Opinions Needed!!! Building Communities in SL

Ok, this is an experiment. I've no idea if it will work, but ...

The SL Left Unity Feminist Network, of which I am a member, has proposed, and will be building, an exhibit for SL6B (that's SL's 6th Birthday celebrations for those you not into acronyms). The theme of the exhibit is "Working Together for Fair and Inclusive Communities in Second Life"; I have pasted the thematic description straight from our proposal below, in the second posting.

While the exhibit does have a polemical point ... that consensus building, toleration, and mutual respect can be employed to build communities within SL at the grassroots level ... I want to include a diversity of opinions about various different subjects as part of the exhibit. Real opinions. YOUR opinions. Even when they take issue with this polemical point.

Accordingly, I would ask willing participants to post their thoughts and beliefs on any of the broad subjects I list below here.

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PLEASE DO SO ONLY IF YOU ARE WILLING TO LET ME CITE OR QUOTE THEM AS PART OF THE EXHIBIT.

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Although the exhibit DOES express a particular perspective, I will endeavour to present any opinions that I cite in the exhibit in an immediately neutral fashion. In other words, even where I disagree with what you say, I will NOT be framing them this kind of way: "Some fascists believe that "[your quote here]."

I will contact anyone whose quote I use individually for permission before I use it, and when I do so, I will show you the textual context within which it will occur. All opinions will be given anonymously, but the exhibit will likely include a link to this thread (unless, of course, this thread becomes fixated on the subject of naked dancing avatars).

I cannot guarantee that I will use your quote, nor that I will use all of it. Please don't write me an essay, and please avoid defamatory, inflammatory, or "adult rated" language. In general, SHORT, pithy, articulate and thoughtful quotes are what I am looking for. And again, I am NOT interested merely in quotes that agree with the theme of the exhibit: indeed, I am truly looking for diverse opinions, in part to illustrate the CHALLENGES of achieving consensus, mutual understanding, etc.

Some of the themes upon which I am looking for opinions include:

- What is a "community"?

- Second Life as a "Community of Communities"

- Facets of Individuality: Gender

- Facets of Individuality: Sexuality and sexual identity

- Facets of Individuality: Ethnicities

- Tolerance and Hate; "Freedom" and "Censorship"

- Individual Freedoms and Collective Responsibilities

- Community self-monitoring and policing

- Community governance structures

It would be helpful if you identified which of these you are commenting on.

And thanks in advance for your contributions!!!

The theme of this exhibit, created and assembled by the SL Left Unity Feminist Network, is upon building and sustaining inclusive and welcoming communities within Second Life. Second Life itself has become an enormously vibrant and diverse community that embraces cultures and perspectives from around the world. While this diversity is without question one of its greatest strengths, it also presents an enormous challenge. How are we to keep Second Life a virtual environment that is safe, welcoming, and inclusive to all, regardless of gender, sexuality, race, or culture?

The SL Left Unity Feminist Network believes that answer to this question lies in harnessing the power of consensus building and grass-roots community building. We embrace the model of community monitoring and policing currently in place, and believe that this can serve as the foundation for further innovative approaches to community management in Second Life that will ensure that no one ever feels threatened or unwelcome in-world. In the process, we wish to demonstrate that Second Life is itself powerful tool that can teach us to bridge real life divisions and create model communities that will ensure inclusiveness and fairness in the physical world cultures of which we are all a part.

Oh. Forgot to mention: if you would prefer not to make you opinions public on this forum, please feel free to send me a notecard in-world.

I would have thought that the concept of a specifically Feminist group working for a "Fair and Inclusive Community" was paradoxical.

Pep (A bit like vegetarians offering to plan your Christmas/Thanksgiving dinner. )

PS But don't quote me.

Oh Pep!

This thread was just about to slide off the first page with no replies.

Now that you have ruined it, I may as well give my opinion ...
The OP and the SL Left Unity Feminist Network are not to be trusted.

Please feel free to use this quote.

Lol, I was hoping that too. Seeing as it's at the top now I'll join you and say I agree totally.

And will add that I think the op and they that they are seriousl and malicious griefers.

I thought I was very good in not starting off another flame thread by pointing out the OP's incorrect use of the word "acronym".

Pep (Ooops!)

I was hoping also that this would end up generating nothing but silence, but as it hasn't:

Here's a quote you can use. Under the heading of Tolerance and Hate; "Freedom" and "Censorship" .....



