Trump Election Pretty Much Insures Mass Adoption of VR -- And Much More Racist Misogyny for Its Users

Because like I wrote in the Wall Street Journal last Spring (which now feels like last decade):

[I]t’s my guess that most human beings still aren’t ready to abandon the real world for a virtual one. Today’s VR evangelists seem to forget why escaping into virtual reality was so popular in the near-future depicted in “Snow Crash”: America had collapsed into anarchy and despair, and much of the world with it. On second thought, who knows? If a Trump presidency becomes reality, VR sales might finally skyrocket.

So here we now are, with roughly half of us in the US now far, far more interested in joining the smog-choked Chinese (not to mention millions of now-terrified Europeans) in a better, virtual reality.

But VR developers shouldn't feel complacent, because Trump's victory only insures worsening of problems they're already facing now:

Virtual harassment of women attempting to use VR, which developers are struggling to deal with and veterans are warning them about. Add to that virtual world racism, a frequent phenomenon directed at people of color (when their real voice can be heard) or directed at avatars of color, even when their users are white. Add to that the heavy representation of online trolls who supported Trump jumping into VR to harass others like they did in Second Life, and you have the recipe of a PR/community relations disaster.

So... I guess I know what I'll be writing about next year.

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Comments

[Bixyl Shuftan]

Close to half the people I know online were cheering last night while the other half were in despair. But it was much the same eight years ago, only the two sides were reversed. And the eight years before that. And the eight years before that.

Having read American history, and seen a little history myself, it's pretty much "the circle of life" in politics. One side is in power for a few years, then the voters bring in the other guys and after a few more years it starts over again. Sometimes one party dominates Presidential politics for a while, but eventually the tide turns. That's how it's been almost since the American republic was founded, and probably how it will go on for many, many generations to come.

[JohnC]

Supposedly you vote for a person based on what they say they will do. Obviously this does not automatically mean they will be allowed to do these things, but even so, if a guy standing for office says he will kill all cats when he gets in power, then you have to agree with this and believe he means it, or what is it that you are voting for. I hope the people who voted for him force him to follow through on every last ill considered, narrow minded, isolationist thing he swore he would do. Because I fear he is only an actor, and after acting like the hard core far right nationalist in order to win the election, he will now revert to acting like a populist president “I want to be a president for all the people” in order to suck up the adoration and feed his massive ego. I fear that to many people ignored what was being said and simply voted for change, as they did in England recently, with no real thought of the consequences. Unfortunately Trump just reinforces the Clichéd European View that Americans are loud mouthed egotistical isolationists, and that's a shame, when the Obamas had done so much to blow that stupid view away.

[madeline blackbart]

Ugh... every publication that's more left wing leaning is writing articles about the sky falling. It's sad to see this one doing it to because the relation to this and VR/second life is tenuous at best. Most of the people I know voted for him because they hope having a more conservative outlook on the economy will help improve it and not because of some crazy racist agenda.

[princesskalika]

the sky IS falling. mark my words. you don't realize how bad this could get. the ones saying that this is the worst thing that can happen for America and the world are not lieing.

with all due respect, it's just that too many have sunk into a twisted kind of thinking and behavior to realize just what they have signed on for by voting trump in. it is like they choose the person who represents there lack of values, morals, integrity. i am not saying this to be mean. it's the truth. when you lift up people who rape and abuse and mistreat others. who would throw anyone under the bus for there own personal gain..who only cares about money and not the people....then you have signed yourself away to living in a world where this will be allowed . where this can now happen to you, or him, or her...or anyone. these will be very sad times, where instead of seeing the best among us, the best values and behavior...we will be faced with the worst. like the worst things that happened in 2016 repeated in full blast for at least 4 years. truly, this is the worst thing that has happened to the world in a long time. i'm not even angry anymore that they did not vote for a great person like Hillary, i'm just sad and hoping everyone makes it out of this period alive. i apologize for voicing my views so strongly.

[Estelle.Pienaar]

Go ahead, vote for the guy with the loud voice who hates minorities, threatens to imprison his opponent, doesn’t give a fuck about democracy, and claims he alone can fix everything. What could possibly go wrong? My grandfathers would have said: #beentheredonethat
PS: Good luck to you and all of us.

