An Experiment in Psychology - those who know me, and nudity

I disagree with this. As a group, we decide what we want the Forum Hangout to be. We're friendly to new people, but that doesn't mean we have to be another Shelter. From the very beginning, I never thought anything different than that the Hangout is a mature place, and that adult humor and attitudes are prevalent there. I will point out emphatically that I've been told time and time again that in a by-the-book way I'm ALWAYS welcome there; the isolated incidents of nudity isn't something that happens all the time, and the notion that there's times less appropriate for kid avatars than others isn't a hard and fast rule, but merely a convention that the membership has fallen into.

I would hope that people would be at least a little freaked out if I showed up somewhere as a human.

The "dirty little boy"? All - ALL - little boys have "dirty" minds - meaning of course a pre-teen and a teenager viewpoint on women, girls and sex. Please point me in the direction of one boy who hasn't got a lascivious intent.

I consider myself a special case (who doesn't? ). I consider my avatar to be the only thing about me that's child-like. Except on rare occasions (usually for humorous reasons), I don't think I really "roleplay" a child character. I don't make an effort to youngen-up my speech, or my affect. I don't wear kid's clothes (although I suppose any clothes could be said to become "kids clothes" when worn on a child avatar, because they shrink down to size). I live in my own "house", I don't RP attending school. Two possibilities:

1. My "RL" personality is sufficiently immature/young/sophomoric/whatever you deem it, that I unwittingly reinforce my SL kid image simply by being "me". If that's true, then I'd say my choice of avatar as self-expression is a VERY good one indeed.

2. While my "actions" and attitudes may not be childlike, it doesn't matter because the mere image of a child is enough all by itself to evoke the sorts of reactions people have in SL to child avatars, which is often the same as their reactions to real children - and after said reactions have been evoked, changing your appearance simply can't unring the bell. I'm more inclined to believe this because - well, ask any self-proclaimed adult avatar that's been kicked out of a club for being "a child avatar" based on their height.

I was never interested in 16 or younger age boys. Most women arent. Boys are too clumsy.

I didn't. I was 19 when I first realized that boy + boy = sex was even a possibility. I found boys attractive before that, but I didn't know that those were sexual feelings, and I certainly had no intent to do something I had never even imagined.

an "awkward age" - meaning he's got girls on his mind and he prolly masturbates.

I have a family member who is also a gay male but I bet he still masturbated when he was 13 or 14.

The "dirty little boy"? All - ALL - little boys have "dirty" minds - meaning of course a pre-teen and a teenager viewpoint on women, girls and sex. Please point me in the direction of one boy who hasn't got a lascivious intent. And I don't just mean teenagers.

Of course you were tongue in cheek over "pure and innocent" but as far as being allowed into even the sl world of conversations on sex when you are a child ava. well, that will never happen even if people here protest and say it will. In a real sense, BEING Dakota has excluded you from adulthood here as soon as people realize from your profile you are masquerading as an adult when you appear as one.

Frankly, I don't trust a child av. Sooner or later he or she will point out they are a child and I must quell my attitides or speech.

In that respect, child avs ar eprobably the most "political" and aggressive group intent on policy making and changing in sl. They are almost "off-limits" as far as criticism goes. Everyone looks askance when anyone critiques them.

Do we have a right to be children in sl? Of course we do. Do I have a right to ignore the fact that I am really standing in front of a midget dressed in doll's clothes? Of course I do. I'm sorry to all child avs in sl, but I won't play along.

Can't imagine this happening as I would not walk around nude in public anyway~

I wouldn't say anything. I think Dakota is hip to what is going on and would take the appropriate action himself.

Really , you kinda confirm what I have said. It's BECAUSE you rp a young boy I would avoid you in sl.

I couldnt possibly have an adult/adult conversation with you there. You are what we would call a "fan-base age" or "jail-bait" or "boy" and therefore off-limits to people who interact with youth in any real sense of the word "profession". It's probable your sl friendships are extended to you from people whose real work does not involve children or who are maternal/paternal. I don't have (and never had) those feelings.

And have a strange odour.

Hey, don't I get a prize for posting this?

Hey, don't I get a prize for posting this?

Brenda's coolness goes without saying, the same way you don't have to say "it's daytime" or "it's nighttime" - it's something that everyone can see for themselves.

Well you got me there - but SURELY if we're all like that then it's part of the natural order and we can't be faulted for it. Evolution, and all that! Besides, have you even SEEN some of the photos in the undying thread?

Hmmm so boys who come on too strong should just have a benevolent smile cast their way? Really, I go much more for a sophisticated man who dampens his sex drive until we are friends first.

Thoroughly blameless!

I have rarely been on Undying thread and havent seen pics by anyone. Not so sure I want to now!

Well yes - I'm not protesting or anything. I'm aware that my choice of avatar excludes me from things - conversations as well as places. My only point is that I find it interesting how, amongst my friends-who-are-adults, that initial choice of avatar has pretty much barred me from such things FOREVER, even if I change my avatar choice.

Well, we're all adults here. I wouldnt be able to converse with you here if you were really 14. No 14 year old holds this level of talk. Maybe a girl might but I doubt even that. Yes, I think "Dakota" is now forever a boy. I know I would never see you in any other light.

As to my profile, though - I'm not so sure. I'm not in-world at the moment, but I think my profile is kinda ambiguous as to whether I'm a kid av or not.

Ambiguous is the first hint I would look for. And in forum you are definitely rp-ing. (Not today however)


I promise I will never do this. Not just for you, but anyone - I've always said so.

"Promises, promises" - no, you might not, but trust in sl is like the chicken who asked a fox to carry her across a stream. "I promise" he said and ate her. When she asked why, he said "It's in my nature". Dont trust anyone here, Dakota, just be wise to human ways. (Spoken as an older sister might speak to a zitty brother)

I disagree! Prokofy Neva is one of the most well-known and visible members of SL and he HATES kid avatars and makes no secret of it - but that hasn't caused some kind of huge backlash against him. He gets along just fine running his business or whatever the heck it is he does when he's not complaining about something.

Hmmm. Not a powerful argument there. You know precisely what I mean.

Ah...but how does this square up with "To me you're always gonna be a kid"?

So really...the "awkward age" is from 13 until... death.

Naw. Lol You are definitely a man. You take everything literally.
Awkward is 13 to 18. Then you just become ungainly and sloppy. Finally by the time you are 50 you become charming.

Awwww..you just won a tshirt.

Indeed, the sloppy comes naturally, but you have no idea how hard some of us have to work to be ungainly, and we can only aspire to awkwardness.

...are you saying you don't like me?


I do NOT! You take that back!

On the other hand, there's another thought-provoking question. I don't believe I've ever really indicated, in either chat or my profile, what "age" my avatar is supposed to be. This is mostly because I didn't have a specific age in mind, really, at the time I made it.

Anyone: if you were to put my avatar's age at a number, what would it be and why?

Jig: what about people whose childhoods WEREN'T "-ing brilliant"? Who didn't get to really be a child the first time around?