W-Hat Question and Answer thread!

Relax, you are going to have a heart attack or get an ulcer or something.

Thank you, I appreciate the compliment

LOL! you are not that important, it was a question that came to me after taking ryen jades advice to read your website and give yas the benefit of the doubt. i did and i am having a hard time understanding your groups indignancy with being labeled when your group labels others. no stress here. just common curiousity. you can try to project that i am stressed to further what is so far a nonargument on your groups part, thats ok, because i am smiling.

*too long; didnt read* may be a joke, but it's also shorthand.

is this a q & a thread or a medical advice column?

*scratches head*

While there is some interesting SL related conversation in this thread, the offensive, intolerant language has been removed and I would like to remind everyone that intolerance is against our Community Standards and will not be allowed in the Forums. (copied below for reference)

(Intolerance:
The use of derogatory or demeaning language or images in reference to another Resident's race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or sexual orientation is never allowed in Second Life.)

The problem is not so much replacing "you" with "u" its when conversations with people look like this: "u r so kewl, omg i luv u guys l8r"

not that it really matters but i dont like that type of speech either. but it would not cause me to label people in an intolerant way either. if w-hat feels there is reason to call people *fags* for such speech then perhaps the accusations of taking things too seriously and causing ulcers should be reversed.

Ok, you know darn well that the word in question is being used not in the literal meaning, but as a general insult. The fact that a person might use that word has nothing to do with sexual orientation or anything like that, it is used in the same way someone might say "stupid" or "annoying." The choice of words might not be the best, but you have to admit, the cell phone text message style of writing makes people look very stupid, and is very annoying.

Yes I don't think the use of that word was meant as a comment on the sexual orientation, or cigarette-like nature, of any SL resident.

apparently it doesn't matter what context its used in. i just received a formal forum warning for even quoting that part of the w-hat website which says it.

it says i am guilty of intolerance and i have never called anyone that word in my life in any context.

This was not griefing, I know that.

Here is one of several examples that come to my mind of how w-hat is treated differently than other members:

Who else remembers a contemporary style gallery that was built early last summer in Gualala? It was built by one whom I consider to have been one of the best builders in SL, Azrazael Maracas. Yes, past tense, Az cancelled his account. Naming him now is like a historical reference to a police blotter as this incident was well publicized in the forums at the time.

The gallery was devoted to social and political commentary. The pictures inside were sometimes disturbing, but they were creative and well presented commentary. Some were original works of art created by SL members.

Gualala is a mature sim and the gallery was completely enclosed. No pictures could be seen from the outside except for a series of 3 small pictures at the entrance to the building. These were presented on a small column style sign as a feature of what could be expected inside.

The pictures were children who had suffered or been injured as a result of war. Although the subject is horrifying to contemplate, the pictures themselves were not that bad with the blood and gore element.

That entire area of Gualala was commercial at that time, no residences. One or 2 neighbors who were near the gallery complained that they didnt like the build and did not like looking at the pictures of the suffering children. It disturbed them.

Az was told by LL that he had to remove the pictures because a Linden who was flying over the sim of Gualala, on his way to a neighboring PG sim, was able to look down below and see the pictures of the children.

There was no nudity. There was no sexuality. They were not overly gorey pictures. The pictures were nothing more than what we were seeing every day in the news related to the ongoing war.

The LL action was purely because the social commentary content of the pictures disturbed the neighbors. Az was told that all mature content had to be enclosed under a roof even on mature rated sims, and it could not be visible from overhead.

The pictures of the children were considered by LL to be mature content because they were disturbing to some. That was the defined level for the display of mature content.

I visited the w-hat build for the first time yesterday because a Linden collector card dispensor has been set up on that land. Baku, like Gualala, is a mature sim but using the standard that was defined for Az, I saw mature content visible from overhead.

Understand me, I dont care about the content. I do care passionately that all SL members get the same shake. Same rules, same standards. Predictable standards.

I saw profanity, explicit sexuality and nudity in plain view, along with other assorted gross objects, and my thought then was why was Az punished for displaying 3 pictures of injured children when w-hat gets away with more.

Is LL afraid of w-hat? Why the special treatment, or perhaps, why the persecution of Az?

I did not say that. I stated w-hat gets away with doing what others are sanctioned for doing, and I posted one example in my preceding post.

Can you give some examples of what you saw? If it was avatar nudity, I think there may be some precedent for that being allowed, at hot tub parties & such. I am pretty sure pictures of actual naked humans are off limits, unless they are "tasteful nudes" or something.

