lindens latest blog: dob a neighbour

Thank you... it is in there. Right in the first amendment. By stating that the government can not establish a set one state church religion and can not limit how any one individual of this country can worship or practice their religion is is not only in the constitution but is in the first amendment of the bill of rights.

Those words mean that the government can not take a religious stance on anything and do it legally cause that is condoning ONE religion over another.

And the current administration is in the pocket of the Jerry Falwells and that out there so much... it's sad. To the one that said I don't live on the planet earth... well.... I don't know what planet you live on, but then again you don't' have to deal with witch hunts in real life, now do you? Hell up until last Monday if I had died when I was sitting in the Persian gulf I couldn't' even have my religious symbol on my tombstone if the VA helped out with it.

Now I can, only 40 years AFTER it was a recognized religion in the federal courts and to the military. Even the Church of Satan gets more leeway and recognition in the US then any of the other's that are non-christian (and yes, if Catholics believe in the teachings of Christ then they are christian. Sorry but that is the definition is it not)

But this is not a religious debate either. this is a ruling that basically leaves a very broad group of griefers on the grid that are linden sponsored because if you happen to offend someone they're going to go "Tell on you" to Daniel Linden, so he can make a big PR statement.

Thanks-I am actually one of your customers and I love the clothes you make. And I'm not a veiling Muslim at all. It's just that I fear some people would see it as a kind of joke.

@Pounce: No, you're not offensive. there ARE atheists I find offensive, the ones that want to missionarise....I used to BE an atheist. I don't find Wiccans offensive as well. It's just fundamentalist peopel of any kind I find offensive.

@Annie Malaprop: teehee.....I get the terrorist thing a lot, but I usually don't register as Muslim because...i don't look like one...I'll probably get AR'ed because I used to be good at chemistry at school then.

Believe me, I don't like the stance LL seemingly take AT ALL. It's just that I don't think panicking will help. I WOULD sign an open letter though, because there'S a big discrepancy between what they probably wanted to say and what the TOS say, and what they DID say.

AND I want a t-shirt with an N and a M. Neko Muslim.
Edit: i forgot to add a Q for Queer. Yes, I am a bi neko Muslim girl...that's probably enough for a few ARs.

Hmm. I wonder if my Eggy the Egg Whisk could be considered broadly offensive.

After all, two (count 'em, TWO) people told me they could think of some very kinky things to do with them!

coco

You know what, I'm a Christian.

I'm also a W.A.S.P.

I don't find anything wrong about being any of that.

And I'm kind of tired of all the Christian-bashing happening because of this. Christians didn't even do this.

The Lindens did it, and I doubt they have many - if ANY - Christians on their staff.

So, cut it out.

coco

Well as a God fearing atheist I thought the burqa idea was broadly offensive ...can I AR you all?

Gotta agree with this one. Gay-bashing is out; Christian-bashing is in. It's the same intolerant I'm-better-than-you-because-I'm-putting-you-down spirit, even though you see more Christian-bashing among the elitist crowd instead of the yahoos.

[This agnostic hetero sits back, waiting for the backlash]

I wouldn't panick just yet. While I'm extremely pissed about the way this looks, Chip and a few others have some points. Wait and see how it plays out (it will play out the way it will regardless) waiting wont hurt.

Depends on where you live. In many states Gay Bashing by the Christains is in.

The most common reason Voters polled gave for outlawing same sex marriages in Michigan was becuase "In the bible, homosexuality is a sin"

Again... a debate for another thread/time/medium. The point that is relevant to this thread is that regardless of which testament it's from, it is still contained in the Bible/Torah and thus subject to the "morality laws" which are suggested.

I'd be glad to debate you regarding the morality of god anytime. Afterall, god at one time still felt that those things were acceptable at one point. If he existed, that would mean he could change his mind again and go back to the old ways too. Again, a debate for another time/place.

I'd just like to point out that in a land far far away, the Pagans loved their sex and they were here before the Christians and Muslims!

So LL wants to kill SL. It that it?

OH Puhleeeeeeze. Which country do you live in. Can't be the US. Anyways... a topic for another time. Again, always glad to debate THAT one.

I was going to make my own points and comments, but someone else said it so well. So here goes....

Sign up, make a comment, show your support!



"Broadly Offensive" material, the death of SL?
As many of you know Linden Labs released a blog recently describing a crack down on various issues within second life. ( http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/05/31/keeping-second-life-safe-together/ ) cut and paste that to take a look for yourself.

In it they briefly describe things as Broadly offensive. Focusing their attention on the sexual content within second life. What is the problem with two adults of or over the age of consent within their respective country exploring -consentual sexual role play- that is not in anyway shape or form ilegal in nature according to the laws of the land of where Linden Labs (hence forth refered to as LL) is located?

