Creators Needed to Help with a Worthy Project!

In part as a response to the recent furor over Gala Phoenix's "Battle Royale" skins, and in part as a way of marking October as Domestic Abuse Awareness Month, Isabeal Jupiter has decided to host a special "hunt" in aid of her local shelter for victims of abuse. She needs shop owners who are willing to contribute items to this hunt. The full details can be found at

http://netherworldsl.blogspot.com/2009/10/combat-domestic-violence.html?showComment=1256141117332#c6825879651889500435

Here is an excerpt from her blog posting there:


My bookstore will be contributing an item to assist with this really worthy and exciting event. I hope that you will consider contacting Isabeal with an offer of assistance as well.

is there any way to verify that the shelter exists and that funds will actually be directed to it?

Good point, Ralektra

Here's the web site for the shelter:

http://choicescolumbus.org/

I'm pretty sure this is legit, but there are other ways to check, which I will look into, and post here.

As for ensuring that funds are directed to it, that's something that I am sure can be worked out as Isabeal starts putting this together. I'll certainly want some form of confirmation of that.

I've sent in my notecard to Isabael.

I must say though that I totally disagree with the furor over the implications for what the Battle Royale skins were representative of and the call for a boycott. However, as Isabael, said quite astutely, "Let's do something about domestic violence that will actually make a difference instead of boycotting or arguing."

I also noted to her the tentative dates for the event covers Dec 6th, which has both national and personal significance to me.

Thanks Josh!

And I understand, and respect, your disagreement with me over the boycott.

back at you!

huh boycot?
I am willing to help with this as long as its verified and she still needs help.
can someone send me the link to this orig thing that started ppl talking please.

The cause of course is a good one. The odd thing about this "furor" is that Gala would agree, having evidently been a victim of domestic violence herself.

I accept that Prok leads a sheltered and delicate life , but I expected a little more critical thinking from you, Scylla!

And as for beat up skins .. I picked up mine at Nomine, during one of Munch's rare sales. An alt of mine picked up one free during a Tuli hunt. They have been around SL forever, both male and female. They come in handy during the occasional combat, or when making the point that an argument has been going on too long, for the vampire look on Halloween .. oh, every once in a while, like the drow skin or the fairy iridescent skin.

These skins have nothing to do with the issue of domestic violence. And as for your term 'rape skin' -- I have never seen any skin in SL marketed using that term, how repellent. Did you invent it?

Until I hear that you're dropping your bizarre call for a boycott of Gala, Alady, etc., I won't be supporting any cause you espouse.

ETA: this despite the fact that I enjoy you on a personal level, Scylla. But this is a REAL person's REAL income you are endangering with a campaign that is, imho, ill-conceived.

Sorry!

This seems a really mixed up and hyper-emotional over-reaction to something that seems to be below most people's radar.

Pep (I'm talking about the ridiculous transatlantic spelling of furore, of course.)

Any fundraiser for a RL charity or help organization usually has to go through the RL organization first, to get authentication. Then, you need to get a 'special' avatar set up to route all donations directly to the charity's RL account.

So, the person putting on the fundraiser needs to first talk to the organization, you need to find out what their charter/rules require.

Linden Labs then needs to be contacted by the organization and set up the arrangements. Otherwise you won't have any documentation or proof this is for a RL place/group and that all funds go directly to it.

I've obviously missed something, but people are trying to boycott Gala for her new skin line?!?! This honestly has made me mad!
WTF is wrong with you guys (the ones that were/are involved with a boycott)? I highly doubt Gala was like promoting domestic violence. As a matter of fact, even with out talking to Gala or knowing her, I'm going to say she wasn't doing so. TONS of people like beat up skins. I JUST bought one for roleplaying in District 13. AND it has nothing to do with domestic violence! Having the beat up skins allows the look that I have been fighting zombies. Maybe you guys need to think before you react.
I'm absolutely appalled anyone would boycott a wonderfully talented creator for creating something that has nothing to do with promoting domestic violence.
By the way, this is an alt account. I am a creator on my other account, which for some reason won't let me post to the forums anymore (go LL, gotta love it), so I'm forced to reply with this account. But my point is, I also will not be promoting any cause that OP is a part of. I will not associate myself with someone like that. Sorry.