1. Bullshit
2. Their own thing is griefing
3. More Bullshit.*

*Based on what I have seen and experienced

you know, whats ironic is the example you gave of the cell phone speak, i have seen such messages peppered with that word (the one we are apparently not allowed to say in any context, even when quoting someone).

i see the liberal and irresponsible use of that word as being on the same if not worse mental level as the speech you are complaining about and think it is more offensive than just plain old cell phone speak or netspeak. why are you folks apparently so preoccupied with the how random faceless people use the net? you seem to go out of your way to make judgements about their RL due to these things when you could just as easily turn your head the other way. it takes two to tango.

i think the responsibilty lies with the user of such words, not the target(s). if any word is used to convey ill will, its still worse than some silly cell phone speak that really hurts no one.

does some one using innocuous cell phone speech like that in your example offend you on a personal level? probably not. if so you need to relax and quit worrying about peoples habits that dont affect you. ulcers...?

does the use of that derogatory term (the one we cant say anymore) offend some people, almost certainly so.

and roberta, i think we all know the person wasnt using the term to refer to a bundle of sticks or a cigarette or a british school servant. it was either meant for "stupid" people or gay people. thanks for stating the obvious and a nice try to excuse and cloud the issue.

editing to add this statement from a w-hat which doesn't say anything about cell phone speak:

"Second Life is NOT a creationary tool within a fantastic imaginary world that serves as an extended chat room. Second Life is, in reality, a giant sandbox and playground for older adults with failed lives to start over in, gleefully acting like children and teenagers."

this is simply a claim that most sl players are people with failed real lives reliving their childhoods. a claim i dont believe. a claim that is prefaced with the use of the term<self edited>. and if its so bad here, why participate?

I was massed negged by W-hat members just the other day. I was at the temp WA when all the w-hat members swooped down and negged me. BOTH of them! I collected 3 neg rates that day! Sniff.

Guilty as charged.

Why do I not see a W-Hat group under find?

(a) it was not "several," it was exactly three;
(b) I am not the founder of the group;
(c) according to Daniel Linden, I was not "suspended": I was "kicked," and there is no record of it;
(d) I was hardly "reprimanded" - I have never gotten any explanation why I was kicked, in fact I was basically told there isn't one - nor have I ever been; and
it is my understanding that you did not "derez a physical object" after "asking him to leave," you shot him and his plane out of the sim.

I am curious just what it is you think I did to you. I can't imagine someone holding a grudge this long just because I didn't leave when they asked me to.


I have two possible explanations:

1. The Community Standards and Terms of Service have changed since then.
2. Linden Labs does not actively police content. If you see something you think is against the CS/TOS, report it.


I wrote both answers. The quotes that are included are seperate, and "just a comment" taken from the forums.

Ryen Jade is not in W-Hat, and that document was never intended for the general public. The only answer I can give you is that I don't expect SA forum members to interpret the answer the same way as other people would. There is no "defense" for it and I don't think there needs to be. All this stuff about "cellphone speak" is just silly.


I am pretty sure Susano has not been on in at least 6 months, possibly longer.

what part(s)? just the short answer/long answer part? you used those quotes as examples and as for answers. i see only quotes from susano and huns not you. quotes you used to give answers.

ryen jade sure seems to try and represent w-hat in these forums. to quote him "I think I should link to our main rules site, perhaps it can clear things up." note the use of *our*. so maybe you better ask him to stop speaking for your group if he isnt a member.

on the cell phone speak thing. i didnt bring it up, and i agree it is silly. someone was trying to cover the use of a derogatory term with reference to the bulk of second lifers by saying that people who use such cell phone speak deserve it. thats the only reason i discussed it. its truly non sequitur.

Since you admit to negrating in atleast 2 post yet your profile shows you as having given 0 neg ratings, is it safe assumption this is a alt account?

Also since I dont see W-Hat as a group under <find>, is "Arcolith Project" the current representive group? Its the closes I see as a common group among the more vocal members of W-Hat (though there is several groups based on some-what common membership.)

If so I find it curious when looking at the following fact...
(numbers may be off by a by one here and there, blame it on the sangria)

Out of 36 members I see what appears to be a higher then normal number of negratings given when compared to a large random sample of other SL members (many of which was loong term members.)

Out of the 36 members 21 has given a total of 306 negratings. To be fair one member is responsible for 128 of them. While I admit its circumstantial; it almost appear to be a trend.

For the lava lamp fuck-up... I thought it was clear -- god damn, satire is trickier'n I thought.

Text in italics followed by a credit is a quote. They should be enclosed in quotation marks too, but Internet Explorer does not seem to want to conform to the standard. Everything else was written by me.

I have. There is not a lot I can do.

Ryen brought it up.

The Arcolith Project is a group for people selling things in the Arcolith in the south-east corner of Baku.

edit:
I think a better assumption would be that he has since changed the ratings.

I don't want to report it, I prefer freedom of expression short of hate speech. Most of all, I want the rules to apply to us all.

fair enough. What about this written by you:

"Is everybody in this game a huge <edited because I don't want another formal warning for quoting someone else>"

Short answer: Pretty much. (followed by susano's quote)

you as one of the leaders of w-hat feel this way?

nope. disco duck did:



followed by this:


is disco a w-hat? it's hard to tell as there seems to be no w-hat group showing in find other than the w-hat fans and some other groups that seem to be subgroups. how long was there been no official w-hat group?

anyway, holding animosity for people who use net speak or phone speak or what ever you want to call it, being a furry, or what have you is a bit silly when contrasted with a favorite response of goons and w-hats, "the internet is serious business". perhaps the folks who really take it too seriously are those who get all wound up about how other people type or spend their time on-line.