Wow, My first post! I hope you are all well and healthy.
My first subject is tolerance. I choose this because Second Life is supposed to be the utopia world where it is what you make it. This has been my understanding since I started my account. I have been troubled by the ramifications.
I have seen such intolerance is SL since I have been here. I went to a well known and well meaning educational group to attend classes on building, scripting, role-play and other subjects. This group has the best teachers I have experienced in SL. They are very organized, consistant, and personable. I would recommend them to anyone. But, when I went to there class on role-play I found them intolerant of a certain game within SL. A game I am engaged in. The first time I went and noticed, I thought it was just an inapropriate moment in an otherwise good experience. But I tend to rely on repitition for learning so I returned to the same class for a refresh to find the same unsollisited experience. I was troubled but later returned with a friend with the idea of introducing them to a good introduction to the subject hoping they would like it. At which time I realized it seems to be an unofficial curriculum point in every class. I then addressed the issue and informed them that they could alienate students by there attitude and they had at least players of that particular game in there class at the moment. There reply was, "Oh we know. We check profiles."
I moved on to a more advanced class on the subject at a different resource in SL that gave excellent information on the do's and don'ts of role-play, the different types of role-play and what is specifically illegal. Again I found them to be an excellent resource with awesome and important information. The instructors are really great and the classes structured and yet not to formal. I learned there the value of not relying totally on pushing the button a hud provides or sitting on a posey ball, but you can role-play in chat without those things by describing them and emoting, giving a much richer role-play experience. I was encouraged by this and sought more information about them in their blog finding their intolerances toward certain vocabulary and another educational resource within SL. This 3rd resource happens to be another accadamy I frequent.
This 3rd resource is a fine facility stressing character values such as tolerance, patience, respect and others. They present themselves as a no drama sim. I have heard other things about them but cannot support those opinions because I have not witnessed them myself. But one of the rumors is that they use red-zone.
Recently I have had the opportunity to be condemned by some role-play partners for 'button pushing' and even my spelling. ( One of the first principles is to be tolerant of typo's because the RP is more important that perfect spelling and it could be caused by a sticky keyboard or even lag. It is more important to try than it is to be perfect. ) I found them so condemning I just teleported out of the role-play. At which time my partner proceeded to condemn me from the previous sim for about 30 min. I kept closing the chat window without further comment and my role-play partner kept reopening it with another condemning comment. This is how you get muted!
Ok, what's the point and what can we get out of this? The point is Tolerance! Everybody says it but not everybody does it. 1. Be tolerant of other peoples RP. Just because you are not a furry doesn't mean no one should be a furry. Don't condemn my RP, I don't condemn yours. And just because I am not a furry, does not mean I am condemning you for being a furry. 2. There is not just one right way to RP. I have some very good RP with posey balls and some even better without. I have to admit that the most successful RP has been without, but I have had RP where a posey was esential to the RP. I could RP a formal dance entirely in chat from another sim but it is more effective if you are there seeing her flowing hair cascade her shoulders as she floats angelicly across the floor to my waiting arms. Right? If you are RPing a proposal of marriage, is it more effective to RP kneeling before her and opening the box to a diamond engagement ring from across 2 sims or teleporting to a garden location with deer and butterflies and kneeling before her while you place an exquisit token of your love upon the petite finger of her graceful hand? Ok, which is it? 3. Not everyone is at the same level as you. I have had RP partners who gave me absolutely nothing. "Oh, Yeah, That is nice." I can get that from a bot. But, I was tolerant of their experience level and did my best to show them a good RP experience. I have had the honor of RPing with a couple increadable partners who have shown me what is possible in an RP scene. I have been humbled and awed and have had a wonderful time. Bless someone else with that kind of experience and hope they are inspired to improve.
Tolerance breeds growth and condemnation breeds death.
A note on red-zone, I do not endorse red-zone. I do understand feeling the need to protect the sim you are responsible for and the people in it from those who do not have the best intentions. I do understand owning a firearm to protect your home. I could see myself using red-zone if it was an issue for me and I would use it responsibly. But I don't know that you would and I am allowed to protect me, my account and my computer. Proper notification that red-zone is being used would only be equally responsible.