[JohnC]

"It's sad to see this one doing it to because the relation to this and VR/second life is tenuous at best."
Many of the same people who Voted, whichever way that was, even if they did not, are the same people who use SL on a daily basis. A huge section of the development of VR will now take place in a country going into a period of large scale change on many levels as a direct result of this election. Users and developers alike will carry their personal opinions and views upon this result and the future of their country, forward into their SL and their VR business environments. Is this nothing more than a tenuous link? Although I do understand the feeling of, “ok the election is over, now can I go back to playing my games in peace” Many people play the political game during elections, or as in the UK during huge social changing referendums. And then when it's all over they think things can just go back to how they were before divisive lines were drawn, "the game is over, lets all group hug and get along again". They forget that for some people the changes they voted for, embodied in some bloated personality, are not just ideas but hard physical life changing facts for many people. And that goes for both sides of the argument.

[Pussycat Catnap]

This election was a whitelash.

It was white America declaring themselves as openly wanting the death or removal of all people of color, and of having no respect for the bodily safety of women.

That is Trump's lifelong message. People backing him were either for it, or care so little for non-whites or the safety of women that the terror of such racism and sexual aggression doesn't register to them - they have no human empathy. Empathy for only your own kind is not empathy.

- And the racism/sexism of having no concern for your fellow human being is even worse than that of an active attacker. It is the person who will happily walk on by while someone is being lynched next to them because its just another one of those non-humans...

But given that so many white women voted for him, this is more about racial hate than sexism. White women came out in force to sell out their sisters for a chance to harm non-whites.

Be you black, asian, hispanic, or mixed... this is a moment of danger.

[JohnC]

And ain't that just the strangest thing. An amazing percentage of American women not only turned away from the momentous chance to have a female President, but rather than abstaining, which would have been quite understandable given Hillary's alleged crimes, voted for a proven male chauvinist. Would have been very interesting to see what happened if it was Michelle Obama. I have this creepy feeling that many women would still have voted in the chauvinist.

[melponeme_k]

@JohnC

A great many women did not want to vote for a woman mired in criminal investigations and accused of Luciferianism.

The majority of Americans voted for Trump because he promised to stop FREE TRADE. You know that little policy that makes it ok for Technology companies (as well as other companies) to throw out AMERICAN BORN employees and replace them with H1B visa slaves.

At no point did Trump state that he was going to enforce racist or bigoted policies. He did say that he would deport illegal aliens. People WHO ARE BREAKING THE LAW! People who are bankrupting California by overloading schools, hospitals and welfare programs. People who are allowed here to depress wages and create civil unrest.

The Elites play the same book over and over and over again throughout history. They get greedy, they corrupt government. They allow illegal aliens in to countries to attack citizens. They start wars. In recent years, when things get really bad...they attack Russia. Oh man, Russia really gets their goat. Never mind that two major armies tried and FAILED to invade Russia. But the elites will go throwing us all against Russian General Winter every time they fail.

Trump will only be a temporary stop gap for WWIII.

[JohnC]

Luciferianism
Man oh man, straight from the pages of the Malleus Maleficarum, Burn witch burn, etc, etc
Well there you go. That a word dreamed up in the depths of religious ignorance such as this can even be mentioned in connection to an American presidential election, shows how far the human mind has advanced. We are Neanderthals (although I fear I am being unduly harsh to this, at least instinctively honest, race) with fridges washing machines and mobile phones.

[melponeme_k]

@JohnC

This was all revealed by Assange with hard proof leaked by people in the administration. Even people who worked for the Clintons.

If Assange was attacking a Republican, you would be hailing him a hero. In fact he was a hero for y'all until recently.

But he dared to attack Clinton. Which he deemed the greater threat than Trump. MY the HYPOCRISY of you and the rest of "Liberals".

The only side preaching hate and performing hate right now is the Democrat side. Not Trump. Not the people who voted for him.

[JohnC]

You are right of course, I repent, I see the error of my ways, I confess, I have always been a minion of Satan. And I know for sure that all democrats are also secretly in League with Lucifer, the angel of light. I and they have for the past few years been secretly plotting to raise the Whore of Babelon aka Hillary Clinton, who rides upon the Beast, Bill Clinton, out of the depths of hell. We have been plotting to destroy the new messiah, Donald, Jesus, Trump. Although we have been all our lives devotes of Satan, we were ourselves thankful to the new world Messenger called among men Assange, praises be to him, for his revaluations as to the true nature of the Whore and all her works here upon this earth. I prepare myself now for my eternity in hell for having revealed these sacred truths to the true religious heart of America.

