To the Reader,

I would like to give you some insight as to why I chose race and racism in virtual worlds as the topic for my final project. Throughout the year in my English 103 class, I have become assimilated into the world of Second Life. It all began in September with the birth of my avatar, Jessi Claremont. Together we have overcome such obstacles as scavenger hunts, Burning Life, and public nudity (the number one sign that I was, at the time, a SL noob). The final and most anticipated challenge given to us was a choice between changing Jessi's gender or race. I chose, of course, to change her race. Even before English 103, I have had a keen interest in issues dealing with race, and I had never had the opportunity to explore the topic. Now, I had the means to not only change into any race I wished but also to uncover the potentially racist undertones of our society. As I changed from a skinny white-skinned avatar to a voluptuous black-skinned avatar, I thought that I was going to be experiencing discrimination and hearing racial slurs everywhere I went. I wondered whether I would be accepted anywhere and how severe the treatment I received would be. I suppose now that was a tad bit over dramatic, but there was definitely a change in the way I was treated when I was an African American avatar. In my analysis, I also changed into a "furry", another SL race, so to speak, and I talked about the discrimination that occurs in their communities. I regret to say that I was unable to further research the difference between males and females when it comes to racism. I have a few remarks in regards to the differences in racism due gender, but I would have liked to delve deeper into this aspect of my topic. I hope my analysis enlightens you on a topic that is seldom approached. Enjoy!

Continue to Racism in Virtual Worlds