The topic this week was ‘SL protest: is it effective?’
We first shared experiences we had of being involved in SL protests and what we felt had been achieved.
These experiences ranged from demonstrations over the bombing of Gaza to a protest against a contents thief.
Plot Tracer has written an article for the RL journal Red Pepper which includes details of protests carried out by SLLU and comments on their effectiveness.
http://www.redpepper.org.uk/Left-unity-in-Second-Life
Some of the observations and questions :-
:it seems to be important to have a clear objective
:getting attention in RL seems to be a key
: I wonder . . . is it more important to be disruptive?
: or more effective to be imaginative?
:maybe disruptive enough just to get attention but not enough to be considered harassment?
: just the feeling of being able to do something with likeminded people may be enough
:not feeling like a lone voice in the wilderness can help prepare you for further action sometimes too
:a tool to get info out
: also about recruitment
There was a view that the other thing sl can be great for is getting info out to a large blogging community which can then get picked up more widely and that new media gives us lots of opportunities for awareness raising. We discussed the special opportunities offered by sl e.g. being able to create whole ‘theme parks’ or virtual museums
(We were diverted into an interesting discussion about the offer made to the woman who had recently given birth to 8 babies being made an offer to work in the porn industry.
http://www.womanist-musings.com/2009/02/now-porn-comes-calling-for-nadaya.html
Which led to musings about whether women in sl working as ‘escorts’ should form a Union.)
When we discussed the possibility of protesting about the rape sims in SL the whole debate around this issue was aired again. There were genuine differences in views about how effective such a protest would be. There are also differing views about the freedom in sl to enact any sexual fantasy. (See notes of previous meetings for more on this debate)
While not all were keen on the idea of an actual protest at a rape sim there was agreement on the need to air the issue and to try to provide information on the emotional risks involved.
Scylla has done a lot of work and a great job drafting information for female newbies in the form of a Survival Kit. We discussed the best format for presenting this. Everyone is encouraged to add to and comment by going to:-
http://womensresourcehub.wetpaint.com/page/Survival+Kit
Oh and thanks to Ellie we now have a peaceful garden, should we add a hot tub?
We didn’t have time to agree a topic for next week but it is International Women’s Day. Maybe this could be our topic for the meeting on the 8th March at 12 noon SLT.
Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
Monday, 2 March 2009
Continuing the discussion - representations of violence against women
This was part two of the discussion on ‘Virtual rape ...fact or fantasy’ and again lots of people came to contribute.
We were given the link to the Women’s Resource Hub where the discussion is also featured
http://womensresourcehub.wetpaint.com/page/SL+Left+Unity+Discussion+Page
This also includes links to Linden’s official policy on this issue (and the interesting subsequent debate). To quote ‘ other depictions of sexual violence including rape, real-life images, avatar portrayals, and other depictions of extreme or graphic violence, and other broadly offensive content are never allowed or tolerated within Second Life.’
One well argued viewpoint was that some of the role play within SL should be viewed within a similar framework to pornography, which contributes to a culture of harm or potential harm and that this was not a moral position but raised concerns about the normalisation and validation of certain attitudes and the impact this can have.
While there seemed to be broad agreement with this view there was also a discussion about women being empowered to develop erotic fantasy and about how far even these fantasies have been determined by unequal power relationships and social conditioning.
The following views were added:-
‘I remember a time when women were not able to freely express their sexual fantasy and to explore erotic stimulation’
‘Yes, it is one of the things I like about SL’
‘I don’t want to see all erotic play defined as pornography’
‘ I think it's important not to impose on a woman’s desire for sexual expression in the name of morality...there is of course a balance to be struck so as to avoid exploitation’
‘I think it's important to have more openness about sexuality and sexual desire: but I also think it's important to reflect on how desires are sometimes shaped’
‘I have never been sure about how far women's sexual fantasy has been governed by a kind of sexual conditioning ...e.g. how far our fantasies are still about pleasing men ... and how far SL might actually be a way of exploring this question further’
***********
We realised that we didn’t really have a working definition on any distinction between pornography and erotic material.
