I think we all mean something different by "government"

So you have these statements side by side:Is Linden Lab a government or not?

Many people have a very specific (usually unsuccessful) VR government in mind; the Lindens for the most part are talking about electronic democracy (direct rule without elected representatives).

Others are imagining a government constructed to resemble RL governments the way those refrigerators you can buy for your Second Life kitchen are constructed to resemble RL refrigerators. Mine has a door that opens and closes, and a little light that goes on inside.

But what is that refrigerator really doing there? Did you know bacterial metabolic activity stops below forty degrees Farenheit? So refrigerators are about keeping food edible. Real-world politics ultimately comes down to food as well; and, well, have you tried eating prims? Ptui.

The toy governments are going to be just as functional in SL as my refrigerator. Well, the doors will open and close and the little lights will go on.

When I talk about government I am talking about the mechanisms and traditions that we might put in place here to help people work together and get more out of Second Life. The discussion will not be very fruitful unless we start from the needs (or wants, that's okay too) and toss around ways to address them. To dismiss a need (or want) because it doesn't justify that particular imaginary bad government is counter-productive (and premature).

My inclination is to first consider infrastructure solutions (build once, use many times -- typically enhancements to the SL platform), then economic solutions (see if someone can make money solving the problem). The basic problem is how do you compensate people for the time it takes to do the work.

There is quite a bit to discuss, once we get past the anger. This forum is good and is the place to talk about it.

Allie you have some great analogies! I'm diggin' it!

Reminds me of the psych experient where you ask a classroom of people to quickly describe the first thing that comes to mind when you say simple words like "dog" or "car", and to have a wild range of answers. Some won't even think of the noun when one says "dog", for example!

Same with "government" or "clubs" or other terms that mean so many different things to so many different people. Add to the pot things like how certain RL things apply here (yes, we can walk and drive cars), but others do not (we can fly and live in skyboxes). And that there a number of paradigm shifts: we do have a GOVERNOR LINDEN who oversees land and land parcelling and disputes go on, but it usually more cut-to-the-chase than the longwinded stuff that happens offline.

As you alluded to, I'm all for healthy discussion and laying ideas out on the table so I can go, "Oh, I see where you're coming from!" and learn more in the process. I would not want to live under a fascist totalitarian regime IRL but I might enjoy roleplaying that here.

Which is, of course, another thing to consider . . .

You, Torley, would enjoy the RPG "PARANOIA". Comming to a prim tabletop near you if any of the other SL PARANOIA fans that I know get off our lazy buts and busy RL schedules to do it.

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Your thread title is dead on target.

Observe how convoluted some of the other threads in this forum are becoming from the variance in what each of us means by "government", and as applied to whom.

Until the dust settles, and No-Gridwide-Resident-Legislation advocates are not locking horns with Sim-Only-Resident-Legislation types, or Gridwide-Non-Legislative proponents etc., there will be limited meaningful advocacy for any position.

Right on!

The word government elicits images of power hungry monoliths making life a pain in the arse.

When I hear the term government, I think of:

--The IRS
--Despots and megalomanics
--Cancerous bureaucracies

Whereas, in SL, I think we are in need of:

--Mediation of disputes when stalemates occur
--Redress for griefing experiences
--Impartial adjudication of land-related disputes

And that we could all learn:

--To communicate more effectively
--To be tolerant
--To be neighborly

And perhaps, just perhaps, if the offensive "government" word were eliminated and the much more appealing word "community" inserted into these discussions, we all, as residents of this community, might be more receptive.
I enjoy living in this community a great deal and am usually tryng to find ways to help my fellow resident enjoy thier experiences here as well. I try to be a good neighbor, I have never neg rated anyone, I try to be helpful and kind. I WANT to particapate in this community. I just feel no need for a "government" to stand between me and Linden Labs, the corporation whose TOS I agreed to. Maybe if we all tried being helpful and kind to one another, no one else would either.

Government does mean many things to differnet people. Personally, I like the idea of a theocracy.

How about this?

We rename the SL world to Vince-atopia

In this world I would be the Supreme Theocrat and would have absolute rule under divine authority

I like the sound of this already!!!

Supreme Theocrat Vince Wolfe......kinda just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?

No one need be troubled with elections or any sort of parlimentary system since I would have absolute authority granted by divine right.

Maybe I should start a poll.....

Almarea, you're confusing us by appealing to our reason, and making us anxious by arguing realistically about the complexity of the issue. Stop it now, or we'll run the risk of having a good, productive discussion on this issue.