Second Life 16th Birthday Celebrations Confirmed

[Scylla Rhiadra]

2 hours ago, Mollymews said:

it was in the 1950s that US civil rights entered into mainstream white US consciousness. 1954 Brown v Board of Education, 1955 Parks v Montgomery, to name two

This is a fair point, although, as Selene notes above, one can argue over the historical nuances.

What seems important to me, to sort of repeat what I've said above, is that the celebration reflect this kind of "truth" about the 1950s, as well as the malt shops and drive-ins and sock-hops featured in Happy Days.

That doesn't necessarily mean a focus upon the "dark side" of the era per se, but it does entail recognizing that, for the vast majority of the world's citizens -- indeed, for the majority of Americans, the experience of the 50s is not well-reflected in TV sitcoms or 50s era musicals. To cite an obvious example, for a person of colour living in Alabama, or for that matter in New York, Chicago, or Detroit, life in that decade was certainly going to be a rather different experience than what is depicted in the iconic pop culture monuments to the decade.

And, of course, SL is hugely international: to someone living in England (as my mother did growing up) through the continuation of rationing, the divestment of empire, and the beginning of the Windrush generation, much less to those in post-war Japan, postcolonial India and Pakistan, or pre-independence Africa, the loves and adventures of Fonzie don't mean much.

All of which is to say that I hope that there are fun events and exhibits relating to the glossy 50s of Happy Days or the Pajama Game, or whatever. I sincerely hope that those who want to revel in the semi-mythical 50s of middle white America find what they want there. But I also hope that there are exhibits and events that reflect the true diversity of what that decade meant to others as well.

SL is founded upon a respect for, and acknowledgment of difference: it has become a place where people can express their own individual truths and experiences. And that needs to be reflected at SLB 16 as well.

And actually, I have some faith that it will be. We'll see.

[Mollymews]

@Selene yes, if we now citing slave emancipation then some others are

600 BC. Solon of Athens
500 BC. Cyrus of Persia
300 BC. Ashoka of India
10 AD. Xin of China
900 AD. Pietro of Venice
1300 AD. Louis of France
1400 AD. Isabella of Castile
1600 AD. Feodor of Russia
1700 AD. Holt of England

there were also many other times when slaves were emancipated, in whole or part, and in some cases this was overturned by subsequent generations to some degree or other. Followed by future generations having to re-establish slave emancipation and build upon this to end the practice of slavery once and for all. A least in those societies which believe in the ideal that all persons are treated equally under the law

in some cases lip service was paid to the ideal of equal under the law, and the doctrine "equal but separate" took hold and the institutions of society were re-ordered to effect this. Institutional segregation. US Supreme Court 1896 Plessy v Ferguson being an example of this

yes the US people who did fight and those who did die, to end slavery in the USA are to be acknowledged with respect and gratitude. As we also acknowledge those who lost their lives during WW2. Understanding also that those who did live through this, then looked at their societes and thought never again, particularly in the western democracies

in the US post-WW2 they also looked at the "equal but seperate" doctrine that had permeated US society since the US Civil War and decided to do something about it in terms of institutional change. Those doing something about it institutionally included 9 white male Supreme Court justices in the 1950s, as well as many other democratically-elected representatives thru the legislative and regulatory processes. The operative being that they actually started to do something about ending segregation rather than just talk about it. This is not to diminish the efforts of those in the US who did fight against segregation down through the years between the US Civil War and WW2. Nor of those who continue the struggle subsequently, up and to today, and no doubt into the future also

would the institutional representatives have done this without vanguard activists ? Possibly, possibly not. What we do know for certain is that in the aftermath of WW2 they did, that the then activists did what they did also. And that activists and institutional representatives, continue to do what they do down the generations since including today, as these things always go

but anyways this all said, LL have decided to throw a birthday party for all the grandparents and great parents in SL is how I see it. And I will go and be happy for them.