Some people make the arguement that they should not be exposed to such activities. That they find such offensive, lewd, and generally unnacceptable. The beauty of second life though (at least for now) is the power of choice. If person A finds person B offensive, or acting in what they find an offensive manner they can choose to "mute" said person. Or they can teleport away from said person(s). Worse case scenario they can log out of second life for a brief moment and wait for that person to go away before logging back in. Truely theres no reason for anyone to stay near anything they find offensive in second life.

Rather what LL has created is a new form of griefing. People purposefully seeking out things that they find offensive and harassing those that were otherwise not bothering them. Already today I have been approached by three seperate people threatening me against three seperate issues. All of which a direct result of this blog entry. The first one was a person who went out of their way to seek me out about a consentual role playing group that i am involved with. The key word there is consentual, no one is forced to join the group, no one is forced to participate, and everyone is, to my knowledge of consenting age and all of their avatars represent consenting age or older as well.

Another person harrassed me today about the BDSM / D/s lifestyle and its imoralities. As well as my choice to prefer the company of my own gender. LL What you have done is created a giant witch hunt, where now you have opened the flood gates to allow harassment of people that were not in anyway affecting these extreme conservitives.

You also describe "extreme or graphic violence". Alright then, lets continue our crack down then. You want to make "Second Life safe". Sure alright, then you will need to start banning everything that makes Second Life a success right now. You will need to ban all "furry" style avatars (of which you even now have a default furry avatar) as they could be found offensive in that they can be viewed as beastiality.

You will need to ban all weapons in second life. You couldnt have swords, knives, gernades, tanks, guns, warplanes, starships, laser guns, etc etc etc, with out violence, or graphic violence.

May as well crack down on everyone that enjoys the BDSM or Gorean lifestyles as well. Cant possibly have that in here either.

On top of that You should also ban all sexual activities as well. Close all strip clubs, dance clubs, and all stores and shops featuring sexual content like pose shops, beds, sex play items so on and so forth. That could be found offensive.

Where as i fully agree that real life imagry of "sexual violence" and "graphic violence" should not be allowed in second life. I see nothing wrong with such things within an avatar, with as i stated above you have the choice not to be around such things.

I realise that LL will not actually read this nor will they actually read anything that the majority of the responders to the blog entry said. Yet i can hope cant I? Sexuality in second life is a key component to it where people can safely explore fantasies in a fantasy world and digital realm, with out harming anyone in the real world. Sexual content is in just about everything everywhere in second life. From the clothing that people wear, to the items that a vast majority buy.

Take this away and you will lose your second life.

Onyx Syakumi said it better than i on the 16th response to the blog entry http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/05/31/keeping-second-life-safe-together/

i encourage you to read it.



I think it would be worth asking: what constitutes “other broadly offensive content?”

You are making some very dangeous assumptions that what the majority deems unacceptable is always fair — this is why (at least in the United States) we have a Supreme Court. It is important to defend the rights of the minority from the ignorance of the majority.

If it were the consensus of Second Life users to ban homosexuality, what would the opinion of Linden Labs be?

If it were the consensus of Second Life users that graphic violence was acceptable so long as it was directed against a homsexual, what would the opinion of Linden Labs be?

What would happen if white supremacists suddenly began using Second Life as a haven, thereby tipping the majority opinion in favor of banning avatars that appear as other races?

These are extreme examples that I hope would never come to pass, but such a decree as the one you have made that “majority rules, no matter what” begs that the questions be asked and answered. While no one may cry that the child pornographers and rape fantasizers are vanishing today, what will happen when the unopposed Morality Police grows fangs tomorrow?

How long will it be before any sort of “inappropriate” sexual activity is outlawed by Second Life? Will we see a ban on expressions of sodomy? Sexual activity outside of wedlock? Will it become illegal for “partnerships” to be declared in Second Life between two avatars of the same gender? Will furries be outlawed as “beastiality” when in reality they are promoting nothing of the sort?

What happens if two people are in private, inaccessible land and an opportunistic voyeur disables their camera constraints, zooms into their private home and spies on them consensually participating in some “unaccaptable” activity that they have by all rights taken every precaution to hide from the public eye so as not to violate the “rules?” Will they, too, be tracked down, have their land seized, and be burned at the stake?

You need to be very, very careful about how you proceed with this, LL. You’re starting to venture out onto the slipperiest slope of all and swinging the axe of moderation on the internet … a place known and loved for its uninfringed freedom of speech and expression.