[melponeme_k]

LOL

It is funny how you address the least of all accusations against Clinton. THE LEAST.

Why haven't you addressed the technology industry being gutted? All American engineers are being thrown out for foreigners. They are accused of not having enough training or too much training or not being willing to work.

Why haven't you addressed Clinton's sabre rattling toward Russia? We would not last 20 seconds in a war with Russia. We GET ALL OUR ROCKET INFRASTRUCTURE FROM RUSSIA! Talk about heads in the sand.

You won't address Free Trade and how companies send their workforce needs overseas. Detroit is decimated because of Free Trade. Our Farming communities are decimated because of Free Trade. These are policies that the Clintons enabled during Bill's presidency and Hillary wanted to extend if she got in the White House.

Why can't you point out all of Trump supporters attacking minorities. If they were such bad people, where are the victory attacks? THERE ARE NONE. The only attacks occurring are by CLINTON SUPPORTERS. ALL of them. Led by Lady Gaga, who dressed like a Nazi boot heel during Clinton's last rally appearance. She directs protests from her fancy limo. And CHER. Fricking Cher. Where was Cher during the Vietnam war protests? The only one who put her career on the line was Jane Fonda. I'll tell you where Cher was, f****** with an Allman brother.

When George Soros is throwing a fit like a little Gollum who had his ring taken away due to Clinton losing, you KNOW you are on the wrong side of history if you wanted Hillary for President.

[Cathartes Aura]

If you're a member of the 1%r Club or one of their sycophants then you are for globalization. If you're not then you know you're getting f#$ked in the A$$ by it. Hence the election result.

Face it folks... The Republican Party is corrupt. the Democrat Party is corrupt. Liberals and conservatives are mindless morons. Its all about the money, who controls it, and what's being done with it.

Wise the F$$k up, people. ;)

And the Turkey Buzzard goes... Hiss.

[JohnC]

I am merely pointing out hideous absurdities born of extreme religious fanaticism, that is no less a problem in the USA and the West than it is in the East. Had your first post been like your last I would have had little or nothing to say about it. You are like the commander of a conquering army who stands knee deep in the blood and guts of your vanquished enemy beating upon their dead corpses chanting what you perceive to be the reason for the battle. Save your breath, the dead cannot hear you and those who survive will have chants of their own just as loud and seemingly meaningful.

[melponeme_k]

@JohnC

LOL. I'm not a religious fanatic. I'm not affiliated with any religion.

But I am against religious fanaticism in any religion and oppose it in anyone running for public office.

It just so happened in this election, we had a choice between a Christian and a Luciferian. I'll lean toward the religion that is more Civic minded than a Crowley groupie "Do what Thou Wilt".

[Princesskalika]

Pussycat Catnap, i completely agree with what you said. this was a white-lash. i'm surprised someone had the gull to be this honest and upfront here .your right, and it's the biggest reason why people voted for him. as i have heard many times on facebook they "want there country back". yes, they hate people of my color like there is no tomorrow. i see people making excuses saying it is the economy. but that does not hold water because let us face it: trump has only stayed afloat in his own businesses because he threw poor workers under his feet and walked on them. poor workers, who worked for him and then were not paid anything and tossed out. and even then his businesses were going down. If they wanted economy they would have went with Hillary. and i say this because she seems very much like someone who deals in economy and knows her stuff . i felt it very strongly. they hate us. they want "there" jobs back....but most of the jobs people of my color get are the ones others dont want. canada is not looking too good either. by the comments on Canadian forums, a good deal wish trump were there minister aswell. this is so very sad.

[Princesskalika]

"by the comments on Canadian forums, a good deal wish trump were there minister aswell"
i should have said Priminister .

[JohnC]

melponeme_k
Seems to me you know a little bit more than is spiritually healthy about these Luciferian types. You sure you are not one in disguise? what with the Devil being a deceiver and a liar and all that.
Holds up two crossed pencils to the screen just in case. Humm......yes thinking about it a bit more I see you end your name with the 11th letter of the alphabet, K, which as we all know is the magical 1 beyond 10, used by Crowley to define his particular brand of Magick. Now I am getting worried, a dark shadow has appeared in the corner of my room. God help me what disgusting being from hell have you conjured to assault me. And a strange chanting has begun, I can't quite make it out yet, but it's getting louder and louder, ah now I hear it, over and over and over again, it's beginning to drive me insane, build a wall, build a wall, build a wall arrrrrrgh.........