@Scylla. yes I would like to see at least one or two of the display parcels include some acknowledgment of the more serious efforts made by those who did what they could to make society a better place in those days

[Selene Gregoire]

2 hours ago, Mollymews said:

@Selene yes, if we now citing slave emancipation then some others are

600 BC. Solon of Athens
500 BC. Cyrus of Persia
300 BC. Ashoka of India
10 AD. Xin of China
900 AD. Pietro of Venice
1300 AD. Louis of France
1400 AD. Isabella of Castile
1600 AD. Feodor of Russia
1700 AD. Holt of England

there were also many other times when slaves were emancipated, in whole or part, and in some cases this was overturned by subsequent generations to some degree or other. Followed by future generations having to re-establish slave emancipation and build upon this to end the practice of slavery once and for all. A least in those societies which believe in the ideal that all persons are treated equally under the law

in some cases lip service was paid to the ideal of equal under the law, and the doctrine "equal but separate" took hold and the institutions of society were re-ordered to effect this. Institutional segregation. US Supreme Court 1896 Plessy v Ferguson being an example of this

yes the US people who did fight and those who did die, to end slavery in the USA are to be acknowledged with respect and gratitude. As we also acknowledge those who lost their lives during WW2. Understanding also that those who did live through this, then looked at their societes and thought never again, particularly in the western democracies

in the US post-WW2 they also looked at the "equal but seperate" doctrine that had permeated US society since the US Civil War and decided to do something about it in terms of institutional change. Those doing something about it institutionally included 9 white male Supreme Court justices in the 1950s, as well as many other democratically-elected representatives thru the legislative and regulatory processes. The operative being that they actually started to do something about ending segregation rather than just talk about it. This is not to diminish the efforts of those in the US who did fight against segregation down through the years between the US Civil War and WW2. Nor of those who continue the struggle subsequently, up and to today, and no doubt into the future also

would the institutional representatives have done this without vanguard activists ? Possibly, possibly not. What we do know for certain is that in the aftermath of WW2 they did, that the then activists did what they did also. And that activists and institutional representatives, continue to do what they do down the generations since including today, as these things always go

but anyways this all said, LL have decided to throw a birthday party for all the grandparents and great parents in SL is how I see it. And I will go and be happy for them.

@Scylla. yes I would like to see at least one or two of the display parcels include some acknowledgment of the more serious efforts made by those who did what they could to make society a better place in those days

At my age I really do not need history lectures. Suffice it to say that I'm all too well versed in such subjects considering my people have been on this continent for a few thousand years longer than the European immigrants.

[Mollymews]

2 hours ago, Selene Gregoire said:

At my age I really do not need history lectures. Suffice it to say that I'm all too well versed in such subjects considering my people have been on this continent for a few thousand years longer than the European immigrants.

sometimes a conversation of our own country's history can be helpful. I find that so for myself

the last time somebody told me that they didn't want to hear their own history from me, was a person on the other side of of a treaty settlement negotiation table

on the side matter you have raised. If we are going to produce the I-was-here-first because native card and any other view than my own can be dismissed on this basis then:

kia ora, ka mihi ahau ki a koe. Ko Maungamuka te maunga. Ko Hokianga te awa te moana. Ko Ngapuhi te iwi. Ko te whare o Eruera Maihi Patuone te tupuna.
(hello, I greet you. Maungamuka is my mountain. Hokianga is my harbour. Ngapuhi are my people. I am from the house of Eruera Maihi Patuone my ancestor)

a real world thing today is that nobody cares really about who was in a land first. What people care about is that we are here now, as we are now, and how do we go forward from here

where past history is important is in knowing how we got into an adverse situation that we are in now. From this then: What reparations if any can be made for what did happen. What did actually happen that would warrant reparation. And most importantly what do we need to put in place now so that it doesn't happen again
 
what has happened to other native peoples who went through colonisation is of importance and of practical help to me. I learn from those experiences and they help me to better understand my own thoughts and expectations of what may be useful, what may be possible, what may succeed, in our own continuing negotiations for a pathway forward for all of us together

kia ki ai tou wairua i te rangimarie. kia ki ai tou ora i te hari

[stlshayne]

I'm pretty stoked about a decade theme. Much more open to creativity than last years theme (crystals iirc, right?). Lots of good and bad has happened in every decade. It's important we celebrate the good and do not forget the bad. We would not be where we are now (for better or for worse) without either. 

