Mirror, Mirror - on the Avatar

I try out a great many things – new experiences are what make life ever so grand, no? The first of several efforts to log onto Second Life failed; whether it is my old computer or a cosmic aversion to stepping back into my shell, I just couldn't get the darn thing going.

That said, I turned to Wikkipedia for my answers, a few of them; I also took advantage of the Mac lab, and that's how Fallon Ordinary was born - a tall, thin, artful (dodger) dandy with a shaved head and piercing eyes. That he wears a great deal of polyester and drives a classic car would indicate that he is not that far from my actual self. For others, however, Second Life provides an escape from a life less ordinary. Put differently:

...So the first is, in the earliest wave of pioneers in any new disruptive platform, the marginal and the dispossessed are over represented, not the sole constituents by any means, but people who feel they don't fit, who have nothing left to lose, or who were impelled by some kind of dream, who may be outsiders to whatever mainstream they are coming from, all come and arrive early in disproportionate numbers.

– Mitch Kapor, Second Life 5th Birthday Closing Keynote

This hearkens back to the stereotypical image of a gamer - particularly in role-playing games, such as "World of Warcraft" or "Eternal Lands"; the pale, heavy-set geek with the action figures collection in his mother's basement can move into a world where he is a super-spy, action hero with a (flying) motorcycle and a rock star girlfriend.

So, the reaction of fellow gamers to a social pariah is complex - to say the least. We discussed in class the marginalized minority groups that might not fit in so well with the Utopian ideals that exist in the world of Second Life, i.e.: black, gay, poor, heavy-set, wheel-chair bound, etc.

Note: I represent the first three of these - so, my reaction to and /or interpretation of these under-represented minorities is one of offense and tedium. The question itself is valid and telling: "How will the Second Life participants react to an avatar that isn't perfect?"

It begs the question of how one operationalizes perfection. It also begs questions of just what's so wrong with being any of the above minority elements.

1. As a black man, I would say that my preference would be to remain black (electing African American over broccoli ... or pink bunny). There are / were individuals walking among the crowds I eventually encountered who were black; I should comment that this did come as a surprise to me - as I do not readily picture the Second Life demographic including a large percentage of black gamers.
2. As a gay man, I do see a larger percentage of gay men and other members of the LGBQT community represented, although it bears saying that we as gay men are typically very social creatures who enjoy the interaction and sex, face-to-face dynamic typical of bars and clubs. The gay bar(s) in Second Life, I note, were quiet - very quiet.
3. Poor is just a state of mind, as several people have said before, and it is true; it is especially true in Second Life - where one is issued money upon creating one's character and where - in essence - the world is your oyster. If you could have all the money, and freedom in the world, why would anyone choose to be homeless or otherwise poor? I encountered someone who appeared homeless; as it happens, the person was just a skinny, trendy teenaged girl.
4. The heavy-set thing goes pretty much without saying; I saw no one heavy, although that was the avatar I chose. Having once been 400 lbs. myself (250 lbs. weight loss - a decade ago), I thought I'd try it on for size (pun intended). As one might expect, there were some odd reactions. Mind you, they were odd because my avatar was ardently pursued by two chubby chasers who invited me back to their place for fun and conversation.
   
5. Wheel-chair bound was the last of the bunch ... and the obvious questions still apply - if you can fly, why would you remain in a wheel-chair? The answer to that question came from a wheel-chair bound fellow I found while searching for a wheel-chair bound group. I assumed that there might be one, and indeed there were three - small and dedicated; like several of the aforementioned minority groups, those who choose to stick out in this Utopian society that is in many ways ultimately dystopic, the wheel-chair bound people stuck to their proverbial guns. They are / were militant in their positions.

In short, in a world where one can be a talking cactus or a brothel-working broccoli, the particular decision to wear the mantle of one's social stigma - be it gay, black, poor, wheel-chair bound, fat, etc. - is strictly political and potent.