No Class Sellers Offering "tribute" Items

I dunno. There was a costume from one of his music videos up there minutes after the announcement. I can't think someone could've made the item AND the pose with it AND the product page in that short an amount of time.

That said of course there will always be opportunists. OJ Trial T shirt, anyone?

I'm 51 I beat him.

Michael Jackson would probably be saddened that his shirts are selling for only L$10. That is approx 25 cents US. I hope that when I die that my shirts are at least going for L$100

I dunno, personally I think the only reason to sell anything in SL is to make a few Lindens. If someone is clever enough to sell exactly what people want when they want it then power to them. What I have a problem with are the people who rabidly buy this crap after someone famous dies, especially when they didn't care before he died. Why are they doing it? Possibly to have a piece of memorabilia that may be worth even more some day? Perhaps they too realize the importance of the timing and that it's unlikely more of this particular crap will be made for much longer? I mean, really, how sad are they over the death of someone they didn't even know? In MJ's case they have probably have been making jokes about for years.

There isn't anything crass about selling it. Personally I have more issues with those buying it. My RL boyfriend is a horder like that. He has tons of crap that he won't even open, all sealed in original packaging in case it's worth something some day. That's pathetic if you ask me. He can't even enjoy his crap, it's all about the money. How crass *rolls eyes*

I know one item of clothing that will fetch a high price.

I can't say I disagree with the OP......if only because it demonstrates that human beings are hypocrates by nature........that's why Capitalism works.

But....I don't disagree entirely with capitalism either......it DOES work. But sometimes....it makes me pretty sick.....ever been to Vatican City? If you have....I don't need to explain.....if you haven't....well.....lets just say religeon and capitalism are a perfect couple.

You're not talking about https://uncensored.xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=1577866 are you?

I think it's a pretty far stretch to say that capitalism works, more like it sucks less than the rest of the current options, most of the time But you're right, this is purest capitalism. A fool and his money are soon parted. But if you had no fools you'd have a stagnant economy.

What about biographies on tv or the movies? Is it okay for them to make money of those? How long of a wait do you think is ok before a marketer can sell Michael Jackson? Should the tv networks wait a few weeks? Months? a year or more?

Rolls eyes... your item got pulled idiot!

I watched an interview w/Joe Jackson tonight on CNN. He made the statement that he wished his son could see all this now. All the fuss/hoopla over his death and how he should have been celebrated like this in life. Isn't that the way it works tho? Did we see "tribute" items on Xstreet BEFORE this? NO... there will ALWAYS be losers trying to make a profit off of a famous person's death... but my ORIGINAL post had to do w/sellers on Xstreet not RL in general. I mean come on. People selling an outfit for 50L on up? One seller even stated that "all of the sales for their item would go to Micheal Jackson's FAVORITE charity". RIIIIIIGHT.... since when does his charities accept Lindens? It's NOT like Relay for Life that earn enough to cash in for REAL money. What? this other seller was going to donate 20 bucks he earned on Xstreet? RIIIIIGHT!

It's the same items Doreese, just retitled, and marketed to catch people's attention. I'm not sure why you are so angry with this. Maybe they really do mean it as a tribute.

When the tv networks air their tributes should they air it without commercials and pay for the airtime themselves?

Money is not intrinsically evil, and anyway how do you know the content creators don't donate to something in MJ's name with the proceeds? If it doesn't happen within SL you don't believe it happens, or something? I personally don't like in world charity drives, there is no guarantee it will go where it's supposed to. But I don't get furious about them either.

I think you are misplacing your anger about MJ's death onto some video game content creators who had nothing to do with it.

The thing that gets me, and the reason for my participation in this thread, is the way people change the way they think about someone when they die. Last week this guy was mostly referred to as Wacko Jacko and most references to him were a joke at his expense. Now all of a sudden he's the Prince of Pop again and is spoken of with respect.

It occurs to me that when someone is alive we tend to think of them as they currently are. Allowing for the changes that have happened along the way, and Michael Jackson is a perfect case for this point. He was indeed once well respected but his eccentricities did a number on his career and, for several years now, he's been dismissed as a sad joke. However, when someone dies people tend to look at their life as a whole and measure a person for his/her accomplishments and contributions - and they usually fare much better than they did in life. This is not limited to famous people.

This is the perspective that I would like to bring to people's attention. We tend to appreciate each other much more in death than we do in life. And it is this perspective that leads to the idiotic buying frenzy of memorabilia after a famous person dies. It is not the seller that has the problem, it is the buyers. Had they not had a sudden change in their perspective on Michael Jackson after he died they would not be wanting to buy a bunch of crap with his picture on it now that he is dead.

