of an easily upset nature might take it as cause to hound LL in rl courts, and I don't think any of us would want LL to have to divert R&D monies to fight off some silly legal wrangle over a group title. And we've all seen people like this in SL, they generally don't stay long, but even so...

Just my L$0.02, you can go back to your scheduled flamage now.

YAY! count me in

And yes Sio, I agree, its IS offensive, but I for one am NOT offended, doe's that make me a bad person? doe's that mean I condone rape or sexual assualt of anykind? doe's that mean I am gunna go out and party with these ppl and encourage them?

In short NO! it doesn't and I am just bugged to f*ck that ppl get so easily typecast around here.

PS, not getting at you Sio Me wubs you

Aww, come clean Willow.

The fact we're not particularly offended personally by the name 'Willing Rapists' for a Second Life group means we are depraved, deviant fetishists who condone rape both in real life and virtuality. I mean, not being offended apparently equates to justifying and supporting their having done it. In fact we probably ARE rapists. Hell, we should probably just join the group now and show our allegiance by wearing the title proudly so everyone can just get it over with and neg and landban us now!

And YOU Willow, being overtly sexy like that! Dressing up in tight fitting clothing showing legs and stuff! In a PG area!!!

You should be permanently locked in a bedroom so you can't offend anyone. Sheesh. Especially since we all need to be mindful of da little children!

Note: I'm really sorry for anyone I traumatised through my use of the word 'rape' and 'rapist'.

I'll have you know I got a warning for that 'Indecency in a PG area'

Moi!!! Indecent... pfft

Kris, the question is not whether she should be locked up in a bedroom, but whose.

*laughs snarkily*