Sad Story

My friend Skinhead Mission was here in SL from January till some days ago. First moving very carefully he started to buy more land learned some building and cooperated with scripters. After a while he builted a hole city in bora called skimi Town.

In RL Skinhead is also a Skinhead - on of the Skinheads that are antiracist and are conected to the trad. british Skinhead Movement (most working class rough boys).

After a little more then half a year after creating his account with the name Skinhead Mission somone of SL-Staff decidet to logg him out and to delete his account with no warning and discussion at all. After a while he got an e-mail saying that his name is of intolerant nature.

Many e-mails from Skinhead and some of his friends where simply ignored. Telling Support and abuse-report to look up a dictionary about skinheads where unheard.

Taking hundreds of dollars from someone to find out after half a year that his online used name could stand for Intolerance sounds weired to me.

Being resistent against better arguments and not wanting to learn shows an ignorant and godlike behavior of SL-Staff.

If you call them from europe in california you get people on the phone who are not able to understand and not willen to listen to your arguments and, by the way, people who seem to have forgotten to take their chewinggum out of their mouth before they picked up the phone (or was is just US-Slang?)

after all of that I found out that SL-staff is fare below my niveau and I decidet to quit the game.

I will go and sell my land and my items if divine sl-staff is not throwing me out before I can do it.

Good bye everybody

Not good.

Why the HELL do hand wringing politicaly correct 'liberals' behave like total bloody arseholes on a 24/7 basis?

This post needs keeping where people can see it until someone at LL sees fit to comment on this affair.

I'm not saddened by the story. I'm saddened by all the spelling mistakes...

Welcome to Lalaland! Where you get permabanned because your name is Skinhead, but its ok to have incest stories in your profile!

PS: Skinhead is a stupid name tho

LL's actions were so arbitrary - comes across as a abuse of power. The guy was around for several months - not harassing a soul - when they 'found' him and booted him. So at any given time a worker at LL can decide a name is offensive and push the delete button without warning. This game gets more interesting everyday.

Then send the guy a link to a good spell-checker program. Help out a little!

I am saddened that you had to pull out an alt to contribute absolutely no content to this thread.


The OP is not from United States of Altmerica, and it does not seem that english is his or her first language.

How many languages do you speak, Beckto?

well Beckto - I can write it for you in perfect german without a single spelling mistake, but I found out that most native english speakers are to lazy or something else to learn more then two or three words of a foreign language. So I try my best with english, knowing that 90% or even more of native english speakers do not speak anything else and out of this 90% there are many that are not even able to look over their own horizon.

Skinheads are not inherrently racist, there are MANY different groups. If he was a member of SHARP for example, they are very strongly against racism.

LL needs to look into this.

That would be me. Two or three words is enough for the dirty ones.

Chime, I've read about this before, and yes, this decision is straight out silly. The term 'skinhead' is not in itself intolerant. Skinheads come in all flavours. Some skinheads are intolerant, but so are some of everything.

Have you tried posting in Answers? I would. And maybe send a notecard to Torley Linden, explaining all this. Torley seems to always be able to listen to what a resident is saying, and has a great affinity with residents' concerns.

Oh, your English is pretty good. Better than many posters for whom it's their native language.

I hope you stick around, and I hope something can work out for your friend.

What this LOOKS like is as though some self-appointed arbiter of what's right and wrong working for LL has jumped in with both feet and a head full of unjustified assumptions.

Now, instead of sorting the 'problem' (which never was except in someone's bigoted mind), it's going to be swept under the table to spare this individual's embarassment, and, were there a shred of justice at LL, their job.

On the other hand it MIGHT also be that, hearing only one side to this story, there is some sort of justification - and if so *I* want to hear it!

But on the balance, bearing in mind how often eMails and telephone calls to LL are ignored or unfruitful, judging by what we hear so frequently in the forums, I'm inclined to think this is a fairly typical result of the lack of management contol so obvious at LL.

