An interesting study published last week looked at whether the virtual worlds we create online are just going to reflect all of the typical biases and ways we discriminate in the real world. This is an interesting experiment because many proponents of virtual worlds suggest …
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Site last updated: 25 May 2013
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My family moved to Belgium when I was 10, from England. I scored high, so I was placed with a class that was 11-12 year olds. Things didn’t go well, the school recommended that I have psychiactric help.
My parents offered me opportunity of that, or British boarding school. I chose door number two. I’d read a fair amount of Enid Blyton’s books; it’d be fun.
It wasn’t, but I met a couple of girls from countries I’d barely heard of. Daniella told me tales of Idi Amin just stopping by and swimming in their pool, before I knew of the monster that he was. Helen Mwenu (sp?) was tall, dark, graceful and told us that she’d grown up on a banana plantation. I could never tell if she was joking, or had a secret.
I recall going back between terms to visit my parents in Belgium. At the age of 12 or so, I asked my mother what she would think if I married a black man. God bless her, her answer was that she would worry about the children. Absolutely amazing, considering.
In my lovers, I have been with men of many colours. I’ve loved them all for different reasons, but exploring a person has come first. I have had friends that say that I only date men of colour (I’m white), but I think that perhaps that is what they see.
I have only recently come on to the internet, starting a blog in April. But in setting it up, the avatars are black blobs, or “funky” females, with slinky forms and hair. It took me a long time to figure out how to upload my real avatar, which is based on a portrait by a friend of mine.
I have a friend, “Bill”, whom I’ve written about. He’s super Depressed, but thrilled with the Second Life concept. My best friend and savior Cricket stopped him in the middle of his rave about SL, suggesting he should live his real life.
As she’s a fan of Anime, I thought that she might enjoy SL, which I’d seen as just that kind of escape. Nope. She wants to live.
Although it’s sad that there seems to be a racial bias in SL, one might want to consider a couple of things.
The ratio of people of colour who have access to computers for a long time.
Discretionary spending/time
Socio/economic issues in terms of who spends time on-line
How “cool” is the avatar?(If you look at the Presidential race, colour, in the young voters is not an issue).
If you’re concerned about colour and race in the real world, I suggest you visit my blog, which addresses the impending Death Penalty of Troy Davis. In the real world.