I'm a remarkably tolerant person. I tolerate those who choose to ardently practice their faith, right up to the point where it brings them to my doorstep.
I don't flame them in forums, I don't deride them when they decide to build and worship in SL.
But when their archaic, twisted version of morality decides to wield an axe at my responsible, adult enjoyment of consensual play with another human being, I cease being tolerant at all.
Religious-driven fanatacism is the bane of human existence. The belief in your invisible, omnisicent, fairy-tale dragons hovering in the sky and whispering edicts and commandments is very simply explained.
You. Are. Mentally. Ill.
And you terrify the crap out of me.
Because you are Legion.

I think Linden Labs is wrong, and I would like to see everyone who agrees with me to stand up, I think everyone has the right to do what they want to do when not forcing it upon others. This is a game, if you don't like it, ALT+F4. This is the internet, SL is contradicting a lot they have said about it being created by us I believe. I may be wrong, but I am just putting it out there that I do not agree with SL molding it to be how they like. It is our money and our time and talent that makes SL what it is. They simply made the canvas. We do not need police officers in the virtual word.

I'm not for Christian-bashing, but I will point out that the Bible (which is commonly thought of as a moral and ethical source of information and is also very mainstream) contains every little bit of what LL is suggesting be banned. The point of the argument is when you have "broadly offensive" as a qualifier you have to accept EVERYTHING that implies. You can't go about picking and choosing what you PERSONALLY feel is offensive. I do not want to see the Bible or anything else banned from SL. But if they want to draw the line, then one has to consider the ramifications which will befall them if the current course is pursued.

Alot of christians abuse their children in real life. Sometimes they sexually abuse them in the name of Jesus Christ.

Everyone is guilty. Its everyone's shame. christians not excluded.

It disgusts me beyond words how hypocritical people act. So much self rightousness about one thing or the other.

You only came for some harmless fun. Maybe some pixel t and a while your wife sleeps in the other room. But WAIT . . whats this? Youre mind is not the only one projecting its
thoughts into the environment.

There are other people here too and their minds are alot filthier then yours because they have completely different life experiences, interests, personalities.

And now youre awake to the horrors of humanity.

Whether you like it or not, they only a reflection of the real life world. And they are no more real then lucid dreams. Or in some cases, nightmares. You wanna stamp it out because it disturbs you.

Unfortunately, you are too dense to realize it wasnt your dream to begin with.

It belongs to someone else. No one even invited you into their minds or into their private homes.

You have to jack in, teleport in, pan your camera in to see it in the first place. Stop being so snoopy and maybe you wont see things that werent intended for your eyes.

Dont expect to be patted on the back when you sit and play thought police, trying to control the minds of all the other adults in the sim. All you are doing is pushing your will, your belief system and perspective on other grown adults.

Which in my mind is incredibly aggressive, bizarre and offensive.

Im reporting you.

So very well said!

Not that I have an agenda against Christians, especially since I still consider myself one, but if things get ugly with bans, I'll be looking to make sure the banning is spread about fairly.

And why should christian functions and the bible be banned under the new rules? Read and judge for yourself.

Lo, a day shall come for the Lord when the spoils shall be divided in your midst. And I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem for battle: the city shall be taken, houses plundered, women ravished; half of the city shall go into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be removed from the city. (Zechariah 14:1-2 NAB)



"When you go out to war against your enemies and the LORD, your God, delivers them into your hand, so that you take captives, if you see a comely woman among the captives and become so enamored of her that you wish to have her as wife, you may take her home to your house. But before she may live there, she must shave her head and pare her nails and lay aside her captive's garb. After she has mourned her father and mother for a full month, you may have relations with her, and you shall be her husband and she shall be your wife. However, if later on you lose your liking for her, you shall give her her freedom, if she wishes it; but you shall not sell her or enslave her, since she was married to you under compulsion." (Deuteronomy 21:10-14 NAB)



Thus says the Lord: 'I will bring evil upon you out of your own house. I will take your wives while you live to see it, and will give them to your neighbor. He shall lie with your wives in broad daylight. You have done this deed in secret, but I will bring it about in the presence of all Israel, and with the sun looking down.'(2 Samuel 12:11-14 NAB)



And as a final bit of irony, real life rape, according to the bible, won't get someone banned by god. He only fines you 50 sheckles and makes the victim marry the rapist. Go figure.

If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her. (Deuteronomy 22:28-29 NLT)

Please don't, this is the sort of attitude that led to breastfeeding Mothers icons being banned as default icons on Livejournal. It creates more problems than it cures, as exemplified by the recent livejournal problems. Pretty please?