How do you know the people buying it did not already enjoy him/his music but didn't want to say so outwardly because of the ridicule they'd face. I mean, everyone's jumping to a whole host of conclusions.

Also it's just human nature to see someone through rose colored glasses just after their passing. But remember not long after Elvis and Marilyn and James Dean died the scandal mills began churning again. So give it time, you will be hearing "wacko Jacko" again. :/

Well, you're right. This could indeed be the case. I don't think that someone who feels that kind of shame about someone they admire is any more evolved than the person I described though



Again I agree, this behavior is indicative of the current state of human nature. That doesn't mean that we can't take a look at what we're doing and grow up a little bit more though. It used to be human nature for men to club women over the head and drag them off. We've gotten past that for the most part, this should be much easier really.

I'm not saying that we should stop appreciating people when they die, I'm saying we should start appreciating them while they are alive. Hopefully without having to fear ridicule for doing so.

Sorry I'm having trouble understanding why all the uproar about some items for sale on a site servicing a video game. People are genuinely upset someone made a cartoon Thriller outfit?

Really?

I'm a bit confused at this statement. The creators of these items DID create the items and were just trying to make a few Lindens from his death and calling them "tribute". When I started this thread, it had NOTHING to do w/rl vultures. As to where my anger is directed, it is at those creators/sellers that had put items on Xstreet, calling them tribute then charging for the items when in reality where just trying to profit from his death. Then another creator stating that "all Lindens earned were going to his favorite charity". yeah right! This DID anger me and I thought it was LOW CLASS for others to make "tribute" items then CHARGE for them. Therefore, I created TWO complete outfits (male & female) that were HIGHER QUALITY & BETTER than those offered on Xstreet and posted them ABSOFRIGGINGLUTELY FREE. Within 24 hours, over 600 had viewed and got the outfits. Yesterday, Xstreet pulled all or most of these items for copy right/trademark tos violations. EVEN the free ones. I was wondering when I created the outfits when/if they would do that. It was MY WAY of offering a TRUE tribute FREE and fighting back with the low life losers scum bags that were just trying to make Lindens from his death.

As to the statement from another regarding glorifying him in death, that always happens when celebrities die. The term "wacko Jacko" was given to him by the same media that is praising him now.

My point being... YES create "tribute" items but charging for them? A true tribute should come from the heart NOT the wallet.

Again, Doreen:

That is YOUR definition of "tribute" - not everyone sees money as evil.

You are assuming they are not fans or are insincere.

You are also assuming they will not exchange the lindens (people can also use dollars on XL Street by the way) for dollars and then send that to charity as promised. How is it any different if it's collected in SL? Eventually lindens will be exchanged for dollars either way. It can all be done on the internet, even the donations.

You are accusing people of your projections and suppositions basically. The only thing you really have to go by is the timing. And again, a lot of these were for sale long before his death.

(By the way, if you want to donate to a charity or make a tribute to him there are loads of ways to do both that have nothing to do with trademarks OR Second Life.)

No, Doreese is correct, these people are indeed trying to make a few extra Lindens by making objects that others will now want to buy specifically because someone died, hence profiting from his death. I'm saying power to them if people are stupid enough to give them their money.

Doreese confuses the definition of tribute with charity somehow and thinks something is not a tribute unless it is offered for free. I don't know why.



That was me. My point here is that yes, this does indeed always happen. But maybe it's time to start thinking differently about this so that it doesn't always happen.

Well I find it amazing you can both see through computer screens into people's minds and hearts, to state their motivations so unequivocally.

I disagree, or more accurately, I find myself singularly lacking this amazing ability.

BTW Sorry, I meant Doreese, not Doreen.

Melita, I really didn't mean to engage with you on this but I fail to see how stating that someone is selling something for the purpose of making money requires much insight, especially in this case.

I am agreeing that people are profiting from this death. I see nothing crass or "no class", as the OP put it, about doing this. The problem isn't with the sellers, it's with the buyers. Have they ever stopped to ask themselves why they all of a sudden feel the need to have this stuff just because the person died? Just because that's what always happens isn't good enough for me

Where's the Billy Mays items???

With the lightning face pace of today's social media, there's no time to waste if you want to cash in on MJ's demise. In a month or two, everybody will have twittered on to the next big 'event' and the only hardcore MJ fans will be left to carry the torch.

You don't have to "look thru their screens and into their minds" because its OBVIOUS. Charging for a tribute item for profit is disrespectful, low class and scummy. Simple.

Why weren't there TRIBUTE items BEFORE his death? Afterall, like him or not.. he DID accomplish a lot in LIFE not DEATH. Simple.

Agrees