I admire Scylla and respect her enormously, she is a friend, but I agree with you 100%. Sometimes we overthink things in SL due to our RL concerns, and spebd too much time worrying about what we think something represents as opposed to what it is, in SL terms. I was not aware of this situation before reading this thread, but to me it is definitely a tempest in a teapot.

Once again we are seeing the difficulty in deliniating Fantasy and RP from Reality in SL sometimes. It is happening more frequently it seems, and I don't see it getting any better.

A few points, the most important being first.

To those who might be willing help out with this fund-raising drive, but are unwilling or hesitant to do so because of my supposed involvement with it, I would urge you to check out the blog linked in the OP. This is NOT my project; my involvement is limited entirely to publicizing it, and donating a gift for the hunt. Isabeal is not only NOT taking part in the boycott; she came up with this idea, in some measure, because of her disapproval of it. Her blog posting should make this clear.

In other words, do NOT pass on the opportunity to help with this worthwhile project as a means of signaling your disapproval of me: I really have very little to do with it. You will be sending the wrong signal to the wrong person.

Secondly . . .

There is a reason why I have not started a thread or posted on this boycott here. Where possible, I have answered queries about it by PM. The designer in question is out of town and unavailable to comment until the beginning of November, so it seemed unfair to start something here while she was unable to respond. The other blog postings dealing with this were all started while she WAS available, and even on those I have tried to limit my postings to responses to criticisms of or attacks on myself.

So, I will not be engaging in a debate about the boycott here, or at least not for now, beyond making a few comments in response to a couple of the postings. My views on this have, in any case, been pretty amply expressed on Prok's blog, on Juicy Bomb, and on Shopping Cart Disco.

My few brief comments:

I did not rush to call for this boycott: I considered it long and carefully, and made my decision when discussion was already well advance on Prok's blog. I very nearly rescinded my call after I had spoken to the designer personally (in IM); I was, and am, persuaded (as I have said elsewhere) that she did not "intend" these skins to represent the effects of domestic abuse. For me, however, (and again, as I have made clear elsewhere), this is not about her intentions. A message that she sent, subsequent to my discussion with her, to Shopping Cart Disco, persuaded me to keep the boycott going. You can read that message for yourself and make your own determinations about what it is that she is communicating there, but in my judgment it differed pretty fundamentally in important regards from what she had said to me personally. That is all I can really say on that score: I have no intention of divulging our private exchange.

I chose a boycott because it seemed the least invasive and most "democratic" form of registering a protest. It does not attempt to "impose" a solution from the top down (as for example an AR or call for a ban would), but rather asks everyone to make their own independent determination as to whether the boycott is justified or not. I have often been told here in response to my criticisms of things in SL, "if you don't like it, don't go there/buy it." Essentially, all a boycott does is methodize this in such a way that that negative "vote" is made more manifest. Those who join the boycott are merely exercising their rights as consumers NOT to patronize this particular store: the only real difference is that the call for the boycott makes that decision more public. And that, of course, is its intention. Those who disagree with my views are, of course, well within their rights to shop there; I entirely respect that decision, as I hope others will MY right to register publicly my disapproval.

Nika, I hope that you know how much I both like you, and respect your opinion, and it really does pain me that you disapprove of this. At the same time, I am not exactly surprised: I know that you and I disagree pretty fundamentally on the importance that images such as these skins play in the formation of cultural attitudes. To me, the impact of such images is important enough to justify what some see as a pretty drastic response, the more so because the designer in question IS such a popular and "mainstream" one. I am, of course, well aware of the existence of other skins that are, in some cases, far worse than these, but most of these are sold by more obscure specialty designers. It is the introduction of these fairly graphic depictions into a mainstream context that makes this, for me, such an important case.

Personally, I doubt very much that this boycott is going to have a great deal of impact on this designer's income. That doesn't bother me: I have no wish to "punish" her, yet alone drive her out of business. But at some point, when I see something that is (to me) so clearly wrong, I have to make a public statement, and make it as effectively as possible. Anyone and everyone is welcome to disagree with my reasons for doing so, but I am afraid that I see a boycott as an entirely legitimate means of expressing my voice. If you disagree, vote with YOUR wallet, and buy something at the store in question: I entirely respect your right to do so.

