Linden Lab Quietly Removing Confederate Battle Flag Items from Second Life Marketplace?

Linden Lab still hasn't officially responded to my questions about the sale of the racist Confederate Battle Flag being sold in the Second Life Marketplace, but evidently, seems to be taking action behind the scenes. In the last couple days, searches for "Confederate Battle Flag" in the Marketplace have returned a lot less results for items based on that flag, first popularized in the South to intimidate African-Americans. Some items still exist (see below), but as you can see above, most of the top results from the SL Marketplace search are not related to the battle flag. This is consistent from reports I've received via readers on Twitter, and what Ciaran Laval recently blogged, citing an SL content creator:

According to Linden my items have been removed for “Listings for harmful or disruptive content”. They are just outfits with a flag on the chest or the back. Nothing else. Some of them have been removed for “Post, display, or transmit Content that is obscene, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable”

So now there's a couple more mysteries: To start with, if Linden Lab is enforcing its Community Standards against the battle flag in Second Life, why haven't they officially and public confirmed this as policy? A chance to reaffirm the values Second Life was founded on seems like a serious missed opportunity on several fronts.

For the record, I have asked Linden Lab if they are indeed quietly removing flag items, but again, have received no reply. Based on some demographic data I've seen as a Linden, Second Life's American userbase is disproportionately based in rural/Southern areas of the US, so it's possible Linden Lab is afraid of offending them. (I hope that's wrong.) But again, it's difficult to know for sure.

The other mystery, to me, is why Second Life's blogging community has written little or nothing about this topic, beyond Ciaran and myself. But I'll leave it to them to answer that question for themselves -- to their own readers, or at least, to their own conscience.

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Comments

[Amanda Dallin]

You must have flunked history class.

". . . first popularized in the South to intimidate African-Americans. "

No it wasn't. It was first used as a battle flag for soldier to rally around in the Army of Northern Virginia during the Civil War. It spread form there to other Confederate armies and then influenced later Confederate flags. After the war it was used for other purposes including but not limited to the intimidation of the former slaves and later of their descendants. History is not as simple as simple people would imagine it.

[Argo N.]

Obviously LL does not want to create a strong policy statement because it will force them to make uncomfortable and controversial choices. I can well understand wanting to avoid the essay contest that would follow. In my travels around the rural American southland in recent days I see a lot of people displaying the stars and bars. At NASCAR rallies, as bumper stickers and flying it within public view on their own property. To some, its a edgy cultural statement and to others its a flag of defiance to centralized authority. It is now also becoming a way to "stick it to the man," as an anti-Obama flag. And, there is a small subset of flag flyers who are guilty of all the things their critics claim. Although I think the best place for this flag is a museum, the stars and bars is not going away anytime soon.

[irihapeti]

i dunno why they LL would make a big deal out of it ??

when LL have removed other stuff in the past they never mentioned it. One day is there, next day is gone

avatars doing hateful things as well. Is no mention ever. One day they are there, next day not

is SOP for LL this. Do it and not bother with any grand announcement about it

+

who decided the Confederate battle flag is now officially a hateful thing ?

the South Carolina state government did

any USA RL business who hasnt paid attention to what SCG did, isn't listening

LL are listening. As they should. It isnt what a business says (or doesnt say) that is important. Is what they do. And LL has done it. so thats good yes

[Aliasi Stonebender]

Amanda: The *modern* revival of the Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia (which is to say, the flag usually called "the Confederate flag) was specifically by the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremicist groups as a direct response to the growing civil rights movement. In addition, the only purpose for the existence of the Confederate States of America was to defend slavery. This is literally the *only difference* between the Confederate constitution and the United States constitution. Confederate states were absolutely and constitutionally prohibited from ending slavery.

If "I can own you like I'd own a cow, a wheelbarrow, or a plot of land" doesn't count as 'intimidating', I'd like to know what does.

[Catten]

It might also be that its not a big conspiracy and simply people abuse reporting items with the flag, LL is known to remove items first and solve the dispute later. I know your interpretation of the matter makes for much more interesting reading though ;-)

[Iggy]

Hamlet, I hate that stupid flag, but Amanda is correct: you do not know doodly-squat about the history of Lee's battle flag.

I'm a Richmonder, born and bred, and I've seen that ridiculous monument to second-place finishes my whole life. Fold it and move on, but learn some history along the way.

The Army of Northern VA used it as their standard as they defended this region of slave-holding CSA states, but said flag was not designed to "intimidate" African-Americans. Yankee soldiers, white and black, did get intimidated by it for a few years. Then Sheridan starved us by tearing up the Shenandoah Valley, Dalghren's navy closed our ports, Sherman cut the South in two, and Grant forced us into a siege at Petersburg while generally kicking our rebel butts.

We got what we deserved.

After the War Lee's flag got appropriated (and I reckon, "popularized") by the Clan and other disgusting and racist groups, as well as as a "up yours" emblem on Bubba's rear bumper.

[Amanda Dallin]

Aliasi Stonebender is right that the Confederate Battle Flag (the Stars and Bars was a totally different flag)was used by Southern Democrats during the Civil Rights Era (1950s and 60s) to fight against civil rights for blacks. The Klu Klux Klan was around long before that and was actually at its peak in the midwest in the 20s and 30s as a reaction to southern blacks moving into the area and taking jobs away from the majority white blue collar workers of those states.

My point still stands. The Confederate Battle Flag was not ". . . first popularized in the South to intimidate African-Americans. " I did not say it was never used for that purpose.

[Ciaran Laval]

I also thought LL would make a statement on this issue. However, I think Argo N makes a very good point about this when they say :

"Obviously LL does not want to create a strong policy statement because it will force them to make uncomfortable and controversial choices. I can well understand wanting to avoid the essay contest that would follow."

The thing is, whether the removals were via LL or after receving reports from residents, content does seem to have been removed and this looks like a case where actions are speaking louder than words.

[RoblemVR]

I thought the last story was all about YOU but wow...

"...still hasn't officially responded to MY questions..." "For the record, I have asked"

LL is taking whatever actions they see fit without considering what YOU Email them, because they don't report to you or NWN. Removing listings for harmful or disruptive content is a perfectly reasonable reaction to this issue, they don't need to change a thing. Because even if they did change the TOS or make a statement, you would have a go at them with however that was worded too right?

But by all means, call out the rest of the blogosphere for not joining in on this nonsense, no way that will backfire.

[Bixyl Shuftan]

To begin with Linden Lab doesn't answer my questions on Second Life news topics either.

As for writing about the Confederate flag, I've touched upon the topic: http://slnewser.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-confederate-flags-place-in-real.html

I should note that in real life, lately I've been seeing the flag flying a lot more lately, on the backs of SUVs and truck, even on the flagpoles of homes. Looks like recent events have pushed a few buttons.