Calling all cultures? Not any more
by Tateru Nino 
May 30th 2008 at 12:45PM
Filed under: Culture, News items, Second Life
Remember "Calling all cultures to the Second Life 5th Birthday Celebration"? Remember "Celebrating the cultural diversity of Second Life"? How about "This is a Resident-created, Linden Lab-sponsored event, which means that Linden Lab has donated the land and various basic resources, but the rest comes from you, the community. And there is room for many people to get involved"?
Well, not any more. Linden Lab feels their hand (and presumably the attached eye) has been forced. Linden Lab is taking "a more active role in the event."
This means at least one of the groups of communities that has been the mainstay of the previous four anniversary events is being refused participation this year.
The SL Children communities in Second Life (adults who role-play children in a family-friendly, G-rated, wholesome, decent and fun way) had once again prepared one of their grand and enjoyable showcases -- indeed, at the third anniversary, the SL Children's displays and events were among the most popular -- but are being refused the right to participate for the first time in five years, apparently due to Linden Lab's fear of Mark Kirk and his ill-informed and unfounded assertions.
Far from being at risk, it's apparently even harder to find real children using Second Life than it is to find Jihadists -- who are apparently very thin on the ground indeed.
At this point it is not even clear as to whether juvenile avatars of adult users will even be permitted entry to the anniversary site, making this the first year that Linden Lab has not sponsored this community (actively or tacitly). Word is that the resident organizer of the anniversary celebration, SignpostMarv Martin has stood down from participation as a result.
Linden Lab (according to staff) is apparently afraid of the whole of Second Life being shut down at a legal level if it should show any implicit support of -- well, an activity that mental health professionals tell us we should be trying to find ways to do more of. Childlike play, and reliving our respective youths in positive and nourishing ways.
So, it looks like Linden Lab's support is going to have to go to the BDSM and sex communities instead this year. Because, heaven knows, those seem to meet with everyone's approval.
Update: Gor and BDSM communities are apparently not welcome anymore either. Any more that you might have expected to be a part that you now expect to be excluded?
Update: Organizer Ariel Otafuku has also stepped aside.
Update: We take a look at the reason that Linden Lab gave for their decision.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Jacek Antonelli said on 12:59PM 5-30-2008
I read something somewhere... I think it was in some old document that's since been discarded. It said, in part:
"Actions that marginalize, belittle, or defame individuals or groups inhibit the satisfying exchange of ideas and diminish the Second Life community as whole."
Maybe Dusty Linden et al could find out who wrote that, and ask what it means and why it matters.
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Marianne McCann said on 1:27PM 5-30-2008
Jacek - IMO, Dusty knows this. Her marching orders come from above her.
That said, someone should be reading those words. :-(
I'm doing what I can to update on this issue at http://secondlifechildren.blogspot.com/
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Gwyneth Llewelyn said on 1:51PM 5-30-2008
I've heard a comment that they have even banned the BDSMers and Goreans from SL5B this year!!!
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Ari Blackthorne said on 2:01PM 5-30-2008
Okay that's funny. How do you ban a role-player? Change clothes - zip, you're in. I'm not aware of any 'presentations' representing to groups. I could be wrong.
But, I can see LL being freaked out over the political BS. But at the same time, had they acted immediately and decisively back when the whole ageplay issue was still an issue (on front pages of the world) - it might not have come to this.
meh.
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CodeBastard Redgrave said on 2:07PM 5-30-2008
I'm going on the news, I got confirmation that LL insisted on removing Goreans and BDSM from the registration form as cultures. I will talk to Dusty ASAP to see what's up, but I'm not very pleased with the whole situation. All this work to get tossed around at the last hour of planning this event, this is hard to swallow.
Codie
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FlipperPA Peregrine said on 2:08PM 5-30-2008
Won't someone please think of the children!
This seems like a pretty big over-reaction to me. Doesn't LL realize that by now highlighting this they've made an issue out of nothing?
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Barney Boomslang said on 2:10PM 5-30-2008
Ah, the whitewashing of the walls begins. Everything to make yourself look good. When the sowjets did it, when the chinese did it, there was big complaint. When you do it to your fake community, it seems all ok.