The following were offered:-
‘pornography has more to do with power over a target person whereas eroticism is more mutuality of pleasure’
‘the vast majority of pornography is about a power dynamic’
‘Erotic material is the use of words or images to enhance sexual pleasure while pornography is using similar images but they are primarily for sale and usually exploiting those involved in their production’
***********
The main concerns expressed about the rape role play sims were:-
-That there were no warnings given
-That this activity desensitises those involved
-That there are links between such enactments and rl sexual violence
-It was felt that the mere rating of a sim as ‘mature’ was an inadequate description.
We discussed other possible ways of warning about the content of sims supporting sexual violence and how such a suggestion might be received since it admits that such sims exist and we talked about the impact these activities might have on rl victims of sexual abuse and about how far rape role play reinforced and legitimised
negative attitudes.
The following ideas were generated:-
-A campaign for an in-world rape crisis and counselling service and/or information about existing services
-Sims supporting such activities being required to publicise support perhaps in the form of a kiosk or an automatically dispensed note card
-Linden being required to acknowledge the problem and contribute to support systems
-A conference on these issues (a grant for such a conference has been applied for)
-The need to collect information about resources and landmarks for sources of support
***********
There was further discussion about our responses to sexual slaves appearing in clubs shops etc, the whole Gor thing, going undercover as an ‘investigative reporter’ and bringing these activities into the light of day, the nature of sl marriage, reclaiming the night activity and a discussion about other oppressive behaviour which might take place within a relationship and which may result in intolerable behaviour including stalking activity.
An interesting theme developed on the level of emotional immersion in sl and how differing levels of immersion might colour behaviour and lead to emotionally disturbing encounters.
As well as following up on action and after various suggestions were made about next week’s topic the following was agreed for next Sunday.
'When sl love turns into obsession ... a feminist perspective'
We were given the link to the Women’s Resource Hub where the discussion is also featured
http://womensresourcehub.wetpaint.com/page/SL+Left+Unity+Discussion+Page
This also includes links to Linden’s official policy on this issue (and the interesting subsequent debate). To quote ‘ other depictions of sexual violence including rape, real-life images, avatar portrayals, and other depictions of extreme or graphic violence, and other broadly offensive content are never allowed or tolerated within Second Life.’
One well argued viewpoint was that some of the role play within SL should be viewed within a similar framework to pornography, which contributes to a culture of harm or potential harm and that this was not a moral position but raised concerns about the normalisation and validation of certain attitudes and the impact this can have.
While there seemed to be broad agreement with this view there was also a discussion about women being empowered to develop erotic fantasy and about how far even these fantasies have been determined by unequal power relationships and social conditioning.
The following views were added:-
‘I remember a time when women were not able to freely express their sexual fantasy and to explore erotic stimulation’
‘Yes, it is one of the things I like about SL’
‘I don’t want to see all erotic play defined as pornography’
‘ I think it's important not to impose on a woman’s desire for sexual expression in the name of morality...there is of course a balance to be struck so as to avoid exploitation’
‘I think it's important to have more openness about sexuality and sexual desire: but I also think it's important to reflect on how desires are sometimes shaped’
‘I have never been sure about how far women's sexual fantasy has been governed by a kind of sexual conditioning ...e.g. how far our fantasies are still about pleasing men ... and how far SL might actually be a way of exploring this question further’
***********
We realised that we didn’t really have a working definition on any distinction between pornography and erotic material.
The following were offered:-
‘pornography has more to do with power over a target person whereas eroticism is more mutuality of pleasure’
‘the vast majority of pornography is about a power dynamic’
‘Erotic material is the use of words or images to enhance sexual pleasure while pornography is using similar images but they are primarily for sale and usually exploiting those involved in their production’
***********
The main concerns expressed about the rape role play sims were:-
-That there were no warnings given
-That this activity desensitises those involved
-That there are links between such enactments and rl sexual violence
-It was felt that the mere rating of a sim as ‘mature’ was an inadequate description.
We discussed other possible ways of warning about the content of sims supporting sexual violence and how such a suggestion might be received since it admits that such sims exist and we talked about the impact these activities might have on rl victims of sexual abuse and about how far rape role play reinforced and legitimised
negative attitudes.
