Some days, I wonder how many grad students are busy reading my blog when they should be doing more important things…like drinking.
But apparently, their graduate school mentors *do* drink – which causes them to approve thesis topics based on the activities of people who enjoy virtual worlds.
As a result of this thirst for knowledge – certainly not the desire to play games in lieu of studying - I have been sent survey after survey after interview request to reveal the details of…drum roll please….my romantic SLife.
How ridiculous. I will be the first to tell you that I did not join SL for romance. I joined strictly for the sex.
I am kidding, of course. But, you can’t tell that to a grad student.
I am not thrilled with the perception that Second Life is a dating service or a brothel. These studies never ask about the homes I have built, or the parties I have thrown, or the friends I have met from across the world.
Annoyingly and without exception, every survey has had at least one question that asks me to explain SLex to them. So this is how I explain it: "When a boy avatar and a girl avatar and the men behind both avatars love each other very much, they rez some pose balls and text dirty to one another until a wife/girlfriend walks into the room and asks what in the hey is going on. The end."
Another complication with such surveys is that they inevitably want to know all about my SL husband. But, I want to protect his privacy in SL as much as possible. Well, as much as possible with his name in the partnership box on my profile. And while wearing a ‘Mrs. Jerremy Darwin’ tag above my head. And while gushing about him in my profile picks. And while putting his name all over my blog. And while wearing my ‘Jerremy’s Bitch’ t-shirt. Wow...I am really bad at this.
Anyhoo, if you should receive a survey about your SLove life from a naïve but terribly eager grad student, I encourage you to fill it out…and then run it through your shredder. After that, email them back and ask them to pick a new topic for their thesis.
Because we, my fellow Second Lifers, are not SLab rats.
"When a boy avatar and a girl avatar and the men behind both avatars love each other very much, they rez some pose balls and text dirty to one another until a wife/girlfriend walks into the room and asks what in the hey is going on. The end."
ReplyDeleteAlmost could NOT stop laughing!!
But I totally get what you mean. I don't understand WHY people immediately associate SL with only sex and why it's the only thing people are interested in when talking about SL. What about all the art and the creativity and friendship? We're not all running around hopping on poseballs with random people.
*dies laughing* Oh Tym, that's the best post I've seen all week. =)
ReplyDeleteAnd it's so true. I haven't gotten any of those surveys, but I've heard of them and how inane they are. I kinda hope one pops up just so I can screw with them now. ^o^
I love this post so much, I could hardly stand it.
ReplyDeleteI went to a (ducks and hides behind a nerd flag) Comicon this weekend and it looked like a scene from SL, with nekos and gothic lolitas, etc.
I mentioned it to my date and he asked me to explain the whole SL thing -- specifically the SL sex thing -- and wanted to know "why bother with SL relationships and sex there when it sounds like it's just writing lovely words to each other while watching cartoon porn and engaging in mutual long-distance masturbation/chat sex?"
LOL. I guess that's one way of explaining it. :-\
Thanks so much you guys! I am so happy you liked my post! :-))))
ReplyDeleteThat damned little rat was animated and moved around - it was a nearly impossible task to move him into place for the pictures.
OMG Tym!!! I have been off the blogs for a bit - this was hillarious! Love your picture!
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! I hate only seeing one side of SL in the press. That is one reason I never can get RL friends to join. They all think we are all dressed as furries cybering. I try to tell them that SOME of us are nekos, goths, vampires, Goreans, tinies and unisexual balls of pure engery. Oh and a few freaks that are human.
ReplyDeleteI love that you wear that t-shirt I got you ;-)
What is all this I keep hearing about sex in SL?! Are you guys holding out on me? C'mon! I can play, too :'-(
ReplyDeleteOh, and may I be somebody's bitch for a day, too? lol