That pussy doesn't spurt
A few months back, I was forced to cover this very topic in a couple of articles that hit me on a personal level for many varied reasons, being now the father of 3 young adults who have chosen not to be huge and massive or over compensate in sizes to fit any standards, I felt I had grounds to speak out on behalf of all of those out there in SL who refuse to jump through the hoop of "adult sizes" being over 9 feet tall, while being discriminated or worse, segregated or openly accused of engaging age play, just because they are not overly muscular. -both articles can be found here: The growth Spurt & The Invisible Sizes-
Apparently, my good friends at Spurts -and I speak from my own personal experience and based on testimonials from other users, I am surely not making this up-, only apply their rules to those of their choosing -basically, depends on who you are friends with and so on. I've always thought that them and people doing such things in SL -and most importantly in the Gay community, which gets discriminated, bullied, segregated and rejected still to this day- are just wrong and ought to be stopped.
Now, what brings me back to this mini-mafia on a power trip -and get a grip guys, SL power only gets you so far-is the fact that they have now moved on from discriminating sizes while accusing innocent short adult avatars of being perverts -or worse, children- to gender discrimination. I truly don't mind gay sims being exclusive for men, there are also such places in RL and people don't seem to mind at all, what rubs me off the wrong way is that, if you are friends with the right people or have the right "name" you get to stay and rules are bent.
My father had a name for people like the ones running this sim, and many others out there creating a set of rules that only applied to those of their choosing and that is "Nepotism"
If you are going to have rules, make them general or don't have them at all, no one should be above the rules, they have been created for a reason and if they're broken by the masses fueling your traffic and paying for your sim tier with their business, don't come complaining when they break them, as you simply have no moral ground to stand on.
https://www.facebook.com/spikecls
Labels: discrimination, gender, gender discrimination, Second Life, sizes, SPIKE CLEMENCEAU, spurts, spurts beach
posted by Spike Clémenceau-Silent @ 5:20 PM
5 Comments
5 Comments:
I joined Spurt quite some time ago because my friend GM DJs there and I like to pop over for his Friday morning set when I can. The rules of the group, back when I joined, stated no women on the beach (not the rest of the sim) and adult male human avatars only, no cross dressing, no Nekos, furries, other non human avatars, no shemales. Always before I go there, I remember to take off my Neko tail and ears. I agree, if they have such stringent rules, the rules should apply for all. I have seen fellows in drag, fellows with tails, petite avatars ... I always assumed it was a lack of a manager being about at the time or someone in charge being away from his keyboard. If it is a matter of the rules being bent for some, well that does not sit right.
I just followed the links to your older posts regarding height descrimination and the assumption that short people are child avatars, please excuse me if I am posting in the wrong thread but they do seem all rather tied together.
I know several women with the RL height equivalent of 5'2" to 5'6" and they are often mistaken to be child avatars despite having adult shapes and wearing adult clothing. In RL, I have known twelve year old boys well over 6' tall, and adult men under 5'.In RL, height is NEVER a determiner of age, and why it should be in SL is beyond me. At the skinny dip party I host, I have had fellows IM me to say "that child avi" is grossing them out. And no, we do not allow child avatars at the skinny dip, they are normal for RL sized fellows, obviously adult, in proportion. Now, I have had fellows try to skirt around that sort of thing by saying they are "a young 18" ... um no ... there is no such thing as a young looking 18 year old in SL. It is not about height, it is about oh, the big doe eyes, full cheeks, slightly larger head, hands and feet, immature build, smooth child's skin, and immature, prepubescent looking genitals, the AO, the argyle knee socks and short pants. It is never about height, and when I point out to fellows who freak out about child avatars that the "child" in question looks like a perfectly proportioned adult, and not a child, some people will leave. I have encountered those "young 18" sorts who look closer to between 9 and 12 years of age, and I have asked them to leave, as no, we do not allow child avatars at the mature rated sims I help to manage. If someone wishes to have a child avatar, a non-sexualized child avatar, it is their SL, they can go to kid based shops and events, and keep on their clothing. If they wish to engage in age play, most sim owners are not going to risk being reported for allowing that to go on and they use an elephant gun to kill a mosquito it seems. Given the erroneous beliefs of many in the general population in RL, that all gay men are pedophiles, or all pedophiles are gay men, clearly underaged, clearly sexualized male child avatars in SL really are not doing the gay community any favors in my opinion.
