Great Expectations

I bought land as an alt this week, on a philosophy themed sim.  A member started getting their knickers in a twist over non-issues and notecarding residents with unnecessary hysterics and discourse.  When I explained it was not something I wanted I was told by this person that I could not expect relaxation on a philosophy themed sim.  As it happened, the sim owner took control and banned this person but it got me thinking...  How much discourse is too much?  And how deep is too deep?

I am personally of the view that I should be able to be myself, for the most part I will discuss any topic and just because it may be a deep topic, it does not mean it is necessarily close to my heart.  

Maybe there are some friends you will never be able to talk about certain things with.  I have been told in real life that my need to test peoples limits, to shake the tree to see what falls off is not always without consequence and getting cross because something hits me on the head is pointless if it is of my own making. 

Testing people means that I will be perennially disappointed.

Virtual World Single Bashing in 2010

In real life I have always had to do a level of justifying when it comes to my single status but I have found that more and more I have to do it in Second Life.

It started the day before Valentines Day when I found out I wasn't going to be invited to a wedding the next day because I am not into dating.  The wedding had been arranged for a month.

Throughout the week, after revising my profile to clarify my views on dating, I realised that whatever I said in-world was going to be twisted to be about dating.  When I expressed concern about staff shagging regulars in my club it became about my single status.  I decided I was already sick of dating, and I wasn't even dating.

I would love someone to tell me what reward there is to be had in contorting my avatar on a poseball and muttering dirty-not-so-sweet-nothings in Instant Message.  As far as I can tell, people gave up asking me to participate in that kind of activity nearly 2-years ago.  I flushed my virtual birth control down the toilet on deciding that I clearly did not possess the time or the inclination to keep a man interested - in the virtual sense.

Am I anti virtual world dating?  No.  It is fair to say I have more than my share of cynicism but overall it is purely the fact that the men I have been exposed to in-world have lied, cheated, been gold diggers, or gave up due to the fact I had other in-world interests and they didn't.  I decided that I did not need to kiss a load of virtual frogs to find my Prince - In Second Life I will do as I please and not apologise for it.  Unfortunately, no one told me that Second Life is about 20-years behind real life when it comes to social norms.

In a world where you can be anything you want to be, people choose domesticity, virtually speaking.  Women have impossibly tiny waists, blonde hair, huge boobs and lost their IQ on login.  Maybe it became detached while teleporting.  All they want is a white picket fence, with their impossibly muscular (yet hideously tattooed) husband and fugly prim babies.  

It would seem to me that whether or not I date is not the issue here.  It is what I am willing or not willing to settle for.  I am just in-world trying to tip toe around the misogynistic emotionally stunted male avatars on my way to talk to the people who treat people like they are ... well, people. 

Whether I choose to date again is irrelevant, it certainly isn't something I have completely ruled out.  What I am resentful of is the women who are perpetuating the myth that they cannot live without a man - in any life.  So dull.