Family is censored now in SL5B
Image copyrighted by Sue Stonebender, published with permission.
Now all this is going too far. All the credit Linden Lab had fighting against the so called “Ageplay” (simulated paedophile) now is lost in that stupid (yes, stupid, i can’t use other word) censorship for virtual familiar behaviours in images.
Thanks to Sue Stonebender and her post in Flickr (touch the image to see more) we all knew Linden Lab turned down Stephen Venkman‘s application to exhibit at the SL5B celebrations this year, Stephen’s theme was “Family”. Some of the images were just “virtual family” shots, Stephen and Kimmy (his SLwife)with his SLdaughters, you will fins links to some of the images at Sue’s post in Flickr.
I know Stephen Venkman, is someone i have the luck to may call a friend. He is honest, caring, respectful. Stephen and his SLwife, Kimberly, decided to have an SLfamily. Is the kind of life (or Role Play, as you prefer)they wanted to have with their SLdaughters.
Sue is explaining all together better than me:
“… Because the pressure of the law (and moreover the lack of clarity on exactly where the boundaries of legislation lie in a constantly morphing global community), the once “wild frontier” nature of the Second Life online community was gifted with some boundaries regarding the representation of children in the form of avatars, and the kinds of interactions that were not acceptable, that would lead to the suspension of accounts, and in some cases prosecution. It was both responsible and appropriate for Linden Lab to do this.
Having said that, we are left with an abundance of gray areas, and sadly a “witch hunt” mentality with many residents taking up zealous campaigns to brand a lot of very healthy, loving and even healing expressions of human interaction as something shameful and subject to persecution.
Because of the ongoing nature of this controversy, Linden Lab turned down Stephen Venkman’s application to exhibit at the SL5B celebrations this year. Stephen’s theme was “family”, and if you know Venk and Kimmy at all then you know they treat this matter with a very loving, healthy and honest touch, and not a trace of the kind of interaction that sends people running to the street with pitchforks and torches.
Stephen’s request to allow these pictures to remain intact as a part of the exhibit is currently under review by Linden Lab. This is why I am reaching out to you today.
I believe if we simply give up the right to normal, healthy and even healing parts of our expression as real people behind the pixels that we suffer an even greater loss: human rights, and our voice.
I realize that by sharing this here it opens up that monumental can of worms that has been tossed about like a hand grenade with the pin pulled for years on SL, but I do this because we are still living in a time of witch hunts and paranoia, and one where a continued intelligent discourse and debate is sorely needed in order to cultivate our lives responsibly, meaningfully and creatively within a virtual community. …”
As you know I decided to be outside SL5B some time ago (and i think is one of the best decisions i made lately), but, now i know for sure i won’t even visit SL5B. Sincerely, I hope all exhibitors, artist, creators and volunteers in SL5B resign. I’d like to see what Linden Lab does with 16 empty sims. Of course is up to that persons and i’ll respect their decisions, i’m just saying what i’d like to see.
UPDATE (Jun 12nd): I wrote a notecard with my opinion about that issue to give to Sue as support to Stephen:
I, Raul Crimson, support Stephen Venkman’s art project at SL5B.
I know him and his artwork. He is light years away of that few people that damage the reputation of SL childs with acts outside legality.
In my case i’m not agaist Linden Lab about this issue, i understand they are between us (the residents) and some narrow minded politics and tabloids. Anyway there has been some lack of communication between Linden Lab and the residents (sadly, is a common mistake) and it may seem Linden Lab is the same opinion of that politics and tabloids.
I think also the best Linden Lab can do is to show what is Second Life, the diversity, the world of fantasy, business or alternative reality the residents are building, texturing, scripting and living each and every day. This is, in my opinion, the best way to make that politics and tabloids know what is Second Life.
Raul Crimson
11 Responses to “Family is censored now in SL5B”
Leave a Reply
Recent Comments
Raul's Flickr Latest
|
gee, that is really sad
for being such a “free” country, it is amazing that Janet Jackson and the Superbowl is earth shattering controversy but yet very sexually implicit programming on mainstream tv and American Idol are entirely appropriate.