[Selene Gregoire]

8 hours ago, Mollymews said:

sometimes a conversation of our own country's history can be helpful. I find that so for myself

the last time somebody told me that they didn't want to hear their own history from me, was a person on the other side of of a treaty settlement negotiation table

on the side matter you have raised. If we are going to produce the I-was-here-first because native card and any other view than my own can be dismissed on this basis then:

kia ora, ka mihi ahau ki a koe. Ko Maungamuka te maunga. Ko Hokianga te awa te moana. Ko Ngapuhi te iwi. Ko te whare o Eruera Maihi Patuone te tupuna.
(hello, I greet you. Maungamuka is my mountain. Hokianga is my harbour. Ngapuhi are my people. I am from the house of Eruera Maihi Patuone my ancestor)

a real world thing today is that nobody cares really about who was in a land first. What people care about is that we are here now, as we are now, and how do we go forward from here

where past history is important is in knowing how we got into an adverse situation that we are in now. From this then: What reparations if any can be made for what did happen. What did actually happen that would warrant reparation. And most importantly what do we need to put in place now so that it doesn't happen again
 
what has happened to other native peoples who went through colonisation is of importance and of practical help to me. I learn from those experiences and they help me to better understand my own thoughts and expectations of what may be useful, what may be possible, what may succeed, in our own continuing negotiations for a pathway forward for all of us together

kia ki ai tou wairua i te rangimarie. kia ki ai tou ora i te hari

Elizabeth? Is that you?

Edited May 14, 2019 by Selene Gregoire

[Mollymews]

14 hours ago, Selene Gregoire said:

Elizabeth? Is that you?

yes

i am back on SL with a paid for account. I read that the new Premium Homes were coming and I thought oooh! I have a look and see. They are better than the old for sure. I do have a few reservations about them for me personally but is all good. Lots of people are pretty happy with them and I can be happy for them

this is my 3rd paid for account now on SL. I get tempted by land.  Last time was the old Linden Homes and before that the First Land

[Selene Gregoire]

8 hours ago, Mollymews said:

yes

i am back on SL with a paid for account. I read that the new Premium Homes were coming and I thought oooh! I have a look and see. They are better than the old for sure. I do have a few reservations about them for me personally but is all good. Lots of people are pretty happy with them and I can be happy for them

this is my 3rd paid for account now on SL. I get tempted by land.  Last time was the old Linden Homes and before that the First Land

I have the biggest grin on my face right now. 

Welcome back! I've been wondering where you were! It makes my heart happy to see you. 

Didn't we go through the history lecture thing the first time we met? LOL

[Polenth Yue]

My issue was less with the theme, but the way it was described. On first read, I thought it meant I wouldn't be able to take part, as those things didn't mean anything to me. Not even in a family-story-from-older-relatives way.

But then I figured if they hadn't mentioned it, that didn't mean it couldn't be proposed. I submitted an idea based on 1950s science fiction instead. The same goes for people here wanting to do history exhibits. I hope people did apply anyway, regardless of the official description.

[Mollymews]

7 hours ago, Selene Gregoire said:

I have the biggest grin on my face right now. 

Welcome back! I've been wondering where you were! It makes my heart happy to see you. 

Didn't we go through the history lecture thing the first time we met? LOL

thanks 

and yes lol. I am still on the same waka/canoe. So nothing much changed about that

and tbh I have come on SL in between my paid fors, at different times to help friends make/achieve the SL goals they have set for themselves. Mostly to do with setting up their regions and communities. After which I dropped back out again because RL time demands

i am though enjoying SL again on my own account. Has been good to own my own place and stuffs again

[Selene Gregoire]

2 hours ago, Mollymews said:

thanks 

and yes lol. I am still on the same waka/canoe. So nothing much changed about that

and tbh I have come on SL in between my paid fors, at different times to help friends make/achieve the SL goals they have set for themselves. Mostly to do with setting up their regions and communities. After which I dropped back out again because RL time demands

i am though enjoying SL again on my own account. Has been good to own my own place and stuffs again

I'm just glad you are back. We indis* need to stick together. 

 

*indigenous