I respect and follow rules of each sim I visit or decide to associate myself with, but thing I can't stand are double standards, rules that are applied to only a few randoms while the "right" people float above them, something these people have been doing for quite a while.
As far as avatar heights and what looks adult and what doesn't, I mostly guide myself by how the whole avatar looks and what's stated on the profile, as like I mentioned, the idea of adult looks is very varied (asians for example are short and skinny and look way younger than the average male), this whole wytch hunt for pedophiles in SL is moronic and bullies only an innocent group of people, the twinks which are segregated to their own ghetto.
I do not get out much, truth be told, and do not go to most clubs often enough to observe such things (a friend of mine was quite incredulous when I told him I had never been to TriStar or Impulse, for example), though I've no doubt it goes on and it does not sit right with me. The fewer the rules at an entertainment venue the better I believe, but if they are there, then they should be enforced for all. If there are rules, then all the staff should be on precisely the same page and enforce them across the board. I know that at places I have been asked to remove my tail or ears or say, wear formal attire (never an issue, I love to dress up haha)and on occassion will see someone who does not comply with the dress code, and wonder why some must comply and others must not.
As for twinks, honestly, I was not aware of this sort of segregation ... I know there are twink clubs and such but I really had no notion that they are not welcome anywhere. I rather thought it like the bear venues, a matter of taste, and I have seen all sorts of fellows at the bear venues I go to on occasion (Swamp Dance at Terra Ursa Minor and Daddybear's Bar and Saloon). I hang out at Cabria, my home estate at which I host events, and at Zeus club and Sleaze at Pinewood, and once a week or so visit one of the aforementioned bear clubs, hmmm once a month or less, I go to Spurt for GM's set on Friday and catch sets here and there if a friend is DJing at and there are always nice mixes of all sorts of people. At Zeus, as long as one's genitals are not exposed, one can wear anything, be anything ... adult, child (genuinely childlike), Neko, furry, tiny, pixie, big hairy fellows, shorter, slender twinks. At Sleaze, the rule is adult male avatars, human or not, and I have seen quite a variety there... bears, twinks, mprg fellows, fat boys, jocks, bikers, hmmm quite a variety and all are welcome, as far as has been my experience. Sleaze, living up to its name, does not prohibit nudity. Cabria does not have any estate owned or managed clubs, though two residents do have clubs on their private parcels. Our events are mostly at a beach, or at mine and my partners' land, and as friendly get togethers, all we ask is for adult avatars. Male, female, furry, neko, tiny, clothed or not, it makes no difference.
I quite agree with you regarding the witch hunt for age players ... always it seems to me that those who look at a child avatar and immediately think they are in SL as sex objects and are so very appalled are the true "perverts" and as with any sort of witch hunt mentality, there is more behind it than "righteous indignation".
My 2 Centavos, for what it's worth: I'll take a moment, step back, & point out that, to my knowledge & In My Opinion, SL is a private enterprise, not a public/government-issued, all-access guaranteed venue. There are other platforms out there, & within SL, there are virtually unlimited other sims & clubs available. With that in mind, while I've not visited "Spurt" yet (& I will very shortly to experience for myself) I personally tend to a more realistic avi, & yes, "realistic" for me means, height-appropriate, for which I've received grief from other sims elsewhere. Here's The Thing: If there are Sim/Club Rules/Standards, they "SHOULD" apply equally to all, but SL, & all the entities therein, are private enterprise, & if they may "CHOOSE" to discriminate, or engage in "NEPOTISM", it's their "RIGHT" to do it, however distasteful & ill-advised. My "Bottom-Line", Vote With Your Mouth! (publicize what you Think & Feel, but do it responsibly); Vote With Your Feet & Lindens! (there are always other sims out there, & no one says you have to be there to support either the sim/owners or those who choose to work there). Boycott! If enough people also find the inequities repugnant, unless it's simply an expression of RL-funded "Poor Attitudes", the basic need to remain liquid/solvent/profitable will be enough pressure to improve their "Poor Attitudes". I offer this as "My Opinion". Accept &/ agree with it or not, Your Choice.
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