If you saw my earlier post (reLink), then you’ll know I’ve been following the latest issue concerning the virtual world, Second Life: allegations of child pornography. Actually, more than just following it; I’ve been involved in online discussions regarding the sensitive topic being debated. So much so that one of the individuals voicing their concerns, “bella Ophelia”, implied that I and all others who weren’t prepared to join in the witchhunt were, in fact, the pedophiles about whom she was concerned (I believe that person has since been banned or at least suspended; if it had been more than implied, I’d be contacting a lawyer).
Of additional interest is the fact that this person’s partner, “Levi Glass” (I assume this is also bella’s RL partner based on comments in the forum threads) took over the crusade, but then commented how much he enjoyed pornography (he may be a real life photographer who does pron photography; some of the comments suggested he was). Here are some of his comments:
It is because it is my line of work {pornography} that I have a clear idea where the line must be drawn.
…
Oh, and I’ve never paid a model in my life, they either pay me or if it is a mutual project they pose for free.It’s tough work, but someone has to do it.
Yes, I’m very smooth
Class act. There are some curious people out there.
I guess it’s worth pointing out that at no time was any simulated activity of the kind they were protesting actually seen and/or documented. When pressed, it turned out to be an adult resident using a childlike avatar who was “dancing suggestively” in a “sexually charged dance club” (whatever any of that means). It was clothed and there was nothing else going on.
I think the concerned parties were also alarmed by the avatar’s profile, wherein the person said that they were “available for hire”. I guess the thought that people actually hire themselves out to be virtual children to virtual married couples never occurred to them.
In any event, perhaps due to my early suggestion that they take the matter to the mainstream press, that’s what someone has done. Apparently C|Net is now interested in the story. If you’re interested and have access, you can find plenty of locked threads on the Second Life forum. Or you can read the spillover on C|Net (Link 1, Link 2). I guess we should be on the lookout for an article.
Regardless of how ugly this might get, I’m interested to see how it all plays out. I thought it would be IP issues that would bite LL in the ass, but I’ll probably be proven wrong.
I agree. After all, there’s really no difference between this and … MySpace (which has gotten a ton of press in my state for this very reason). I don’t have a problem with pedophiles being put away. Far from it. But I do have a problem with reactionaries who act without thinking.
submitted for Levi Glass:
Interesting site where there is such a limited time frame for a person to defend themselves against your allegations. You must feel like superman sitting at your computer throwing out half truths knowing no one can answer to them. Obviously only 4 or 5 people read this but still, it is pretty self-righteous of you to blast others knowing no one has little ability to defend themselves in front of your 4 friends.
Yes, several people took your advice and now several journalists are racing to become the first to break the story. And yes, it will make a difference because normal people aren’t okay with vehicles that are safe places for pedophilia. You may be just fine with opening your doors to the scum of the earth but some of us have standards.
Peace be with you.
Excellent example of someone drawing conclusions without knowing and without bothering to inquire before sticking his foot in his mouth.
“Interesting site where there is such a limited time frame for a person to defend themselves against your allegations. You must feel like superman sitting at your computer throwing out half truths knowing no one can answer to them.”
Several hundred readers know that blogspam both forced me to shut down for over a month and now forces me to shut down comments within days. Consequently, your idiotic assertion is without merit. You seem to draw invalid conclusions with some frequency. I believe some people call that “stupidity”.
wrt to “half-truths”, a) I believe the only potentially non-qualified comment I made was “this person’s partner”. I’m comfortable with using that phrase. Anything else debateable had qualifying terms such as “implied”, “believe”, “assume”, “guess”, and “perhaps”; b) Dan Rather applied to post here but MSM is worse than me, I turned him down. I wonder what quarter-truths they’ll spit out based on your “facts” to generate a sufficiently sensationalist article to draw readers and make their advertisers happy. I certainly hope they do their own investigation. I don’t doubt there are people engaged in illegal activities in Second Life. On the contrary, I’m often one of those pointing them out. I just prefer casting a net that gets the people who need to be caught. You know. The one’s who are actually guilty.
“Obviously only 4 or 5 people read this but still, it is pretty self-righteous of you to blast others knowing no one has little ability to defend themselves in front of your 4 friends.”
This is the same kind of “obvious” mistake you seem to prefer when you’re off engaged in your own “self-righteous” inquisitioning. And btw, bc you’re “obviously” too dense to figure this out, having comments open doesn’t mean they get posted, either. However, you somehow managed to get your comment posted, didn’t you? Surprise, surprise.
You’re not the first to post a comment elsewhere bc I had to shut down a post. Although you’ll not again get a chance to be the last.
“And yes, it will make a difference because normal people aren’t okay with vehicles that are safe places for pedophilia. You may be just fine with opening your doors to the scum of the earth but some of us have standards.”
Once again you imply that not passing judgement even without evidence is somehow abnormal. I consider people like you dangerous, narrow-minded, reactionary, and anti-American.
Now, because I don’t believe you’re sufficiently intelligent to imagine this, let me provide an example of something I’m relatively certain you’d report to the FBI and which I consider entirely innocent:
Image a couple that have known each other all their lives. Imagine that they grew up together, went to school together, married, had children… everything. Now imagine that he’s sent off to some place pretty bad, like Iraq. They’re separated for years. Now imagine they use a virtual space like Second Life to help them keep in touch. Imagine (if you possibly can) that they create pre-teen representations of themselves to try to relive – in some fashion – the “good days”; the early days when they first started falling in love (and yes, it can and does happen that young). Now imagine that while in these pre-teen avatars which only partially look like humans they happen to engage in simulated adult activities. Are they pedophiles?
Not in my book.
Based on your comments here and elsewhere, you’d apparently have them both burned alive at the stake.
Because people like you jump to conclusions and start damning everyone in sight without trial and on a presumption of Guilt Before Innocence, I have a problem. In America, you’re innocent until proven guilty (at least that’s the theory). It’s only when our government ships you off (aka “renditions your ass”) to some country where they torture you for fun and profit, or locks you up in our very own offshore gulag (you can read a nice tale of that here), that we forget that basic right. Correction. We don’t forget it. We ignore it. We decide to become like all the people we claim to hate. And you do it very well from what I’ve read.
You must feel like God sitting at your computer throwing out half truths and accusations knowing no one can respond to them without fear of being unjustly branded a pedophile.
Don’t bother posting again.