This in itself is a very telling statement. Strongly indicative of the hatred you already hold for people who don't think the way that you do, and as such, totally invalidates the entire objectivity you claim this project is supposed to be promoting. Tolerance cannot be promoted by practicing intolerance.

Quote that.

"Facets of Individuality: Gender

- Facets of Individuality: Sexuality and sexual identity

- Facets of Individuality: Ethnicities" These concepts do not work together. When you lump someone into a group, they are no longer an individual but a number, a cog, a drone.

- Tolerance and Hate; "Freedom" and "Censorship" The best way to change an idea is to challenge it in open debate. Censorship should never be used. "Hate" is a strawman used to demonize opponents. Say your opponent is "racist", "sexist", "homophobic" or any other of the titles so attractive to the people who would shut down all debate and you can ignore what your opponent has to say.

- Individual Freedoms and Collective Responsibilities The individual is more important than society. There are no such things as "Collective Responsibilities" unless they are enforced at the point of a gun.

- Community self-monitoring and policing Witch hunts and lynch mobs

- Community governance structures "Resist Much, Obey Little" Walt Whitman

Many thanks for this Chris! I particularly like your last point. Your comment about "labels" is also good (and well-taken).

Um. The "some fascists" thing was a joke, R&R . . . but, yeah, whatever.

You can gather all the quotes you want....but in a recent thread, you very clearly demonstrated that you have no interest in defining or understanding or building the following:



That thread was chock full of Opinions.



There was no evidence of "consensus building"....and no evidence of "bridging real life divisions".....no evidence of "ensuring inclusiveness"....no evidence of "fairness".....

......and certainly no evidence of Tolerance.

All of the quotes in the world, plastered on a billboard for public viewing in that type of venue will mean nothing unless the people reading them are inspired and moved by an organization and it's leaders who clearly demonstrate these qualities, from their hearts and souls..... and take ACTION ....each and every day.

Actions speak louder than words. And plastering quotes and opinions on a billboard is not the Action that I am talking about.

You do not have my permission to include the above in your display.....when I contribute to an organization or cause that inspires me....I contribute actions.....not words.....and am not inspired to do so in this case, based on your attitude toward participants in a recent thread.

Can we at least have consensus on the importance of pie?

PIE is not as good as cheese cake and one day everyone will fall to my cheesecake movement..
because cheese cake is pie and cake at the same time!!
ViVA la revolutin \o

Chocolate brownies -- the gooey kind -- are far superior to any pie or cake.

omg you win!!
you're good

Chocolate fudge pie combines the strengths of both.

oooh, and throw some strawberries in a slightly sweet sauce on top....mmmmmm

Banoffee pie is great as well

The problem with pie -- pie crust. Unless it is the kind made from crushed chocolate cookies, course. Traditional pie crust, however, sucks.

The good thing about brownies -- nothing to interfere with the good gooey chewy chocolate.

What evil rumors are you spreading? Chocolate cookie pie crust is as traditional as graham crackers!

The best pie crust in the world is to be found on a Melton Mowbray pork pie. Careful though, it makes your hands so greasy you are in danger of dropping your pint.

I must say, this thread is going surprisingly well now!

Pies of all sorts, brownies . . . Yummy. I feel my left ventricle slamming shut.

Since all relevant opinions were given in a previous thread, this now is going swimmingly well with all the work out of the way.

Second Life gives us the freedom to be who or what we want, where ever we want. We can build as we please, act as we please, bling as we please. These are all individual freedoms. There is, however, a point within Second Life where individual wants and needs should subsume themselves to the needs of the community. Large gatherings of people require that all individuals work together to reduce lag by removing scripted objects, flexible and alpha-textured attachments, and other items that may tax both Linden Lab servers and individual computers.

Each sim on the grid can be seen as a micro-community; each landowner, while allowed complete individual freedom, has a responsibility to not overwhelm the limited resources of that sim. These owners include Linden Lab itself, which owns many InfoHubs around the grid and does nothing to honor the rights of the remaining sim land owners. Unfortunately, "the tragedy of the commons" is all too evident in these cases.

This is a telling conclusion, as it's totally unrelated to the piece you quoted. It may, perhaps, be justified by other statements, but it seems as though you've already reached this conclusion and simply picked some arbitrary statement from this thread to pretend that it proves your point.