Don't make eye contact with the vibrator

Oh no its a vibrator!
Call the police! that martian is on a vibrator!

     I was asked by an organizer of Second Life birthday 10 last week to fill up five parcels (or hopefully more) that were not claimed by exhibitors.  In my mind I was telling myself.. "no don't accept you don't have time!" but my typing fingers said "ok".  I must admit that I was a bit cross with my fingers at first but then I had an idea.  The theme for the birthday event this year is to do with remembering the history of SL.  As it happens I have a bunch of works done by Light Waves / Starax from Greenies and Black Swan sim.            The greenies sim was a massive place where your avatar was about the size of the green aliens in the pictures.  You were in a giant house .. hard to explain but you can click the Greenies link if you want to see a very tiny machinima I made a long time ago.  But what better way to tie into that theme then by exhibiting one of Second Life's early and influential artists?  I set up two parcels of his various works and within a few hours of completing the set up I received a message by a ranger named Pygar Bu who informed me that the "massage tool" and images on a book cover were inappropriate for a general-rated region.  The "massage tool" is called a vibrator btw.  It is not a bad word.  And really? the image on the playboy magazine?  It's not even nudity.  I responded by saying that I have had discussions with Lindens directly from being in the LEA, and we have discussed what is permitted on general rated regions.  Both are fine according to our discussions in the past.  The response was again that they were not appropriate for general rated regions.  Case closed.  And you know how you always think of things to say after you have walked a block down the street or after hanging up the phone... well what I thought up after was that Greenies was in fact on a pg rated region, and the vibrator and magazine were on it.  Anyway, I decided to withdraw naturally.
     Now North American society is pretty conservative.  Nudity is, for some reason, more regulated than images of graphic violence.  Coincidentally, I watched a European movie last night called "The Pillow Book" by Peter Greenaway.  An alternate title for this movie could have been Ewan McGregor penis.  It is a great movie.  An artistic movie with a unique story.  And by the end of it I felt like I knew Ewan McGregor's penis, like he was one of the characters in the movie.. flopping around so happy and carefree.  So how can one society be completely fine with nudity while another is.... oh hold on sorry.  My mistake.. there was no nudity.  There was a woman in a bikini.  And a massage tool.

"Lovers Rock" from Black Swan
     But I don't really want to end the post by slagging SL10b.  The organizers and volunteers do a huge amount of work for the community and should be commended for their efforts.  Where I think some of the problems rest are with occasional Rangers who don't realize that the Lindens don't really care.  They don't care if there is a comical vibrator with a martian riding it on one of the plots.  They will not cancel the birthday celebration over a pretend vibrator.  They will not even notice.  Don't over monitor an event.. if there is a blatant hate filled message or overt sexual imagery then sure discuss it with a few others then make a decision, but its not all black and white.  Oh well, no walk down memory lane with Starax, but not to worry I am sure the replacement works of someone advertising their store will be captivating.

Comments

Oberon Onmura said…
There are now commercials on TV for vibrators. Things change, and yet SL seems perpetually stuck in some weird lawyer-driven moment of caution.
Cole Marie said…
Oh Bryn.... does no one remember Bukakke Island or however you spell it... sheesh... massage tool my ass... no pun intended
Bryn Oh said…
It's true Oberon but at the same time Linden Labs is often lambasted by decision made by volunteers too.. Susa Bubble I recall. Cole Bukakke island would be perfect representation for SL10b because everyone there is already dressed in their birthday suit.
Apmel said…
Rangers.. *sigh*
My opinion is that public LL supported events should be quality, PG and classy.

Would I want to bring someone in that I respect to show them glittering stripper poles? Not so much.

It has it's place. But since SL has an image issue with the mainstream, wouldn't it want to put it's best foot forward?

I'm guessing Philip's next foray into his NEXT GENERATION virtual world is going to be a little more family friendly. Would that make SL the slum world?

*shrug and munches cookie*

Skylar Smythe
R. said…
"I am sure the replacement works of someone advertising their store will be captivating."

So far, there's a lot more yellow and red squares on my map this year than last year. Disappointing.

-ls/cm
Bryn Oh said…
Well two things with that Skylar. First both works are allowed on pg sims.. so then it becomes the personal preference of a ranger to say what they think should be allowed as opposed to what is actually allowed under the terms. Second I would say that Linden Labs should put their "realistic" foot forward rather than try to trick new? people into thinking SL is all pg. Make the events moderate. Also it is a bit of a stretch to compare Light Waves to a glittering stripper pole, though with the right treatment and commentary I am sure one could be made into a artistic statement.
Wizzy Gynoid said…
I might be mistaken but someone said this year the shindig is sponsored by private sources and the Lindens aren't in charge. If so, that would mean the Lindens aren't the prudes in this case.
Marianne McCann said…
Gotta say, a piece of artwork of a greenie pleasuring themselves on a vibrator kinda seems a bit removed from a general-rated event, no?
Funny, I always thought that was lipstick :P
Now I like the piece even more :D
Chestnut Rau said…
Wizzy is right. The SL10B Community Celebration has nothing to do with Linden Lab. The event organizers make the rules.
Bryn Oh said…
Yes the event organizers must ensure it is under the general or pg terms stated by Linden Lab. And both are fine according to what they told us for the LEA. I don't know though Marianne.. what kind of scenario are we hiding it from? do we think minors are going to see it and somehow be scarred by it? Are magazine covers like that not everywhere already in plain view? If not minors then adults who are so conservative that they can not tolerate a bit of humour? Anyway, look forward to seeing your map Mr Crap Mariner.. have a feeling some may not like it much.
Poppy said…
Americans are just... well, I was going to say nerdy but decided not to tarnish that image, weird. Sex is a dirty word, violence is not. I, for one, appreciate Bryn's blog on this matter. The Lindens needs to put on their big boy/girl panties and let us make our own decisions as to what we think is not pg or adult. Starax was/is one of the most important artsts in Second Life. I hope Bryn decides to put that exhbit on a 'moderate or adult' sim.
Anonymous said…
'The Pillow Book' has just moved to the top of my must see list.

Looking forward to seeing this, and you, at SL10B.
Anonymous said…
Oh my, Bryn Oh. Next time tell to the ranger that it isn't a "massage tool". Simply tell him that it is an "atomic bomb". He will not complain that "tool" anymore.

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