Second Life has become another rallying point for Occupy Wall Street, the loosely organized protest which has rapidly emerged from New York to become a global movement deeply enmeshed in social media, with SL being one of the more exotic meeting places for its online supporters. (Robot furry vampires of the world, unite!) The SL group has a Facebook page here, and you can teleport to the in-world location in Flagg by clicking this SLurl link.
When I mentioned the Occupy Wall Street rally in Blue Mars last weekend, some readers complained that virtual protests like this seemed a bit irrelevant to, say, showing up and camping out in Manhattan's Zuccotti Park. There I disagree, and here's why:
For one thing, most people live nowhere near a real world rallying point. (Ethical question: Should you drive to a protest against corporate power if that means buying a lot of gas from a major oil corporation to get there?) For another, an online world like Second Life or Blue Mars is probably far more international in usage than, say, your circle of friends in Twitter or Facebook where you're probably discussing Occupy Wall Street right now. Since this is a global protest impacting the entire world, getting to know people engaged in the movement beyond your nation is an intrinsic good. (And I tend to think an international dialog will help moderate and generate a consensus on practical policies that the movement can advocate.)
To be sure, the SL protest group is quite small in comparison to, say, the one on Reddit. But for those who are already in SL, it's probably still a worthwile place to share ideas and information in an immersive space, and hopefully, transmit them to the wider Internet. (Some cool machinima would be a great start.)
Also, you can protest Wall Street with angry robots, insurrectionist furries, and as the above suggests, guys who are literally on fire. That's got to be a win too, right?
Occupy Wall Street SL, by the way, is even listed in the official destination guide -- get the widget after the break:
Hat tip: Scylla Rhiadra. Image credit: Occupy Wall Street SL's Facebook page.
With SL being a social media in itself it is no wonder that such events also happen in it. And with it being a 3D world it is also not to wonder that people gather in the way only such a world can offer.
After all it is impossible to occupy wall streat in facebook and the part about getting to knew all sorts of people in different parts of the world is the most important thing. Discussions happen here as well as on any other social site and when it also involves letting your avi wave some signs then so be it. If people could do it on facebook then I am sure they would too.
And what is the internet if not just another place where all the things happen that we all do in real life. It is our real life and as such it can not (and should not) stand out as something where such a protest can not happen because it is 'only virtual'
Most of the worlds economy and information has become 'virtual' a long time ago so the internet is as much a place to be occupied as the actual Wall Street.
So SL, being part of it, is a very legitimate palce to do such things on it.
Posted by: Rin Tae | Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 06:33 AM
Thanks for posting this, Hamlet!
Dialogue and discussion is what Occupy Wall Street is all about -- and it is also the focus of Occupy Second Life. The SL organizers of these events have done a wonderful job to ensure that diverse voices are being heard, and different perspectives addressed.
To suggest, as some have, that activism in Second Life "accomplishes" nothing is to miss the point: the accomplishment in question is precisely the public discourse that is being generated by events such as this. And, as Rin Tae points out above, Second Life is as valid and effective a venue for such discussions as anywhere else.
Everyone is welcome to these events because everyone's voice is valuable, and everyone's perspective valid. Join in, and be part of the collective articulation of the 99% as try to shed some light on the injustices of our current political, economic, and social system!
Posted by: Scylla Rhiadra | Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 11:38 AM
Protest and solidarity with RL protests have been part of SL's history. The loose Left Unity (SL Left Unity) movement have been key to these protests and demonstrations (a history can be found on our site - http://www.slleftunity.com and on my site http://plotsplot.blogspot.com
Superb to see SLLU as a key component of the occupySL movement - we are a small part of the 99%.
Well done for bringing these discussions to people who use SL.
Posted by: Plot Tracer | Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 05:36 AM