Yes, is totally sad, hope Linden Lab® do some PR work with that.
Ahahahahahahahaha….
PR work? From Linden Lab? Better not.
Ha ha, dandellion… You are right… it can be even worse.
i think this is pretty depressing and i am pretty sure it’s just LL’s way of re-enforcing the original rule by making the rules for kid-avvies rediculous..
I did suggest on my blog, to stay away from SL5B, but my voice only does not count…even if we are with the two of us, or more. In fact we have to decide all together whether we would go on with the exhibition. You have already decided, Raul, now we only need to know about the rest. I have visited the sim yesterday, and it seems that the sim is pretty full.
Everybody writes about it, everybody talks about it, but what need to be done is an open question mark. At least where you would find the most support. Only the letter from Sue is not enough. I am still thinking how I could react the best at those new rules….once again.
Looker, i think i can’t ask people to do (or not do something). I just can say what i won’t do: I won’t have art or anything created by me in the Linden SL5B and i won’t visit it.
The rest have to take their own decisions, i just tryed to explain my reasons to not participate in that celebration. Some people has decided to be there and to try to change all that from within. I won’t critizise nobody for their position in front of this issue.
For what it’s worth… I am not going there.
I know that is not much of a protest, nor it will be noticed at all… but I will stay clean in front of myself.
Yes, dandellion, that’s the best reason, to stay clear in front of oneself.
Thank you Raul for blogging about this. I am finally starting to catch up on reading blogs and info from the internet about this issue. This is not the only exhibit excluded this year. There were others who had to decide if they would not show do to “family” pictures or show censored.
At first there were no rules as to who was included or not included, this of course was when the volunteers started getting all of the sims together and decide how the art would be presented in what was to be dubbed “Many Cultures” as a theme. We did know at this time that images would have to be PG. Unlike last year when we had PG and Mature rated sims with info as to what sim you were entering at the time.
Then Lindens took over the event, volunteers heading the project stepped down, and all virtual hell broke loose with the exclusion of Gor, BDSM, and Child Avatars.
Once they realized a Cultural event like this couldn’t exclusive, they decided to open up enrollment again to anyone.. fill out a new form to be submitted and enforced the “no child and adult avatar in the same image” idea along with reiterating PG ratings.
Needless to say even my friends had a hard time in their exhibits staying within the guidelines… An artist was told to remove to images due to partial nipple exposure…while just down the path a statue replica of David with his genitalia explosed was acceptable.
I will be visiting SL5B this year. I have many friends and family who had submitted applications before all this started and in their way are showing their own protests and promoting my off site exhibit as well. They have worked many hours on their exhibits and should be damn proud of what they have done. I know I am and I know I have their support.
Anyone else who would like to see the exhibit but feels compelled to not go due to LL’s policy, that is your choice and I respect you for it… I also suggest a better way is to go there with your families…weather they be your best friends you call family, or a virtual family that immulates something like I have here… better yet…go as a child avatar!
I always found the best protest is where your not screaming and ranting.. but you are not invisible either… to boycott something doesn’t do much … not enuf folks to make a dent… to show up as child avatars is a much stronger message.. at least in my humble opinion.
Warmest Regards,
Stephen Venkman
Thanks, my friend, for sharing your opinion.
I know i may just being too “radical” not wanting to visit SL5B, and i’m missing this way the work some friends did there, is just i don’t want to be part of that celebration that i don’t consider mine after Linden Lab took control over it and started to limit the expression in ways totally out of what i consider logic and moral.
The PG considerations are a bit difficult to understand to me, maybe being European (we have a slightly different consideration about what is PG) i see them too restrictive. I would consider them just ridiculous (like in the infamous “nipplegate” of Janet Jackson in the Superbowl) but they are affecting now people i consider not only great creators, in most cases they are also friends.
Raul