[melponeme_k]

@JohnC

LOL, no Nothing magical about my name except that it was the name of a muse and my first initial. I misspelled the muse name and decided to keep it that way for the hubris of using the name of a goddess as a handle.

Again, why don't you discuss Free Trade and how NAFTA totally destroyed manufacturing, farming and technology sectors in the US. Bill Clinton did that single handed with NAFTA and Hillary planned to finish the job.

The black magic is just a fillip compared to the Globalism that only benefits the rich which is what the Clinton's love.

@Princesskalika

No one who voted for Trump is planning to kill you or bankrupt you. THAT was Hillary Clinton. Her and her Bilderberg buddies let in thousands of illegal aliens to put the nails to working class minorities in this country. Again, the only people rampaging and pillaging through mostly minority neighborhoods today are butthurt Clinton supporters. Many of them agitators paid for by George Soros. Notice how Clinton isn't telling her supporters to calm down and stop pillaging.

But if y'all really hate the rest of America join with the UBER FOREIGNER who wants California to break away from the US. Go, break away. Let me tell you, he and his kind won't be paying for the millions of illegal aliens expecting their welfare checks. It will be YOU. STILL.

[melponeme_k]

@JohnC

LOL, no Nothing magical about my name except that it was the name of a muse and my first initial. I misspelled the muse name and decided to keep it that way for the hubris of using the name of a goddess as a handle.

Again, why don't you discuss Free Trade and how NAFTA totally destroyed manufacturing, farming and technology sectors in the US. Bill Clinton did that single handed with NAFTA and Hillary planned to finish the job.

The black magic is just a fillip compared to the Globalism that only benefits the rich which is what the Clinton's love.

@Princesskalika

No one who voted for Trump is planning to kill you or bankrupt you. THAT was Hillary Clinton. Her and her Bilderberg buddies let in thousands of illegal aliens to put the nails to working class minorities in this country. Again, the only people rampaging and pillaging through mostly minority neighborhoods today are butthurt Clinton supporters. Many of them agitators paid for by George Soros. Notice how Clinton isn't telling her supporters to calm down and stop pillaging.

But if y'all really hate the rest of America join with the UBER FOREIGNER who wants California to break away from the US. Go, break away. Let me tell you, he and his kind won't be paying for the millions of illegal aliens expecting their welfare checks. It will be YOU. STILL.

[Han Held]

You are absolutely correct about NAFTA and so-called "Free Trade".

But then you go completely off the rails and rant incoherently about bildeburgers and george soros.

Lay off the fucking Alex Jones and go read some credible, peer-reviewed and accountable sources.

Learn some critical thinking too. Contrarian != critical, by the way. There's more to critical thinking than saying "I'm agin it!".

Ah fuck, forget it. Forget all that and continue your crusade against the Satanical Bildeberg lizard people ... give our regards to Alex.

[SL Trump Supporter]

To quote Pussycat:

"This election was a whitelash.

It was white America declaring themselves as openly wanting the death or removal of all people of color, and of having no respect for the bodily safety of women."

Such complete and utter tripe. That is the mantra that the Clinton campaign has been parroting, and you are here doing just that. It is NONSENSE. Complete and utter NONSENSE. You are being very dangerous with that kind of talk and it really serves no purpose other than to fear monger and stir up racial animosity. Your candidate lost, accept it and lets try to look forward and make the best of it without all the b.s.

[Princesskalika]

SL Trump Supporter, it's not lies, it's the truth many of you refuse to admit, yet show with every step you take. Pussycat catnip was quite right. glad someone said it.

melponeme_k , with all due respect, your incorrect in many ways. i'll leave it at that.

[JohnC]

I think these Clinton supporters are maniacs, getting all upset and demonstrating in the street etc. Just bad losers. If Donald had of lost there would have been no trouble at all, he would have peacefully and calmly conceded defeat, congratulated Hillary on her win and said something like, oh I don't know, maybe " Hillary Clinton is going to be our president. We owe her an open mind and a chance to lead," something like that, and all his supporters would have been happy to go back to how they were and group hug with all the Clinton supporters in the neighborhood. The way the Clinton supporters are talking you would think Donald had said something crazy deliberately designed to stir up his supporters should he loose like "If I loose it's because the whole system is rigged against me and against you" or "I don't know if I will except defeat, I will let you know when I find out the result". We all know he would never say anything like that.

