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Everyone Loves Chocolate

Page history last edited by Jane D 14 years, 4 months ago

As I watched my pasty white skin rez into creamy dark chocolate brown, I felt a twinge of excitement in the pit of my stomach. Through a semester full of tedious blog posts and confusing scavenger hunts, I was finally beginning the Second Life (SL) project that I had been anticipating for three months. My anxiousness began back in August when I first learned of this project. Issues of race have always been a keen interest of mine. Stereotypes, racial discrimination, and minorities are all prime examples. I think that racism is an issue that is very prevalent in today's real world society, so a project to see if this standard holds true in a virtual world is something of great interest to me.

 

The first article we read about race related issues in SL, The Skin You're In by James Wagner Au, told a story about a woman avatar named Erika Thereian who had changed her race and as a result was subjected to offensive remarks in regards to her skin color. Even though, according to Au, "racist speech is a patent violation of SL Community Standards," Erika was called a "n***** b****" and heard someone else say that "[African Americans were] gonna invade SL now." Her experience, while both disgusting and disturbing, did not come as a surprise to me. As I said before, I think racism is still blaringly apparent in our society, and it makes sense that a virtual world that simulates real life would have its own group of bigots as well. Erika's story is truly what inspired me to become so passionate about this subject though, and as I began my own experience in SL as a black avatar, I made sure to keep her in mind.

 

However, the encounters I had were a little different. As we were instructed to do, I travelled to four different locations in SL and spent enough time there to talk to at least one person in each place. Initially, I noticed no difference in how other avatars talked to me. When I asked where to get free clothes or free animations, everyone would tell me of great freebie stores where I could find what I needed. It was a little difficult to think of a topic to say I was "researching" in SL since I am doing my final project on race issues in virtual worlds. I ended up deciding to tell people I was researching the diversity of SL, whether there was more white than black avatars or vice versa. Most avatars politely told me that they had no idea where to find information on that particular subject, and they were sorry they could not help me. Overall these conversations were meaningless, but what I did take from them is that there are a lot of avatars that seem to have no issues whatsoever with the color of my or any other avatar's skin.

 

Jessi dancing on the Welcome Island

 

There were two instances in which I was spoken to in a way that I never had been exposed to before. I was wandering around on the Welcome to SL Island when a male avatar I will call Edgar approached me. Below is some of our conversation:

 

 

[20:23]  Edgar: wanna get busy

[20:23]  Jessi Claremont: who ya askin Edgar?

[20:23]  Edgar: you jessi

[20:24]  Edgar: hey baby

[20:25]  Jessi Claremont: how u doin?

[20:26]  Edgar: good u?

[20:25]  Jessi Claremont: i'm great thanks  

[20:27]  Edgar: you have a butt that don't quit

[20:29]  Jessi Claremont: thanks Edgar

[20:29]  Jessi Claremont: i do the stairrmaster :)

[20:29]  Edgar: haha, it shows

 

Jessi Dancing at Junkyard Blues Club with Skylar and Jordin

 

 

When I had been a white avatar I had been flirted with a few times, but no one had ever asked me if I "wanted to get busy." While this forward request could be due to my scandalously revealing outfit, for the sake of this project I would like to assume that it was due to my new skin color and matching new physique. When my avatar's skin color changed, my body shape changed slightly as well. I think that if I had still been a skinny white little avatar, Edgar would probably not have approached me at all.

 

During my conversation with Edgar another male avatar whom I will call Allen also tried to approach me. Edgar was not too excited with the idea of me talking to another man while he was still there, and he started a small tussle between Allen and himself. Edgar repeatedly ran into Allen and said things like "Jessi's my babe" and that he was "possessive" of me, even though we had met just ten minutes before Allen approached me. I told Edgar that there was no need to fight. He, in reply, asked again if I "wanted to get busy," to which I answered "No thank you." Edgar left after that.

 

Allen's conversation with me was similar to the one I had with Edgar. He basically introduced the conversation by telling me that I had a nice posterior. I wanted to try and have another conversation in which I asked about diversity in SL, so I ignored his first comment. Below are some excerpts from our conversation:

 

 

[20:35]  Jessi Claremont: i'm jessi

[20:35]  Jessi Claremont: it's nice to meet you Allen

[20:35]  Allen: I am Allen

[20:36]  Allen: nice to meet you also

 

 

[20:39]  Allen: I love you profile

[20:39]  Allen: lol

[20:39]  Jessi Claremont: haha i know it's pretty empty

[20:39]  Jessi Claremont: i'm new at this

 

After a few minutes of pleasant conversation about where each of us was from and such, Allen began to steer the conversation in a way I was not expecting:

 

 

[20:42]  Allen: I am single in both sl and rl

[20:42]  Allen: I love black woman I think they are hot

[20:43]  Jessi Claremont: thank you

[20:43]  Jessi Claremont: im single in SL but im not in RL

[20:44]  Allen: oh lucky man

[20:44]  Jessi Claremont: thats very nice of you to say

[20:45]  Allen: are you looking for a bf

[20:46]  Allen: a man who will appreciate you

[20:46]  Allen: :)

[20:47]  Jessi Claremont: not right now sorry

[20:48]  Allen: i c

[20:50]  Allen is Offline

 

Jessi and Allen getting their flirt on

 

 

Allen's comment was the first that I had heard a reference to the color of my skin in all my experiences. While the comment was not derogatory, I observed that I would not have been approached if I my skin was not brown. I was not offended, and I do not think that Allen is racist. However, the fact that he noticed proves to me that there are race related issues in SL.

 

Just because I personally did not experience any racial discrimination or derogatory terms as a black avatar, racism may still be present in virtual worlds like SL. It is clear through some of my conversations that although most avatars do not consider or even notice skin color, there are a few that more than just notice race. I am glad I got to experience all this firsthand. I will definitely be using the information I have gathered in my final project, and hopefully I will be able to gather some more encounters like the ones I have explained. I plan to stay as a black avatar for the remainder of my time in SL and continue my study of virtual worlds and racism.

 

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Comments (2)

Patricia D said

at 9:26 pm on Nov 19, 2009

I really think some parts of these conversations are the funniest things I have heard. These guys were all over you.

Joe Essid said

at 2:34 pm on Nov 22, 2009

I'm re-posting Chelsea's remarks without the names of the avatars. You really handled these hot-to-trot pickup "artists" well.

Chelsea replied:

I just read this whole conversation and have to say this is perhaps the funniest thing ever. It was especially funny since I was there also. I'm glad I made an appearance in your photo at the Junkyard Blues, the black girls representing. You were a hot commodity hahha.

[20:27] Avatar1: you have a butt that don't quit
[20:29] Jessi Claremont: thanks renegade
[20:29] Jessi Claremont: i do the stairrmaster :)

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