Now wouldn't it be fun if the presenters at SL5B would call a quit on it, too? I mean, sure, SignpostMarv stepped down, obviously disgusted, but hey, what about if the lab had an empty birthday cake? Ah well, I guess it won't happen, too many fanboys/fangirls there to "stand by the lab" instead of doing what would be appropriate here: kicking the lab where it hurts.
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Alexandra Daikon said on 2:49PM 5-30-2008
I am thoroughly disgusted in SL, as well as ashamed to be apart of it. I have been apart of the SL children's community for well over a year now and have my own two SL kids (as well as a kid alt), this is totally insane and uncalled for. 99% of SL children are G rated- there are very very few who actually partake in the sex stuff. They should really just accept it and realize they are denying a HUGE community in SL with this and there are going to be uberous amounts of complaints.
As for the BDSM I can't say I've been in it, but I do have an alt in Gor. Yes, there is violence... but in the "real" Gorean sims, sex is a very very little part of the RP, and if that's why they're banning it I'm also ashamed and disgusted. They really need to do their research before they say that they can revoke the title of 'community' to a group of people in SL.
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Tateru Nino said on 2:56PM 5-30-2008
We were just wondering how long it would be before we heard that Mature communities were shucked as well. I owe someone a drink. I wasn't expecting until Monday before this trickled down to them.
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Marx Dudek said on 3:14PM 5-30-2008
Just as I started getting interested in the even, I've lost interest.
I wonder if IBM will have a display this year. [/sarcasm]
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Shoshana Epsilon said on 3:35PM 5-30-2008
I thought this was a resident-run event. Evidently, not. All in favor of letting LL run the event, please raise your hand.
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Ann Launay said on 3:49PM 5-30-2008
Wow, and I thought I'd gotten over being surprised by the myriad ways LL finds to turn its back on the SL Residents...
Guess not.
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Digado said on 7:23PM 5-30-2008
And so the controversy on 'expression trough avatar' begins...
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CodeBastard Redgrave said on 3:59PM 5-30-2008
@Shoshana *raise hand*
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CodeBastard Redgrave said on 4:02PM 5-30-2008
AHEM. Friday confusion. I meant im against LL running it! (has a DOH moment here)
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Argent Bury said on 4:25PM 5-30-2008
I agree with Codie. If LL can't be even handed on this, then they shouldn't be running it. Let citizens groups throw their own SL5B celebrations and take back that part of their world for themselves.
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Illya Sullivan said on 5:39PM 5-30-2008
*sighs*
LL is trying to disavow anything that might not play well on the evening news. It's the whole IPO scenario. Let's all give a big cheer for M Linden.
"Your world, your imagination" has become "Our world, Wall Streets imagination."
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Amira Beaumont said on 6:46PM 5-30-2008
My name is Amira and i play a 6 year old girl on SL. I participate in elementary school, i have play dates with other kids in playgrounds, i shop for dressed with my mother, i color, i play pranks….i am a wholesome PG player…why am i not included in the community SL? Only 2% kids are icky ones, most of us are NOT...
My best friend in real life is BDSMer and let me just say though thats not my cup of tea…the pratice is based on trust of each other. TRUST! wow how horrid…cant have that in SL….my god first trust then honesty….then respect holy shit weve gotta stop this! God forbid someone has the balls to have a little bit of kink in the bedroom, god forbid someone is eager to wear a pixelated collar
That aside Goreans are also not permitted. Whats the beef with gor? I mean really, who cares? Neo Nazis and the KKK can come but something less dangerous like Gor….ooh god save the queen
Im not sure how you can ask for tolernace of these groups when the groups (like pedophelia) are what started the stigma of kid avatars, some BDSMers and yes even Gor....Its going to be a long hard battle to win any sort of 'aww its otay, LLC lubers you!'
honey they dont care they just want money.
Amira
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Dale Innis said on 7:59PM 5-30-2008
Sheesh! Yeah, who's next indeed. TG folks? Furries? Robots? (I'm sure having sex with robots is illegal somewhere in the world, and we can conclude from the banning of children as a culture that anyone you're not allowed to have sex with can't be a part of the community.) Atheists? Gays?
This is really distressing.
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Katharine Berry said on 8:19PM 5-30-2008
The TG *is* banned from the event, by definition - the "later post" about ours has yet to materialise (unless it happened and I didn't notice? Nah - we're still waiting on Bay City). Indeed, we're banned from all but about a hundred sims in the far east of the grid.