Hmm...I will ask a (probably) mostly NON-Black audience...

Indeed - sometimes if I get an ASL type question I'll do something like "What do I look like, Can't you tell, Second Life " - but generally don't mind giving out my timezone, especially if that person is likely to need to know when to contact me.

DON"T lower your writing and speaking standards to conform to ANYONE standard of how they believe you should sound. You have been posting some well written thoughts ;ately, do backtrack on that would be an insult to yourself. You become nothing but a tired stereotyped charachateur. It gives me fits when I see Intelligent kids resort to that Gangsta Speak and Text Chat garbage in their written and verbal communication. Now we at least have something else we can put into our verified profiles......our Real life race.

just ignore them is what I would do, if they continue to ask warn them you will report them for harressment

it is none of their business what color your skin is, if it that big an issue for them, then they need to look in the mirror at themselves and figure out why it matters


(never gets asked my skin color, but do get asked where I am from a lot, I usually say....

A sim far far away...)

some get it and laugh, others insist I tell them, I continue to say I am from SL in a sim far away... because, truth be told, technically they are speaking to my avi and yes she is in a sim far far away

Yeah...I gotta agree...

The only reason I even *considered* going back was because I have been trying to work w/ a few Machinima Groups...and in short intervals, I'm asked on...a certain Island, if I'm Black, and responded to in a rude tone *and* called a liar for no reason. This is then mimicked and repeated by somebody else in the Group a few days later

I don't think the owner of these Groups knows this is goin on, so I'm gonna send him a link to this post, just for a little perspective. I wasn't ready to part ways w/ his Island, projects, and the few good associates I have made on the Island, but I'm just gonna cut out before I really lose my temper.

Xio, from the half hour or so you and I hung out a few weeks ago (By the way, IM me when you get a chance. I'll give you an update on that thing for your friend), the thought never crossed my mind, but when it did, through the conversations we had, there was no doubt that you were, in fact, black. Here's the thing... You're just fine. You carry yourself with class, style, humour and intelligence. Those that care that much about it and hassle you or are rude? F*** 'em.

Just be your inner self. All else is image and not that important.

We are a world of six billion individuals.

*sighs* Well, I had a few friends who were black and proud of it. Proud to show that they could out think anyone and speak clearly in several languages. And got called horrible names for it from guess who? Not the other races, that for sure, which amazed me.

One of them finally got fed up and looked the jerks in the eyes and said quite clearly, "In a few years, I'll be making around 60k a year or more. What are you going to be making?" I guess the jerk considered it a math problem, because it stumped him into quietness.

My personal experience? I am more masculine than my husband at times. I can crack the dirty jokes and get dirty jokes, while my husband takes a while longer to get them. I can also talk 'cars' with almost anyone and actually have some clue what I'm talkin' about. What can I say, my mom taught me well and my dad encouraged it. So I get accused of being the man in the family and not being a woman at all. I just shrug and then pop of into some discussions of fashion with my husband.. which gets us both accused of being gay. Umm... K. I don't care, since it amuses me to break stereotypes.

I'm Black, But i was born in Martinique, and spent half my Teens in New Orleans, and half in Montreal. I speak English with a heavy French Accent (Even though now, my rememberance of the language is comparable to that of any Anglo Highschool student. Lol).

I get people doubting my Colour in SL, and in RL i get a lot of grief from other people of Colour for not speaking like i was raised in South Central L.A. (I can't abide rap, or reggae either, I'm into Classical and Jazz). Peoples Beliefs in Stereotypes Dies hard.

Angel.

well once verification kicks in you may be able to include your 'LL Verified Race" in your profile. pretty cool huh?

may i ask Xio, why would you care? and why would You want to deal with someone whose focused on such a superficial, minute part of who you are?

and yes i am black, so is my partner. and oddly enough we dont like rap, we actually enunciate, and refuse to dress like "gangstas".

Just be You, and to hell with those who can't see beyond the texture.

Speaking as a Mutt, who gets fussed at for not being enough of one or the other, be you.
Everyone who can't accept "you" can take a flying leap.
hugs

Be yourself. That is all that matters. Skin color is just that - skin color. Culture, heritage and ancestry is something else. Why do you have to sound and type like you're from the ghetto? Smart is sexy!

Very true, and out of those 6 Billion you're bound to encounter idiots along the way.

Good answer.

Personally, I use "I don't know" as an answer to this question.

Funny thing is that I can't remember the last time anyone ever asked me "how could you not know?". They tend to just change the topic. This is a pity though, as I've had my "Well, I'm a little confused... but from what I hear, that's about normal for a living ball of fluff which exists only on the internet." line prepared for awhile now.

I'm also waiting for the day that someone who has never seen a furry sees my avatar (angel/rabbit/businessman hybrid) and asks what the hell I am.
I think I will tell him that we animal-ish avatars are AIs, sentient mentor programs designed to help newbies get used to SL. This would fit with the number of furry mentors, and the number of furry sexual locations would further confirm the theory... "The Lindens do this as their jobs, and hence, according to company rules, they are not allowed to have any fun. Thus, they outsource the sexual education of SL's userbase to us, the furries. This is why there is so much kinkyness in SL, and why you should always respect a furry landowner who threatens you with the 'banhammer'."




Hehe, I'd love to see their face when they read that



Try furry sims, they might accept you.
If you get no luck there, try otherkin sims.
If you get no luck there, try the 'werecat' sims.
If you still get no luck, try disguising yourself as a dog. I hear that works well.



Priceless.



Even better... lets display 'verified length' in profiles for men.
Just think how cool that would be!
The contests of male ego in SL would be SO much easier to settle, and when you really diddn't like some guy, you could just say:
"Dude, whilst I am sure your female friends appreciate you stretching yourself in that way for their benifit, and I greatly respect your preservance, I must inform you that your posession of a small tool does not require you to compensate by stretching yourself into a bigger a**hole."

When people do stuff like that, it just shows what's messed up in their heads. Stick with projecting what you want, and let them learn to cope. I usually either ignore them, or I point out their tolerance problem.

"Didn't know black people scare you. You should seek help for that."
"Where are you from, McWhiteyville?"
"Cause we all know nobody black could POSSIBLY use a computer. Dum**ss."

I hate to mix RL and SL in general, but even more so questions that try and equate yor AV with your RL person are just stupid.

If you are black inworld or IRL or not, what's the point. Since we have visuall represnetation in SL you are what you look like, be it sexy or slovenly, skinny or fat, black, asian, or whatever.

To questions as such, I would merely ask if it mattered?

In the past, I woudl geenrally hut an alias/shortcut that respondes with "I'm sorry, my mommie doesn't want me to give out personal details?" But now with the ageplay implications I assume that would not be a good choice now. People I have gotten to know, I am not averse to sharing some personal info with, but ingeneral it just intereferes with my SL experience to have to deal with RL stuff at the same time.

Funny, no one in real life asks me what I look like in SL

I know several avatars in SL whose players are black in RL. Similarly they do not live up to any of the 'black' stereotypes in SL or RL and are more cultured, articulate and intelligent than many white people I know in RL & SL. It's the person inside, not the appearance that counts. Something that SL with it's infinitely-modifyable avatars should have taught us by now.