Age Play versus Bars {Troll Bait}

Many people have argued that Age Play is sick and demented. In support of this, they point towards the facts that sometimes people meet online, then meet in person, then someone dies. They argue that, in this instance, Linden Labs should he held accountable for this behavior, and the possibility of this stuff happening.

Every year, people meet in bars. Every year, hundreds, if not thousands, of those meets end badly. Lots of people are hurt. Lots of people are killed. Lots of children molested because they were in a place they should not have been {a bar}. Now, should those bars be held responsible and accountable for those people who are hurt or killed because of who they met in them? Should bars be held accountable should an underage person end up being hurt or killed by meeting someone there?

Second Life is a platform. A bar is a bar. People meet on the Second Life Platform. People meet in bars. People sometimes get hurt who meet in Second Life. People sometimes get hurt who meet in bars. Some kids think it's great fun to sneak in to SL on the adult grid. Some kids think it's great fun to sneak in to bars illegitimately. Eventually, some kids will be hurt and killed by sneaking in to Second Life in this way. Children are already hurt and killed by sneaking in to bars. People pretend to be something they're not in Second Life. People pretend to be something they're not in bars.

Now, the ultimate question being asked by everyone is "Who should be held accountable when someone gets hurt?" The Conservative Theocrats whish to blame everyone, including the individuals, and they scream about it. The Liberal Heathen Seperatists, on the other hand, say it's the individuals, not the institutions, at fault, since people lie all the time, and it was these lies that in fact caused all the trouble.

Which side are you on?

Personally, I believe if people were a little more respectful of the rules and a little more caring to each other, and lots more tolerant of each others differences, life would be a much more pleasant experience, and these things would never happen. As it is, life is a hell, and death is the highest blessing, the greatest gift, a person can ever give or recieve.

I agree completely. LL should ban bars in SL!

Tess

I'm a Liberal Heathen Seperatist.

Lynn, although I don't agree on your SL & bars analogy... I completely feel that LL (or any meeting place on the web) has absolutely no responsibility whatsoever. That is unless the web meeting place is known for, harvesting, and enabling meetups which lead to violence. ... and SL is not that.

SL is simply a medium for communication. Just because it looks like a cartoon doesn't mean it's kids stuff.

If someone makes a random phonecall by picking a name out of the yellowpages, then calls that person up, invites them out, and murders the victim, is the phone company responsible? Is the yellowpages responsible?

The only one at fault is the person that agreed to the meetup.

And, usually the people that are suing are the family members who have nowhere to project their anger, so they try to take it out on anything they can so they can try to find some form of justice, and also make money in the process...

Are we our brothers keepers ? Whom does the bell toll for, it tolls for thee ?
I see SL as one huge socialogical experiment...will it become a Sodom and Gamorah? Will there be a "Lot" looking for 10 good ppl?

Some just stay in their own spaces here, not wanting much to venture out anymore, never knowing what you will come across, or if you will even be welcomed if you do.

About the time i get all depressed about it, low and behold some really neat person comes along...or a new place is built and once again i believe...there really are 10 good ppl left...

This is exactly why I really dislike lawyers. As I parent I take responsiblity for who my children talk to, not LL, not yahoo, not the yellow pages. If something happens, its my fault for letting my children do whatever they want without warning them of what could happen and the person on the other end harming my child. My children do go online and play some game which I do not remember the name of. I do know what they are doing.

Lawyers are Bad when they place the blame on a company to get more cash.

Well the bar analogy really doesn't work.
A) Bars (at least in the US) check people's ID before letting them stay.
B) Not too many 12 yr olds can get away with sneaking into a bar.

I really don't understand the connection in your post to ageplay. You mentioned it once at the beginning and then the rest of your post had nothing to do with it. And even your reference to it didn't make much sense. The two points made have nothing to do with one another.

Some people think age play is sick and have said so.
Some people think meeting in RL is dangerous and have said so.
The two have nothing to do with one another.
The person doing the hurting maybe? Or would that be too logical?

When LL did away with identity verification I hated that and still do. But at the end of the day if there are kids in SL the people at fault are their parents for allowing it.

This sentence makes no sense whatsoever.

Something about what you said, your name being lowercased, and "my 2cents worth" instead of two makes me want to stab you in the jaw. Does that make me a bad person?

"Personally, I believe if people were a little more respectful of the rules and a little more caring to each other, and lots more tolerant of each others differences, life would be a much more pleasant experience, and these things would never happen. As it is, life is a hell, and death is the highest blessing, the greatest gift, a person can ever give or recieve."

The problem with that is that rules we place and the differences that people have often contradict each other. When people live by the rules we give them for every matter in life, our differences become extremely less. But you are right. These things wouldn't happen anymore, mainly because we would be drones.

And I assure you, life is not a hell, and death is not the highest blessing. I come to this conclusion from the amount of people who say "I don't want to die" when a gun is pointed to their head. Be it metaphorical or not, it's still a stupid saying.

LL has no way to keep the sick and demented from entering SL. I mean...look at me.