Today's Registration Protests

I'd like to start a discussion on organizing today's protests at the birthday celebration. Jamie David and Allana Dixon, among others, have started the ball rolling already but I think if we want some critical mass to turn out we need to spread the word.

Jamie and Allana (and I) have T-shirts and signs that are free/copy which we can send to those interested. The T-shirts refer to Prop 1523, which has been closed by the Lindens (see my sig) but which asked that age verification be returned to the registration process.

We do not want to create our own form of grief. We do not want to disrupt the celebrations. We simply want to stand quietly holding our signs so that we can make our presence known. Whether our protest is acknowledged or not is secondary. We will stand silently today because we do not wish to stand silently when unverified children are allowed into the Mature Grid. We oppose exposing other people's children to the content we adults choose to use, and we do not wish to risk associating with children while we are in the mature grid.

Jamie and Allana: Would it be worthwhile for one of you to start a group called "1523" or something and make it open to the public to join? This would give us a common chat channel and a place for latecomers to request TPs to the protest site.

Jamie mentioned that the celebrations today would start at 2 PM. I will be there, how about you?

Count me in .

This is really lame. I know if I had put a bunch of work in to the celebration event to share with everyone, I'd feel like you were all peeing on my party. I'd feel really unsupported by everyone busy protesting something that doesn't have to do with the celebration AT the celebration.

You are going to grief the residents that you want to save from griefing, maybe you just want some attention, because 5-6 threads, propositions and various other whining hasn't been fulfilling enough.

I'd love to see a group organize to protest your protest, silently of course just off in the corner with some fudgetard t-shirts on.

Registration date: June 2006.

'Nuff said.

Lewis

What does that mean?

It means he doesn't like newbies.

To the OP:

Some of the postings by the OP sound like ranting now, and the propostitions are going way out of hand, LL knows there is an issue. Thus stop filling the vote system with bogus propositions. Let legit bugs/etc be put there. No need to put the same thing over and over and multiple threads and totally aburd posts like this, which tend to kill the credibility of the OP.

Most of us are against the new registration, but there is no need to form a grass root movement, we already are against the new registration process. If you keep spamming the forum etc with obvious stuff about the new registration system, you'd alienate those who already support this. No one seriously likes spam, I do not want to come here and see a thread about a new proposition just like the one before and the one before that. The fun just ends after 2 or 3 of them.

So, take a deep breath and calm down.

Could you send me a shirt? Thanks!

You're free to do whatever you like, but I'm not going to allow you to misrepresent the purpose of our demonstration.

Expressly, we are not going to grief anyone. We plan to stand silently (you DID read my post right?) and be seen. Period. We're going to ask our group not to speak or shout unless necessary, in order not to disrupt the celebrations going on.

And no, I don't feel satisfied by the Lindens' responses. They've reacted like most large corporations do -- buzzwords, vague promises and some feature ideas that, like most feature ideas in the past will either not make it to production or will be so watered down it's useless. And all of this because they did not anticipate the problems their unannounced registration changes would cause. They threw the barn door open and let the horses run, and now they think maybe it would be a good idea to try to fix the problem they caused?

Wrom, for one, I have yet to post a single proposition. Not one. So talk to someone else. Two, I found no lack of irony and amusement in the attack on Help Island -- and I even admitted it was hearsay. If I was dishonest or strident, I would say you had a point. But you don't.


So sitting on your ass is going to make someone take notice?


Right, it'll all be my fault.


Do a little counting. Tell me how many I've started myself. I would wager, just going on memory, not more than 3 or so in the past 24 hours. I post a lot to existing threads, but if you'll notice this topic is very hot right now in the user community. You may as well tell the wind to stop blowing, you'll have more luck controlling what the rest of the SL community is concerned about.


I'm sorry, but that is a condescending, arrogant thing to say, Wrom. I am a mom. I have two teenagers. I also have been firebombed regularly and I've seen decent new people driven away from Second Life because they were attacked 2 or 3 times in their first day in world. I think this is an intolerable situation, and I lay the blame squarely on the shoulders of the Lindens for not making appropriate plans for the change. It's my right to express that unhappiness in public, so don't ever tell me to "calm down". I'll calm down when I'm damned well ready.

Cindy, excellent idea. Although I myself have not been griefed, the idea that there is really no age verification of any kind makes me very unhappy. I think a silent protest - which perhaps is the SL equivalence of nonviolence - is an excellent way to show an opinion. Most of the threads I've seen arguing for a counter protest seem to be misrepresenting what the protests will be about. As a (relative) newbie, I haven't seen any anti-newbie-ness in them - the "anti-newbie" terms sound like an attempt to build a straw man.

Even if you don't agree with Cindy's protest, you have to be in favour of the chance to protest in a game in the first place, and I note it as a positive that such debates are not slapped down from above.

You have lost your temper, and now you are acting out in whatever way you can grasp at. Your plan is not effective and it's insulting to other residents who worked hard to make a nice celebration.

My protest will be conducted while I'm offline. i beleive they'll kick in around 9am SLT, I didn't sync the timers, so they'll prolly occure over the space of a few minutes.

Just stay clear of the mainland sims and you'll be okay.
Or... you could just pay me one million lindens and I'll send out the stopcode.

*evil laugh*

Linden Lab's abandonment of all safety and security checks to keep underage players and griefers out of the main grid is an insult to everyone.

Lewis

Although I think Cindy's approach is probably futile (and I'm not sure I agree with the goal...I'm more with Moopf Murray on this than anyone else) I don't think they're going to try and ruin anything. They'll be a small group of people in T-shirts. Most probably won't notice them. Or if they do...it'll be to SL's credit that it permits this kind of dissent.

Oh get real. Justify your statement. How is standing there calmly insulting anyone? I'm insulted by your desire to squash free expression...but only expression that you disagree with. I have yet to see you say the same thing (that it would be an insult to other residents) to those starting the 'protest the protest' threads.

Group is open membership.
1503 - 1523 Protest

I will be there at 1pm to ensure my seat.
-----------------------
All protesters for or against please be respectable to Robin and Philip who will be talking. We are there to show our SILENT protest and to hear what Robin has to say about the changes.

This was before even my time, but does anybody remember the Tax Revolt?

http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2003/09/tax_revolt_in_a.html

I'm just sayin'...

For someone who hasn't been here a month yet, you have an awful lot to say for yourself.

Is that really a problem?

The subject of the post and the various opinions about it aside, this was a very rude comment.

What's your point? That all people registered in June 2006 don't have the right to an opinion? This person posted a well worded, punctuated and reasonable response to the subject. Your reply is to point out her registration date as if it automatically negates her opinion. My registration date is early May 2006. I guess you can decide for yourself if I'm worthy to comment here.

so then using that logic, it's okay to go grief at this event, they deserve it?

Yes, it is. When someone comes in sl and a couple of weeks later is criticising residents for actions they are taking, something is very wrong. Either it means the person is criticising from a position of ignorance. Or else it means they are an alt of an older player, and are criticising from a position of cowardice and anonymity.

Before you make such apparently-nonsensical statements, you would do better to let the rest of us know what you consider to be griefing. It appears that you are using some peculiar definition that is personal to yourself alone. That doesn't make for good communication.

I for one will certainly be out of there if any trouble starts caused by a legitimate member of the protest group, and will also be monitoring the residents in the sim, so if the number hits maximum I will be able to tp out - or perhaps go to one of the surrounding regions as part of 'party city' - so that anyone who actually wants to be there can.

Last night I went there and it was not half full - and very laggy.

Lewis