The following ideas were generated:-
-A campaign for an in-world rape crisis and counselling service and/or information about existing services
-Sims supporting such activities being required to publicise support perhaps in the form of a kiosk or an automatically dispensed note card
-Linden being required to acknowledge the problem and contribute to support systems
-A conference on these issues (a grant for such a conference has been applied for)
-The need to collect information about resources and landmarks for sources of support
***********
There was further discussion about our responses to sexual slaves appearing in clubs shops etc, the whole Gor thing, going undercover as an ‘investigative reporter’ and bringing these activities into the light of day, the nature of sl marriage, reclaiming the night activity and a discussion about other oppressive behaviour which might take place within a relationship and which may result in intolerable behaviour including stalking activity.
An interesting theme developed on the level of emotional immersion in sl and how differing levels of immersion might colour behaviour and lead to emotionally disturbing encounters.
As well as following up on action and after various suggestions were made about next week’s topic the following was agreed for next Sunday.
'When sl love turns into obsession ... a feminist perspective'
First Discussion Session - virtual rape and violence against women in SL
This was the first discussion meeting held by the network and the topic was ‘Virtual Rape ... fact or fantasy’ Eleven people came along for the discussion.
The debate was lively, friendly and interesting and it’s impossible to try and summarise all that was said.
Some of the points made were:-
Searches had revealed that women had experienced ‘virtual’ rape in SL. This ranged from being ‘bumped’ by a male avi with an erect penis, being tricked into clicking on pose balls, descriptions of rape in text to accepting objects which contain hidden rape animations.
There were reports of pressure being applied in role playing sims and other forms of deception.
Some women may laugh these things off and some retaliate or just quit, however others, particularly if they have had similar experiences in RL have suffered emotional distress.
Was there a definition of 'virtual rape'? Did this definition revolve around the question of consent?
There was also a discussion on rape as part of consensual role play (it was noted that rape pose balls were for sale). While feminists have been working on an understanding of the relationship between sexual fantasy and the exercise of sexual power within relationships, there has been research which raises concerns that such role play can impact upon attitudes to rape in RL.
We wondered if it were also possible that role play may give a new insight into the impact of this kind of sexual behaviour and accepted that role play can be both damaging and therapeutic.
We discussed whether it was feasible to expect SL to issue warnings, introduce protection of offer support to particularly newbies who were the most vulnerable.
Self defence workshops are available in SL.
Suggestions made included improved warnings about the nature of some sims, demystifying virtual rape, self-defence strategies and sources of counselling or support for those affected.
It was agreed to work with the Women's Resourse Hub to draft a letter requiring Linden Lab to include warnings in newbie induction processes. (we need to check what is already included)
We ran out of time so it was agreed to continue this discussion next Sunday at the same time.
Ellie was thanked for moderating the discussion.
The debate was lively, friendly and interesting and it’s impossible to try and summarise all that was said.
Some of the points made were:-
Searches had revealed that women had experienced ‘virtual’ rape in SL. This ranged from being ‘bumped’ by a male avi with an erect penis, being tricked into clicking on pose balls, descriptions of rape in text to accepting objects which contain hidden rape animations.
There were reports of pressure being applied in role playing sims and other forms of deception.
Some women may laugh these things off and some retaliate or just quit, however others, particularly if they have had similar experiences in RL have suffered emotional distress.
Was there a definition of 'virtual rape'? Did this definition revolve around the question of consent?
There was also a discussion on rape as part of consensual role play (it was noted that rape pose balls were for sale). While feminists have been working on an understanding of the relationship between sexual fantasy and the exercise of sexual power within relationships, there has been research which raises concerns that such role play can impact upon attitudes to rape in RL.
We wondered if it were also possible that role play may give a new insight into the impact of this kind of sexual behaviour and accepted that role play can be both damaging and therapeutic.
We discussed whether it was feasible to expect SL to issue warnings, introduce protection of offer support to particularly newbies who were the most vulnerable.
Self defence workshops are available in SL.
Suggestions made included improved warnings about the nature of some sims, demystifying virtual rape, self-defence strategies and sources of counselling or support for those affected.
It was agreed to work with the Women's Resourse Hub to draft a letter requiring Linden Lab to include warnings in newbie induction processes. (we need to check what is already included)
We ran out of time so it was agreed to continue this discussion next Sunday at the same time.
Ellie was thanked for moderating the discussion.
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