Second Life

For my second free write, I would like to take a closer look at the "Sex Lives in Second Life" article.  I want especially focus on the trend towards homogenous sexual identity that arises in game. In doing this, I hope to gain a slightly different understanding of the attitudes towards gender and sexual orientation in American society.

                Second Life gives a person the ability to be digitally liberated from any physical binds. An unattractive person could have the means to look like a Ken doll; a woman could, if willing, choose to appear as a man. A person's avatar need not reflect their reality. It is because of this that playing Second Life has the potential to offer quality escapism and sexual liberation for those who need it. Unfortunately, judging from the article, Second Life really offers more of the same for people who want to explore alternative sexualities. In game, standard heterosexual relationships are seen as the "norm" and most choose not to play as a sex that contradicts their reality. While the latter seems sensible enough for most, the former may be the unfortunate product of a few different factors. There is little incentive for players of Second Life to show tolerance for people with different sexual orientations. In real American society, acceptance is, from my experiences, seen as being a positive thing. Those who discriminate are often seen as bad people, and bigotry is rarely allowed in the public sector. However, when people are able to hide behind their avatars, they can lose the incentive to behave in a civil manner. Thus, bigots are able to discriminate freely without consequence.

                Is it so that bigotry is widespread within Second Life? The fact that there are fewer consequences for discrimination does not mean that discrimination will happen. In this instance, it seems that bigotry does indeed prevail. This is especially true when speaking about the discrimination against the game's "furry" population. Furries in Second Life constantly are harassed by people who call them "furfag" and attempt to interrupt their various activities. It even got to the point where a furry death camp was create as a demonstration against furry avatars.

                Normal lesbians and gays fare much better than furries, however. While there is a significant amount of segregation within the Second Life world, gay and lesbian communities are largely left on their own.  There are certain mechanisms within the game that do degrade these identities, but this seems to be more of an exception.

                So what conclusions can be made about the relationship between Second Life and reality? In both cases, there is discrimination, but also some tolerance. Overall, there do not seem to be that many differences in regards to sexual orientation between the two realities. If anything, gays and lesbians are slightly better off in Second Life. There is a lot more choice on their part, and they can more or less do as they please without repercussion.