What is "Offensive Material"?

That's a reason why I didn't comment on the post directly, as that view is full of holes and inconsistencies.

But they seemed to react to my indirect comment, which would suggest that they know they're not doing as they're supposed to.


I guess you have to expect it from a forum.

I would call it the charm of a forum *smiles*

Morwen.

Pratyeka, sincerely, I am offended by your statement. You are trivializing a very important civil liberties question. In addition, in a bizarrely confrontive and offensive leap, you seem to be implying that the OP (or anyone who asks this question) raised it because s/he wishes to sell porn or something.

Personally I find attempts to stifle free expression infiintely more offensive than nude pictures ala Maplethorpe. And, frankly, from your posting I have no idea whether you would find Maplethorpe offensive. So, in addition, I think you have not clarified the issue.

I am bothering to post because, on first coming into SL, I found the flowering of D/S activities astounding. Then, on exploring those parts of SL further, I learned much about the psychology of D/S and its fascination for many. Apparantly, many more than I had ever suspected. And I learned to regard that corner of the human psyche as not sick, but as just one more facet to human experience ... and not one to be feared. Tho no longer in it, as D/S usually simply doesn't suit me, I emerged from the experience with a sense of relief that the vast majority of participants are not closet sickos, but just people like me with different tastes. Would I escort my daughter around Bondage Playground? No. But it is infinitely tamer than much of the internet, and I am glad such places were around when I joined, and would be sad to see them go. I learned something there, and to me learning is SLs biggest pleasure.

SL, to me, is a place where I can be an armchair sociologist ... a place that allows me to swiftly explore the infinite varieties of other peoples' cultures, needs, experience. To stifle the place in order to enforce a lowest-common-denominator definition of decency would, I think, squash the tone of freedom that has allowed diffferent subcultures to flourish in SL.

So please, confine YOUR morality to YOUR subculture.

You arent going to get a straight answer on this one becuase the simple fact is Linden Labs is not consistant on this topic.

Thats why I said "No One knows."

------------------------------

For example you are supposed to be allowed nudity, and violent and other "Broadly Offensive Content" on Mature land --- Per the Indecency clause of the Community Standards.

Written by Dan L (supposedly according to his interveiw) way back

However in the Blog Post Dan L said that:

"The diversity of things to see and do within Second Life is almost unimaginable, but our community has made it clear to us that certain types of content and activity are simply not acceptable in any form. Real-life images, avatar portrayals, and other depiction of sexual or lewd acts involving or appearing to involve children or minors; real-life images, avatar portrayals, and other depictions of sexual violence including rape, real-life images, avatar portrayals, and other depictions of extreme or graphic violence, and other broadly offensive content are never allowed or tolerated within Second Life."


Thus using the same Blanket term to say things that are never allowed.

The same person using the same term leads you to think the terms mean the same thing - but obviously they cant.


---------------------

So the final answer is "No one knows" as far as I can tell.

If a certain religious group took over and banning depictions of violence would be the most smart economical thing to do, the vagueness of the "offensive material" rule allows for that. "Offensive material" is the stuff you get rid of in order to maintain the best possible image, avoid bad press and stuff.

The beautiful thing about deliberately vague wording is that the meaning can always change to suit the moment.

Coincidentally, if you wanted to eradicate a number of different "offensive elements" from the community, it would probably be more effective to target each group you intended to remove individually rather than all at once as a whole in order to prevent them from uniting, counting on the fact that people will never intervene where their own self-interests aren't directly impacted. Sort of a "divide and conquer" approach.

"When they came for me ..."

A political move.

And politics is full of lies and deceit. Illusionists mastering the art of manipulation through words and pictures to gain an advantage.

Ok i believe that LL is very intentionally vague about this so that they do not have to act every time somebody see's something that personally offends them.

and personally i prefer it being vague to it being specific. Simply put, if they do NOT make a very detailed rule, they can ignore 99% of the things that go on

Me personally i find hypocrisy MUCH more offensive than anything sexual i have seen in SL

The answer is: Everything.

Absolutely everything in SL is offensive to someone, somewhere.

So forget about it. Be civil, play nice, when in Rome do as the Romans do, and don't worry.

You want us to slaughter lots of animals (and a few people) and throw up a lot?

*cheers* Well-written and well-said!

This is going to take significant study and an indepth investigation. I have sat around without contributing anything to SL long enough, and I hereby announce my intention to pull my weight from here on out by volunteering to study this matter fully and thoroughly. If everyone could please IM me in world so that I can examine you. I will need quite a few people, since this study is worthless without a statistically significant sample. In order to incentivze participants, every woman who submits...er...volunteers for an examination will receive a free limited edition biplane, which may or may not actually fly, since I still haven't bothered to unpack it.

Thank you for this opportunity to serve the people of SL who do not want to be subjected to offensive breasts and thin people.

Carrie Nation had a set agenda at least. Sometimes I think Freddie Krueger Linden is in charge of this bunch.......

How good of you to shoulder this terrible burden.

What do you find offensive?

Whatever your response is THAT'S your answer!

Could also be different depending where you live at too as each country has different standards and how they would apply it to online services in general.

If they're TOO big, they would be counted as sploders!

Why must you insist that people think for themselves?

Why do you think?

Nah it's the stick thin women with huge boobs who have to "shoulder the burden." Can anyone say back problems and massive support bras?

Oh, now you're gonna make me do it.

In terms of violence it's apparently the sort of stuff you'd find on rotten.com. You don't need to go there, trust me on this one.

Touche.

But then, this is SL, where we get to live out our fantasies. Seriously, I can find more people with astonishing figures in just one sim than I'll see all day in real life. I'm guilty of it myself.

I think he is wanting us to crucify those we don't agree with.

I bet you hope it has something to do with Orgies......