SL5B - No Kid Avatars, please!

Popping into this thread late but just had to respond to this point.

Kirk is a dumbass but he isn't the one to blame. The ONLY entity to blame was the one that made the corporate decision to ban child avies from participating and the others that supported this decision. LL should have gone the opposite way and encouraged the children's groups to expand thier effort and participation this year. This would have sent a very clear message that what the Senator is saying is BS, instead they have by default, agreed with his findings and in the process broadly painted the entire children's community as deviants.

Unacceptable

If I had to choose one word to agree with in this entire thread thus far, it'd be this one.

It would be nice to see Linden Labs take a more mature approach when it comes to how it handles child avatars.

But let's face it, Linden Labs is merely reacting to several forces more powerful than Linden Labs, such as government officials or the popular media.

I doubt that most people who are criticizing Linden Labs has taken the time to contact their government representatives with concerns about internet free speech. Or written the editor of a publication that has misrepresented things that happen in Second Life.

Directing one's energies toward the people who actually have the power to pressure Linden Labs into silly policies would be far more effective than complaining to Linden Labs.

Sure, it is a good thing to express your opinion about Linden Labs's policy on this issue to Linden Labs. But unless you have also taken the time to write to your government reprsentatives or press editors, then your time confined to these forums is ultimately a waste of time.

I think ultimately this has nothing to do with political pushing from Washington. This is misguided social/business posturing on the part of Linden Lab.

Letters written

But mud and blood lead in the news. Retractions are fine print near the classifieds.

A representative can't vote against the cry of "for the children" else they get torn apart in the media

It's more dealing with the media demonizing things that few will understand or investigate on their own.

Mainly for political hate and fear mongering.

I am a bit discouraged when I see things like this.

It proves to me the Media are not journalists any longer, since they don't take the time to learn the truth.

And it proves that our Representatives are not interested in facts any longer - since they are willing to go on a moral crusade without knowing what it is they are railing against.

Of course Im long time jaded and knew these things already .. but still its discouraging to see.

Which is why I light a candle so someone might see and be shaken from the stupor of the masses

Even so called small battles like this need to be fought, for it's not a small battle if it affects a person.

*world weary sigh* QFT

So true.

Of course there is also the ultimate disconnect ---

No matter if you think people(adults) should be allowed to do Avatar sexual age-play or not...

What the heck does this have to do with RL Minors?

I still have yet to ever hear of *ONE* documented example of a Real Life minor involved in Second Life Sexual Age Play.

Heck I haven't even heard of RL Minors involved in non-sexual Age Play in second life.

How the heck people still lump in Minors accessing Second Life with Children Avatars (sexual or not) is mind boggling.

Hey! Rep. Kirk hasn't either! What a coincidence!

Excellent point. It's unlikely RL kids will be coming into SL as kid avs and getting into sexual activity with adult avs.

Granted, Qie is only a little over 6 feet tall, "coin-operated", and kinda wimpy, but he's supposed to be 20-something. (If his servoplasm could type like "dat", Qie might have had a kid brother, but no.) I only mention it to make clear that my voice here is in support of child AVs, not as one myself, and certainly in no way representative of them.

heh.. sorry Qie.. you look so.. young. I bet you get carded everywhere you go in SL..

So far, the only underage accounts I've run in to have been in noobie avatars and screaming their little heads off in voice chat. (>_< ARs were definitely sent! And I even took the opportunity to visit the Saturday Governance office hours to let them know how disappointed I was in their non-response. (>_<

Well, both Dusty Linden and Jack Linden have accepted the inventory offers I made them... the notecard quoted above. No response yet, of course.