/me grabs steering wheel and tries to veer car back onto track

As meaningfull and fun as these great debates on religion, race, and sexuality are, let us not forget the discussion of the real matter at hand here. It's LL's playpen, and no, we do not have to play in it, but all along they have been advertising and publicly billing SL as something they are trying to change in mid swing. Legally is there anything wrong with that? I doubt there is, it is a crappy way to do business though, and extremely hurtfull to some people that bought into their hype and have made SL a major source of their income based solely on what LL purported SL to be. The statements they have made on the blog directly contradict their own community standards edict, and no one from LL is stepping forward to clear up the confusion. Again, a crappy way to treat customers. I fear that we as citizens of SL are no longer considered customers as we once were. We are now "users" corporations are now LL's customers.
I really would like to see all of us keep as much pressure as possible on LL about this with continued forum posts, emails, and letters. All we can do is hope they listen to how a large cross section of the SL population feels about this issue. There is something just plain wrong about selling us premium accounts, land, texture uploads, ads, etc. under a certain bill of goods and then changing that bill of goods entirely, and people should not stand quietly by while it happens to them.
It will be interesting to see if LL will be able to treat everyone equally when it comes to this. If someone gets AR'd and banned for selling BDSM paddles, will they apply that equally and ban someone typing - /me smacks henry on the ass. Violence is violence. I am not saying it is going to come to anything like that, I am simply drawing a parrelell of the things and questions their vauge blog post brings up.
Right now we can not even get an answer as to what actions they intend to take when someone is AR'd. Will one have a chance to defend themselves, will one get a warning first, or will they just start banning accounts? They have not answered what rules take precedence, the new ones they stated in the blog, or the ones on the current Comunity Standards edict which allow for things to take place on private mature land between consenting members. This is all very vauge and with LL's talk of confiscating land and $ from us simply because someone may take offense to something we may do, or may not have even done, is very serious indeed, and deserves extremely precise clarification of what is and is not going to fall under this and what actions are going to be taken when they do run into something that falls into their "broadly offensive" guidelines.
LL's statment on the blog is abhorrent on many levels and for many reasons, but worst of all is the lack of communication to those who are now just "users".
Please let's all stay on topic about this and let how we feel be known in every way possible this is a matter that people should truely band together on.

I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

Hmmm, i guess im gonna be banned soon, i work as an escort, i occasionally have BDSM themed sex, and im bisexual. That should cover something a lot of people dont like.

Apart from that, i have also over 10 times been wearing adult outfits in PG sims. Of course the reason for that was that when an adult sim crashes and your home sim is down (my home sim at the time was the one i was usually in, crashed several times a day), SL decided to dump you in a random area, and can ALSO dump people form Mature areas in PG areas. I have been dumped in Governor Lindens Mansion 4 times, the Orientation Island 6 times, and the Welcome area 5 times, at least half of the times i have been dressed improper for the PH area.
Will that be bannable now, even though i have bug reported this specific problem to the lindens 5 times?

Oh well, i guess ill just go port to various religious themed areas now and abuse report anything that i might find offensive, and i bet that should be easy to find, since all religions i have seen so far have had at least a few things i found offensive. Time for abuse reporting

Yes the Religious Right has so much power. You must have found out about the secret camps for homosexuals and pagans the Feds have been running for the last 20 years.

LL has finally lost it, they're foaming at the mouth and babbling right now.

Everything in SL involves CONSENTING ADULTS in a MAKE BELIEVE world.

The whole thing is fantasy. Yes, ban offensive RL content and such that may be illegal - there are many things that shouldn't be done in RL.

But seriously, this is the thought police gone mad. You're regulating the actions and thoughts of grown adults in a fantasy world on no more than a whim and a PR excercise.

Without the place to indulge our minds, all we're left with is a teen grid and a bunch of empty shops, because there sure as hell won't be any customers left.

BDSM, Gor, Furries, Roleplayers (violence is common in many RP sims), all now under threat from the draconian moral thought police for simply expressing themselves in a VIRTUAL world.

Kill the players and you kill SL. This will drive players away in droves. People come to SL for freedom, not some sanitised world under facist rule.

Rape is a form of assault where an individual forces another to have sexual intercourse against that person’s will. Most experts ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape

Once we can have sexual intercourse on second life, rape can be banned. That is, after 95% of the SL population stops having a very large party.

Contemplating what action I can take on this personally, I am considering cancelling my premium status, and avaoiding any transaction that will put any money into Lindens pockets, no matter how small. Of course my payments to my landlord will inderectly make their way to LL's coffers. Also, planned before this latest development, I will not visit, patronize or spend any money in any area owned operated or connected with a RL Corporation. The World of Creativity, Tolerance and Fantasy has turned into one of Greed , Fear , Suspiscion and Division.