So, would management care to step up and exhibit some managerial skills?

Nonsence! "Skinhead" has widely different connotations outside the US, particulary because different (European) skinhead subcultures have been appearing for nearly four decades at least. Some more associated with image, sexuality, etc. -- and many occurred _because_ of the repugnant link with racism. Many "skins" wanted to distance themselves from it. Sounds like this skinhead guy is more of a Trojan than a Nazi-Skin.

This is the problem with a tiny company on the other side of the world being _ignorant_ of international trends and cultural diversity though, and punishing people as a result. What next? Ban every Brit who says, "AFK, I'm just going for a fag?" Before I get banned for that, I should point out that the word is absolutely 100% acceptable here because it means "cigarette".

Perhaps Teazers could do a course on European Skinhead Culture, and force the Lindens to enroll for the first session. Failing that, just a couple of minutes reading this page might be useful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skinhead

Alternatively...how about at least some _two_ way communication with the subscriber in question, instead of jumping to silly conclusions and banning? And this was, a silly conclusion. And somebody has suffered for it. Disgraceful! You and your friend have my sympathy Chime, and I only hope this matter is resolved to both your satisfaction.
--
Dillon

skinhead mission is one of my aquaintances whom I had hoped to get to know better... that being said.. I have concerns and psuedo-paranoid delusions that I wanted to pose.

If erroneuos information, sweeping generalizations, or otherwise negative stereotypes about what a handful of people believe a name or label entails is a permissible grounds for dismissal, aren't we all on the brink of losing our accounts. If his name had been grand wizard of the klan, neo-nazi, or some other deliberatly blatant attempt to expose racist beliefs, then I would feel it was a just action. Misinterpretation of skinhead culture because of racist adoption of the haircut and label is a great injustice to those who hold to skinhead culture of working hard as blue collar types, providing for our families, enjoying ska punk reggae northern soul... and similar types of music genre.

Had his name been some other subculture, it probably would have been permissible. Its been reported (and is my summation) that some of the school shootings were related to death metal because the kids were into that style of music.. shoudl LL ban death metal clubs, names, clubs, etc?? Other forms of music, like punk, rap, metal et. al. have had deadly results in public venues from shootings riots and the like. Will people soon be banned for enjoying thier musical culture? Will religions be banned, because of the crusades, the inquistion, Kasmir or Palestine? What about people named Adolph, Haile-Saliase, Vlad, Stalin, George W. (rofl) etc... These names to some cultures present huge anomosity and yet.. some of these names do exist... or possibly could... Based on this incident, it could be assumed that people could be if LL equates those bleiefs, events, or labels with all people who relate to them. So where does it end?

I never thought about it until this occured but my name has 3 k's in it, and I bet alot of others do too! and I just named myself after a beer I like, knew I shoulda called myself newcastle instead haha.

IRL, I claim the skinhead label and belong to SHARPS (skinheads against racial predjudice). FYI- Most skins are apolitcal or anti-racists.. and to be lumped with neo's and racists is worse than lumping those who want to be rappers with vanilla ice. Personally, I am vehemently opposed to racists actions, racists, and remain in conctant vigilance against those ideals. When the national socialist movement marched in Orlando, we were there in numbers in protest.

Finally, to me, like many others, sl is a game I enjoy. SL is not a platform to espouse my anti-facist beliefs, but a place where I can meet people from many different cultures and learn a little about that community through those people. I have already learned so much about different countries, cultures, and subcultures that I had never heard about (i.e. gor, furries, tinys, etc etc) and I hope to continue to learn. I am saddened by the loss of new friends like skinhead mission and hope he will be justified soon for being falsely accused/mis-labelled and banned.

If you are running what purports to be an international site, then you should acquaint yourself with a smattering of knowledge about other national cultures.

I don't think he should keep the name if it is explained to him that in America it is highly linked to racial hatred. I am sure that any offensive name we could come up with has someplace that it is an aceptable. That doesn't mean it has to be accepted here.