I wonder what the new CEO thinks of this and did it come from him?
WOW has SL changed

Linden: "Sir, I know you're still settling in, but we're having a little crisis with SLB. We decided to keep the child avies from participating and the resis are riled up about it, and then we had to decline on the Goreans as well and..."
M: "Wait... wait... wait.... SLB? child avies? resis? Goreans??? I don't understand a word of what you're saying!"
Linden: "I'll come back another time...."

i'm disappointed in all the level headed people here who have overlooked this poignant summation.

it doesn't matter if the person behind the avatar is an adult, when you roleplay adult-child sexual acts, you are roleplaying pedophilia. that's gross, and illegal, and encourages active and closet pedophiles to feel confident to take it into the real world where REAL children will be harmed for the remainder of their lives.

molestation causes scars for a lifetime.

children do not have the weherewithall to decide if they enjoy sexual acts with adults. they are innocent and uninformed and inexperienced. they do not know better. but adults DO know better. and it is the responsible thing to protect children from harm and selfish, cruel and disgusting people who's only interest in them is to touch them in places that should not be named.

anyone who encourages this sort of behavior is a sicko. any adult who finds adult-child sexual acts exciting and envigorating is dangerous, even in a cartoon setting.

i love seeing child avatars in SL. i think they are cute, and have their place. but that place is not tied up on a bed in a secret box somewhere, or naked "on top" a avatar, or wutever. anyone who engages in that sort of activity, regardless of your real life age, is telling people that not only do you enjoy sexual acts with children, but that you encourage them... no matter what you say here in this forum to deny it, i fully believe you would do it in RL if given the opportunity, and to those of you with that viewpoint, i hope you rot in hell you sick, pedophilic bastards and biotches.

child av's should not be banned from grid events. and if SL had any sense, they would rescind that decision. public events will not encourage displays of illegal acts... those sorts of things happen in secret, jsut like RL.

and many such as yourself are considering all of them to be lumped into that group.

Most of us are against the sexual role play with children.

But we are upset that because of that fear a group of innocents are being treated as shameful deviants and told "well we're ashamed to let you speak up... so be quiet and maybe we'll let you come to the party..."

And here and elsewhere I've seen so many experts and others say it would be best to get rid of child avatars.

Never mind the healing and such some people find in playing them without any sexual intent what so ever.



Hell I know people in real life that are afraid to hug, kiss, or even play their nieces and nephews because someone might take it wrong. I've been given the stink eye while sketching and writing at a park because I was a lone male there, to the point a cop showed up and talked with me for a bit before heading on.

no. no no no. not at all. i do not know any child av's who participate in adult-child sexual roleplay. i like all the child av's i know. i have a folder that is a child av, when i feel like it. i think they are terrific and i totally welcome them into SL's atmosphere. please reread my very last paragraph.

(edit: my last sentence does appaer to have me lumping everyone together, but that's not wut i meant. what i meant was that it is wrong for SL to ban child av's from grid activities because even the bad ones who show up to such public activities will behave as well as the good ones... i do not mean that good av's do bad things in private. i did nt mean that at all. i'm not sure if that even explains it, but hopefully you get what i mean)

now, those pregnant talking belly's is another thing entirely.

Well said



But as a business LL has to protect itself---knowing how easily misunderstandings can happen. I just wish they had learned this sooner.

But I feel for the non-sexual rp child avi users and blame LL for allowing itself to become a target, by attempting to deny any responsibility for anything and making it so easy for sickos to enter SL anonymously---thus creating a reputation--and innocent child and family Rp--gets caught up in the controversy.

Some people say, "I have never seen child avi's having sex" and that may be true, but I think many people's experience in Sl is very different. It is easy to be oblivious to it, until you accidentally discover it is happening all around you and you start loggin in to find child avatars and ponys, having group sex in your house. It can be very creepy.

OK. I'll bite.

How many times have you found child avatars and ponys having group sex in your house?
Anyone??

I had it happen three times different avatar names.

I also recall, upon learning for the first time about, turning off camera restraints and increasing draw distance, and scrolling around the island---not intentionally trying to snoop-----there was Child avatar sex in two corners of the island and pony sex in a sky box all happening simultaneously. I was like WTF? I had been on the island for some time and knew people had avatar sex---so what---but I never had any idea this stuff had been happening. I was oblivious to it. After that incident I made sure I do not scroll around into people's houses, cause really I don't want to know what they are doing and I am not about to AR people for that and be involved in any way.

Never seen that.

In my time on SL, I have been propositioned twice. I have had friendships with two child avatars who were involved in sexual ageplay: one left last march, the other reformed then. I have been aware of many of the main places where such happened. I've seen that the majority of child avatars are not involved with such, and that most places catering to child avatars are opposed to such activities.

Mari