ETA: Brenda, what I have said of Nika also applies to you. It DOES upset me that we are going to disagree on this. I hope that, even while you disagree, you can still to some degree understand and respect my reasons for taking this course of action.

One final point: "Rape skin" is not a term that I have invented: its origin lies in a skin that was being sold in SL within the last year, entitled "Raped." I describe the skin in my first posting on Prok's blog.

Cinders, thank you very much for this information, which I will pass on to Isabeal.

I will agree with Scylla that the cause itself is worthy, and should be supported in any event.And even though I disagree with her reasoning for her stance she has remained consistent in her views on the subject since the first day she started posting here, and has always made them known in an intelligent and calm manner, one of the things that I admire her for.

I will fall in with Brenda and others here in my personal respect and feelings of friendship for Scylla. After speaking in PM with Scylla yesterday, I followed the links she sent me, and read what is available on the topic, saw the pictures. Last night, I went over to Curio, and 2 other skin stores, that were mentioned in the 'skin comparison' thread yesterday, simply because I liked the looks of a couple of those skins shown. I personally only own Curio skins, and always have, so this does interest me. I stood and listened, in Curio store to the local chatter. The people looking at the new Battle Royale skin line were discussing it per their role play activities as combat skins. I also found a very, very similar skin in one of the other stores I visited last night. It also was billed as a combat skin. It also had running makeup. If I'd never seen this thread, or associations made, I never would have thought 'Domestic Abuse' or 'Raped' or 'Violence against Women' in particular when I saw these skins; I would have assumed they were created for role play. So for now, my personal jury is out and I look forward to reading more. I've read the brief comment Gala Phoenix made on Prok's blog and Scylla has spoken with her privately, I look forward to a more comprehensive statement from her in the future. Of course she does not 'have' to say a thing; I hope she does though. As a loyal customer for 2 years, exclusive to her skins, I really would like to hear what she has to say and will not make any stances that I may consider later, to be hasty at this point.

Always.

Fixed it for ya!

Pep (Dragging in the contentious element was entirely unnecessary and naively opportunistic of you. Shame on you for compromising what could have been an admirable promotion.)

I am delighted to hear that you think it is an admirable promotion, Pep. How will you be contributing?

I will, as usual, be knocking on doors in sl asking the inhabitants for contributions to a Home For Fallen Women.

Pep (I get all my gfs that way.)

If Prok doesn't like it, then it can't be all bad.

I dropped by Curio to check out the skins after reading these threads. I wouldn't have thought "domestic violence" either. The first thing I thought was something more Tank Girl or Road Warrior:



I suppose it's a matter of perspective.

/me gets ready for Pep's door knocking campaign.......(Mysti land tool in place? *check* Freeze, kick,eject, tp home all tested and working? *check*. ) Ok, I'm ready........

Oh and, all jesting aside, I will no doubt contribute on a personal level to the very good cause, just so you know that, Scylla. For me it has nothing to do with this Curio skin issue though. As you know (I think) I am a victim of domestic abuse and make no secret that this is why I am deaf today. So for me this issue is very up close and personal but has nothing to do with the Curio skins.

Understood, and thank you Treasure! It really IS a worthy thing Isabeal is trying to do.

As for Pep . . . given the mood all of this has put me in, if he comes knocking at MY door, he isn't going to need to purchase a "battle" skin . . .

Yeah, I agree. It seems very wrong IMO to impute an attitude or intention to the maker of the skins and then try and damage her business because one personally doesn't like the idea of beat up skins and what they represent to yourself.

I wouldn't particularly want such a skin but people might if they were RPing tough-gal fight scenes or something, and I *have* seen many others advertised and sold for both men and women. Surely it's up to them what they're RPing or depicting when wearing them.

It's one thing to comment or debate about the making and use of such skins per se, but another altogether when picking on one skin designer and agitating for a boycott. A step too far IMO Scylla.

ETA: Not read Prok's blog yet, but he/she (which is it? I'm never sure) just seems to like stirring up controversy. Well it's worked this time.
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Aes