The key problem with MJW is that its a special interest lobby

I really dislike creating yet another thread on the subject but felt it was important to focus attention on a objective reason why groups like the MJW are a Bad Idea (tm).

I don't doubt that the intentions of many MJW founders/officers/members is essentially honest. I have no personal animosity towards the folks who have managed to make serious money in this environment, and I don't blame them for trying to do what they can to protect their investments.

However, as citizens of this environment, we would be well served to speak up loudly and clearly against anything like the MJW forming and we should LOUDLY petition LL staff to refrain from treating with groups like the MJW.

Why?

Because the MJW is a special interest group. More importantly, its officers comprise some of the more well-known merchants in the environment. What we have here is the eqivalent of a corporate-funded lobby, however informal they might try to be, however "open" they might try to spin themselves.

When the "federal government" of SL (namely, the Lindens) lend their ear to any such special interest lobby, they are giving that lobby an unfair advantage in pursuing their own agenda.

It does NOT matter whether that lobby's intentions are "for the good of the metaverse". It does NOT matter whether there are two or three or five or a dozen or more such lobbies who all get equal time from the Lindens.

What matters is that ANY special interest group is getting LL's ear and time at all. If the Lindens are going to listen to opinions and requests from their population, it must be through a representative medium, not through one or more special interest groups.

One such medium are these very forums. Every citizen has access. Every citizen can make their voice heard. Arguments for and against ideas are there in writing, organized in threads. EVERY VOICE HAS EQUAL TIME AND EQUAL CHANCE TO BE HEARD AND CONSIDERED BY THE LINDENS.

The only other possible medium would be a truly representational elective body. The logistics of creating such a thing in SL are enormous. That pretty much leaves us with the forums.

Phillip Linden, I was personally sickened and disheartened when you made comments in that first meeting with the MJW to the effect of it being a historic meeting and the high point of your week (paraphrasing from memory now). Shame on you for not recognizing that meeting for what it was--an attempt by a special interest group to obtain political clout.

I beg you, Phillip Linden, to weigh all the outcry on the forums these past days and (hopefully) to understand the point I'm trying to carefully make in this post. SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS OF ANY STRIPE SHOULD NOT BE GIVEN TIME NOR PREFERENCE BY LINDEN LABS.

I should also clarify that there's nothing wrong with any special interest group coming up with proposals or requests and posting them on the forums. Please, make your arguments and lend weight to those argument to be as convincing as possible. By posting them on the boards, the Lindens and every other citizen has a chance to see them and respond with their own opinions on the subject. Total transparency, every one who cares can have a say in the matter, and the Lindens get exposed to ALL sides of the story.

What I'm specifically decrying in this post is the practice of Phillip Linden or any Linden coming in-game to have a "face to face" with a special interest group. Such meetings are NOT widely known and the discussion is NOT heard by every citizen who might have an interest in the current affairs of the metaverse. I would have known nothing about the original MJW meeting had not some brave citizens risked banning by posting the chat log in its entirety. No meetings where dialog is had with the Lindens should take place in such a format.

Of course its not trying to better the entire metaverse.

Its trying to better its pockets.

Which there is nothing wrong with.

I actually believe in *limited* capitalism, with a liberal dose of socialism thrown in to the mix. The problem arises when special interest groups are allowed to start a nation down the long road of descent into unchecked capitalism such as we have in the U.S. a mere 250 years after its inception.

There's a reason that many countries flatly prohibit political lobbying. Too bad the U.S. isn't one of them, or our commonweal would be in much better shape than it currently is.

Let's hope that Linden Labs will not make this mistake too. I rather like SL so far.

For L$1,000,000 Anshe can buy the title "Game Master" from LL and require all of us peons to address her as "Lord".

Did you hear? The dell dude got arrested.

Of course there a things wrong with this idea. Lining your own pockets is often not in the interests of society as a whole. It's kinda fundamental really.

Didn't he get arrested a couple of years ago? I distinctly remember him getting nailed for possession of marijuana.

And the ensuing "Dude, you're getting a cell!" jokes. Yes.

MJW is nothing more than a lobby. To use 'justice' in their title is pretty sickening. I've gone on about justice and equity being linked in another post so I won't waste disk space on going through that again except to point out that there is no equity with that group.

It is nothing more than a group of lobbyists who want to get a head's up and a voice on potential changes that are of interest to them. I certainly grant them their right to create a group and bitch all they want when things don't go their way. But that also means that the rest of us can voice our concerns and make sure everyone knows that these self-centered people do not speak for justice and certainly do not speak for the rest of us.

You might be able to "prohibit" lobbying but that would not eliminate lobbying. How could it? You would have to hold members of the executive and parliament behind closed doors and shut off or control all communication with them.

Because whenever someone talks to them and tries to persuade them into a specific direction (that which might be seen as favouring a certain interest group in the society) thats lobbying. Trying to eliminate that might be as effective as trying to eliminate sex.

Better try to make lobbying transparent (actually there is a thread on that /120/35/59942/2.html)

No, I think there's more to this here. What, IMO, they are trying to achieve as well, and I think this is because of Prokofy's involvement, is to kill current existing communication channels between residents and LL, and replace them all with the "democratic group" model they have chosen and presented to Philip, a model which they can control. I have seen this very thing happen in my country when communists infiltrated institutions and finally gained a foothold everywhere, decades ago.

In the end, you wouldn't be entitled to any say about the state of affairs unless you had the correct ties-in with them. You'd get told to "join if you care, or don't" then get lost in the masses of other deluded people while the top brass got to decide. This is exactly how I see the MJW.

I don't think there is anything wrong with having special interest groups who lobby for their cause, either in SL or in real life, in the U.S.

As for MJW, it's sort of a moot point concerning that organization, since it fell apart last night.

coco

The problem is special interest groups claiming to speak for the causes of others, and doing so in secret.

Maybe the Metaverse Justice League will have a better run of it.

I hear their sandwiches are better!

(do a find if you doubt the truth of my words!)

Yay! They liked my original logo! And here I thought I just messed it up...I was actually SEEING THE FUTURE!

What can I say Cory, your ahead of your time!