It does seem if there was never any racial intention or actions in SL, that there might be a better solution. Perhaps having him move all assets over to an account with a different name.

I too would like to hear LLs side to this.

in the US.. the label skinhead is only know because of the medias' portrayal of one group of people...REAL skinheads don't get media coverage because there is no news in "a guy with close cropped hair went to work, came home and drank a beer". Hence the link of label with actions mentioned. Those in the culture know (or damn well should) where those differences lie. Most US skinheads are the same as international or European skins, being non-facists/racists. Being the young country we are, Europe (primarily 60' England) is the model most of us base our style.

The primary question still remains posed.. if,"That doesn't mean it has to be accepted here.", then what subculture is next for the chopping block?

I replied to a similar thread to this yesterday, but feel the need to respond again to this issue.

LL are very wrong to have taken the action they have done and they should respond and explain why this person was banned.

If it was because of the name, as the OP has indicated in a couple of threads, then LL should back down and admit to their error.

This bigotry by LL shows as much intolerance, as the supposed connotations of intolerance in the name skinhead.

So lets try the logic

Racism is wrong, up to here I am happy with the logic...

Some Skinheads are racists
Ban skinheads
Skinheads began in the Britain
Some British are skinheads
Ban British
British are Europeans
Some Europeans are British
Ban Europeans
Some Europeans speak Spanish
Spanish is spoken by some Americans
Ban Americans
America is a member of the UN
Other countries are members of the UN
Ban everyone from a UN member country.

Why? Because the logic says if you are from a UN member country you must be a racist by association.

Name a country which is not a member of the UN?

Is anyone left?

This logic uses the same intolerant bigotry that leads LL to ban members by association....

well said Nowun.. thats along the same lines I was thinking.. the logic leads to a banning of everyone

'When they came for the socalists and took them away, I said nothing - I wasn't a socalist.
When they came for the liberals, I said nothing - for I wasn't a liberal.
When they came for the Jews, I did nothing - after all, I wasn't a Jew.
When they came for me - there was no one left to say anything...'

This is why you are one of the Good People, Kalik. Rock on brother! I've been running this argument in another thread for a few days now. People don't want to listen, or learn I suppose. Same as it ever was, right?

-S

thanks for the vote of confidence Sparky! its beyond absurd... I would think that bans would be a result of a player's actions and nothing more. seems to me like the same nazi bs. "lets eliminate people who scare us...or we dont understand. its easier than trying" says LL

on the otherside... I am offerering up a crucified skinhead tshirt to anyone who wants one free of charge.. just im me in game or send me an offline message if Im not about

This story pisses me off. There should be some sort of jury before taking an action like this. AT THE BARE MINIMUM, if the company chooses to deem certain names unacceptable for whatever reasons (I'm sure that's written into the TOS somewhere to protect LL) a person in good standing should be given the option of changing their name on the account.

I don't know in what universe it is acceptable to treat people like this!

Someone get ahold of Phoenix Psaltery-- I'm sure he'd be willing to do an expose in the Metaverse Messenger. And Torley Linden who is a compassionate and wise Linden may be able to get the word to the Proper Department.

Chime, I hate to see people leave the game because of this. If enough of us make noise about it-- this kind of stuff may not happen anymore. But if we all up and walk away, well that will have an effect but it will take longer and the game failing doesn't help any of us.

Well said. It's always the extremists out there that make a bad name for things like this. I got a lot of crap in highschool for being a skinhead and everyone labeling me as a racist and all that. Sadly after I moved to Arkansas it was even worse since there wasn't any Trad or Sharp groups in my area to help back me up on the real definition and history of "skinhead".

Anyway, I'm glad that there are others out there who don't assume that "skinhead" equals "nazi". It's a shame that the folks that made the decision at LL aren't included in that breath of fresh air.

I really hope that LL looks back into this issue and resolves it properly this time around.