MMO Racism: Slurs Usable as Search Terms in Both Second Life's Marketplace & In-World

Second Life blogger Aemeth Lysette, who has African-American heritage in real life, recently noticed something fairly disturbing in Second Life's web-based Marketplace and in its in-world search engine: Racial slurs usable as search terms, and fairly commonly so. (See screengrab, which I'm leaving blurry for obvious reasons.)

This is also surprising, because hateful speech is explicitly banned by Linden Lab's own Community Standards:

Intolerance Combating intolerance is a cornerstone of Second Life's Community Standards. Actions that marginalize, belittle, or defame individuals or groups inhibit the satisfying exchange of ideas and diminish the Second Life community as a whole. The use of derogatory or demeaning language or images in reference to another Resident's race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or sexual orientation is never allowed in Second Life.

... and only last year, the company had a similar controversy when users discovered the racist Confederate Flag being openly sold in SL -- after which, apparently removed these items without discussing it publicly. I just double-checked you can use slurs in the Marketplace, and sad to say, I can confirm you can. 

The solution, as Aemeth writes, is pretty obvious:

Ban the search of slurs, any slurs, in SL, just like LL has stopped the search term for “casino”. [Which the company did after banning in-world gambling -- WJA] They did it with skill gaming because it meant getting into legal trouble. But the ToS also prohibits hateful behavior. Can we start with this measure? It would begin the process of making our grid a more tolerant place. Second Life, you aren’t as great as you make yourself out to be.

I'm asking Linden Lab for a comment on this question now, and will update if I get a reply.

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Comments

[Cube Republic]

I'm a bit confused by this article. Is it suggesting that all slurl searching should be banned because some people are using bad words?

[Nalates]

You seem to ignore balancing this with free speech issues...

Being racist is not PC. But, it is one of our freedoms.

I bring this up because the term 'racist' is now used in so many ways and applied to any thinking a person disagrees with. The term is so abused it is often used as a joke.

It would be funny if they were not using the idea of 'hate speech' to control thought and limit our thinking.

[:omm]

@Nalates - There is no free speech issue since SL is not a public forum. As with any privately-owned online game, the Terms of Service - and how they are enforced or not - are what matters.

[Monesha Collins]

As a black woman who spends most of her time in second life, allow me to enlighten the white social justice pushers who always presume because they are liberal somehow they speak for Black American issues!

1st i identify as a American i was never raised in Africa so you can call me black but never African!

"Second Life blogger Aemeth Lysette, who has African-American heritage in real life"
...Great it might be your passed heritage but i am the living heritage! as do all my 'real' black friends in second life!

NWN just as with Jessie Jackson or Al Sharpton they do not represent me nor do they speak for me or have my best interest in mind. and speaking for the 100 friends on my list in group chat they coincided as well!

Mr. Hamlet leave something alone more so in Second Life! the only victim here is you're reaching imagination and your uncontrollable thoughts that all us 'black folks' are just helpless victims!

You really want to empower black people Mr. Hamlet? When you talk to an intelligent black woman next time in real life just see her as an intelligent woman! nothing more.

FYI Most black is here just like whites to live a fantasy keep your real life activism out of it.

[zz bottom]

And i was going to post some but Monesha expressed it all.

[Ice Petal]

It's not "all about" black americans though. The portion of the ToS quoted above clearly lists race, ethnicity, sex, religion, etc. Not that it matters much, probably, since I do not believe Linden will enforce this rule any more than they do griefers.

[Cake]

@Monesha Collins:

Hello. I'm the person who wrote the original racism entry. In the entry. I state I am creole. I am from the same area in Houston that Beyonce is. For those who do not know what creole is, please look up Princess Tiana from Princess And The Frog. We are a subset of black culture.

Hamlet most likely did not know how to describe my ethnicity. I assure you--I'm black. I appreciate your anger, but it's misdirected this time.

Thank you for your concern.

--Cake/Aemeth

[Cake]

Here's some more information on my culture:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Creole_people

You can also look here: http://www.frenchcreoles.com/LouisianaPeople/louisiana%20creoles/louisiana%20creoles.html

Every now and again, I get someone who mistakes my fair skin for me speaking on behalf of a race that isn't mine. I do get it, but that's not me :D I do understand how infuriating that can be though. Just know this time, you're not talking to a fake.

Black people come in all shades. My skin tone has been passed down.. seems like several generations, with more genealogy research my family does.

Here's me irl: https://i.gyazo.com/c499f809bba0173de4fa0f6bb8514cec.jpg

Here's a pic of my dad when he was young, compared to an ancestor's painting we just found recently: https://i.gyazo.com/9021816509493bf750427dbe1126fbd8.png

So, when I speak about these things, I speak from the heart and not the want of winning social justice points. If all else fails, simply look me up on this blog. I'm an activist irl and everything I do is dedicated to those two fields.

Thanks again,
Cake

[Henry]

The point here is not racism, it's that Linden Labs is negligent in their duty to enforce their terms. They say that intolerance is never allowed in Second Life, and then they do absolutely nothing about it. Any group or marketplace listing that includes hate speech should be immediately deleted, and the account that posted it should be banned. It would be trivial for them to do this.

@Nalates This has nothing to do with free speech. Freedom of speech means you can't be arrested for saying something, it doesn't mean that you are allowed to say whatever you want in internet communities. Linden Lab would be entirely in the right to remove these posts and members.

Linden Labs is simply remiss in fulfilling their responsibility to enforce terms or take meaningful action on abuse reports to protect the community from widespread verbal abuse, griefing, and hate speech. It must not be financially worth it for them to wade through thousands of reports of hurt feelings, and I understand why they have to have at least an empty promise of standards. But, it causes tremendous frustration and suffering in the community, and makes people feel like Second Life is a joke. If LL doesn't care about it, why should anyone else?