[Clara Seller]

I do understand everyone's grief and fear. I don't think we experienced an election. I think we experienced a war. Everyone lost. But I have to put the blame in the lap of the DNC and the Clinton Machine. They unfairly and illegally colluded with Media, Super Pacs,and the Exective Branch of government to squash down the strongest and prop up the weakest. The big irony is that Hillary, herself, ended up being the weakest. If it wasn't for the Clinton's, we might very well be looking at a President Elizabeth Warren, A President Bernie Sanders, or a President Jeb Bush.

[sirhc deSantis]

Best result ever. Build the wall. Isolate America. Give the World a break. Biz as usual so will not happen.

I welcome our new colluding overlord lizard nuke people. (nah isolate yourselves).

And btw - you are all still fat.

[SanityPlease]

It's a sign of the insanity of political correctness that the left is crying so hard. I cannot get my head around so many misinformed about Clinton. Even if Trump was as bad as the media has been saying, he would still be nowhere near as evil and corrupt as Clinton. She makes Watergate look like someone stole some office paperclips.

To call trump voters racists, mysogninists, etc etc, is just the most irresponsbly vile childish political brattiness. But then again why would anyone be surprised as that is precisely the poisonous culture that has made someone as loud mouthed as trump such an easy win. People did not garrison around Trump, trump was an inevitable leader of a growing movement. If it wasn't him, it would've been someone else. I think that's the real reason why the left is crying. They know it's the end for so much of their destructive, emotionally vomiting hypocritical ways.

Goodbye white-guilt, man shaming, west shaming, muslim terrorist enabling, shit art, childish virtue signalling. Goodbye the tail end of post-modernism, we are moving above and beyond you now. Most won't see it and foolishly think it's regression. It's not, transcend and include.

[JohnC]

With tear filled eyes waves goodbye to poor old shit art, who for some reason has gotten singled out for ejection, for no apparent reason :( Was kind of expecting a list of books to be burned publicly, and of course Mr's Clinton must now go to high security prison, maybe a special prison even, where you send people with differing political views. But it's ok because we are now moving above and beyond, to infinity and beyond in fact, these will be known as the Buzz Lightyears.

[Fred]

You'll be fine, you just need to take a deep breath and get back to the reality, far away from the doomsday rhetorics and dirt slinging from ideological trenches.

The same people who said he was not going to campaign, or become the republication nominee, or become the president - are now saying he will be a bad president, well duh! who could have guessed they would say that, right?

[metacam oh]

The election of Trump is prob the most embarrassed ive been as an American. I keep hearing give him a chance when those same people refused to even acknowledge Obama was born in America. I'll give President ManBaby a chance. When he appoints Sarah Palin to his cabinet, that'll be the end of that "chance"

[JohnC]

Don't worry, the actor has changed roles. The big scary guy who was going to put Clinton in jail should he win, is now praising her strength and commitment, I guess he thinks she is not all that bad after all. And Mr Obama is also now a nice guy with some good ideas, like Obama care which now apparently has some really good ideas in it. Watch the storm recede in a haze of embarrassing question sessions. Build a wall chants will most likely get quieter and sound more like put up a fence or maybe even, we will need to build that fence in our imaginations. In the end the only real change you will see will be the person playing the part of President, a guy who said anything that was needed to get there and now is totally humbled by the weight of the task ahead.

[metacam oh]

to those saying it is just another 8 years like the 8 years before etc etc are just plain ignorant. Have you listened to what Trump has said? Have you seen how he behaves? He has belittled the democratic traditions we hold dear in this country, not the traditions only one side holds, but all of us. This is not just another election where one side despairs and the other is happy and after it sets in that will be that? No, this man ran on such a hateful platform that it's not just another normal election. Before the rise of Trump, those who he appeals to thought if they were going to be bigoted it had to be in private. Now they perk their head up and see that they aren't so alone. This has pretty much mainstreamed and said that those beliefs are perfectly legitimate (That immigrants are a problem, that women are playthings, that Mexicans are rapists etc etc etc...the list of horrible things he said would fill a novel) And maybe by voting Trump you didn't think of that or didn't think you were participating in that but you have. You've said that that behavior isn't a deal breaker for the leader of the free world. This is first time Ive ever been embarrassed to be an American. And some of the comments above just show how little Trump supporters have actually listened to what Trump has said.

[Violet]

You survived Bush------get real---