Political Ads No Longer Allowed on Your Land

[Soft Linden]

3 hours ago, asteriddle said:

Taking write-in candidates to a whole new level...

[Zack Massiel]

20 minutes ago, animats said:

Interestingly, homeowner associations and planned unit development operators used to think that. They'd forbid yard signs. Many states now prohibit them from doing that. California is such a state.

We're about to have a big debate in Congress on how much censorship private social networks can, should, or must do. No legislative action is likely this session, but we may see something next session.

It won't go very far. They would have to change the first amendment to mean that no one could censor political speech. It wouldn't be as pretty as people think....

[KarenTeyi]

4 hours ago, clivesteel said:

A bunch of demented Karens ruining something their tiny birdbrains can't comprehend. 

This is one very small but poignant piece of US-turd-talk that I would love to see banned. Thank you.

[Seicher Rae]

2 minutes ago, KarenTeyi said:

This is one very small but poignant piece of US-turd-talk that I would love to see banned. Thank you.

Just another example of why we can't have nice things...

ETA: Not your comment Karen, the comment you were commenting upon!

:::gets confused easily:::

Edited August 27, 2020 by Seicher Rae

[Scylla Rhiadra]

Um. So, just to get this straight. LL will tolerate just about anything -- animations, props, signs and text -- that relates to violence, sexual violence, misogyny (and, much more rarely, misandry), and even, frankly, homophobia and racism (if it's subtle enough) -- but one can't put up a "Biden" sign on one's property? I mean, I could literally put up a neon sign that read "All women are *****s and whores" (cf. Gor), but it's a no-no to be nasty about Democrats and Republicans?

I manage a couple of "activist groups." No, we don't run around vandalizing things or yelling at people: we meet and talk about social justice issues and politics mostly. But the land that I manage for those groups is chocked full of signs with political slogans (most of them not mine for what  it's worth). They're not facing a highway or the SLRR, they're not huge, they can't be seen from the air or on the map: you'd have to come into the sim to see them.

So, does that mean that this kind of political expression is now forbidden?

Sorry, this is outright censorship. BillyJo has every right to litter her property with pro-Trump signs: that's freedom of expression. Just as I have every right to put up a BLM sign on the land I manage.

For those who don't like political messaging in SL -- well, don't come to my sim. (You probably wouldn't anyway.)

 

ETA: It's not at all clear to me, looking over the KB piece that this should apply to most sims, including my own. Most of this seems to be directed, as are the general advertising rules, at visual spam and ad farms -- neither of which really applies in the case of my sim, even though there are political signs everywhere.

I do worry, however, that this is vague enough to lead to more legitimate expressions of political opinions being ARed and removed. And what exactly constitutes "politics" anyway?

Here's an old pic of me I posted for May Day, I think. Is this "political" in the sense that LL means?

 

Edited August 27, 2020 by Scylla Rhiadra

[KarenTeyi]

5 minutes ago, Seicher Rae said:

Not your comment Karen

No problem. I read. Never post. But I have heard the Karen thing just once too often. I had to say something.

I read to learn. Not to be insulted.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

33 minutes ago, Seicher Rae said:

Maybe there are parts of the grid where we see lots of Canadian [...] political warring

lolwhut?

[Seicher Rae]

13 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

Um. So, just to get this straight. LL will tolerate just about anything -- animations, props, signs and text -- that relates to violence, sexual violence, misogyny (and, much more rarely, misandry), and even, frankly, homophobia and racism (if it's subtle enough) -- but one can't put up a "Biden" sign on one's property? I mean, I could literally put up a neon sign that read "All women are *****s and whores" (cf. Gor), but it's a no-no to be nasty about Democrats and Republicans?

I manage a couple of "activist groups." No, we don't run around vandalizing things or yelling at people: we meet and talk about social justice issues and politics mostly. But the land that I manage for those groups is chocked full of signs with political slogans (most of them not mine for what  it's worth). They're not facing a highway or the SLRR, they're not huge, they can't be seen from the air or on the map: you'd have to come into the sim to see them.

So, does that mean that this kind of political expression is now forbidden?

Sorry, this is outright censorship. BillyJo has every right to litter her property with pro-Trump signs: that's freedom of expression. Just as I have every right to put up a BLM sign on the land I manage.

For those who don't like political messaging in SL -- well, don't come to my sim. (You probably wouldn't anyway.)

Unless I'm understanding this incorrectly (always a distinct possibility), you're still allowed to post all the Long Live The Beard signs re Trudeau. Cute socks Rule! Down with poutine! on your own land. Just not on networked something or others.

?

I'd like to see you put up a neon Gor sign. I mean, just in general. I might even pay to see that. plllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?

But yeah, my tentativeness on the thumbs up was due to slippery slope issues.

[Silent Mistwalker]

39 minutes ago, Soft Linden said:

Taking write-in candidates to a whole new level...

It's Soft! *squeeeeeeeee*

[Scylla Rhiadra]

4 minutes ago, Seicher Rae said:

I'd like to see you put up a neon Gor sign. I mean, just in general. I might even pay to see that. plllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?

But yeah, my tentativeness on the thumbs up was due to slippery slope issues.

Yeah, just added an addendum to my post to suggest that this isn't as clear cut, maybe, as I at first thought.

But I can see someone wandering onto my sim, or even going there vigilante style, and ARing something -- and the individual responding to that AR deciding, subjectively, that what was ARed constituted something "political."

[Kimmi Zehetbauer]

Last few years politics has gotten real bad all over. In world it's gotten out of hand in some groups that are for other purposes like live performers and shopping. We go into SL to get away from this stuff, not face it there too....  And I do see a mod coming in here to secure the thread.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

4 minutes ago, Kimmi Zehetbauer said:

Last few years politics has gotten real bad all over. In world it's gotten out of hand in some groups that are for other purposes like live performers and shopping. We go into SL to get away from this stuff, not face it there too....  And I do see a mod coming in here to secure the thread.

Kimmi, with respect -- in the last few years, LOTS of stuff has gotten real bad all over. I personally am desperately tired of seeing crass, outright misogyny all over the grid, even in moderately-rated dance clubs. I'd love to "get away" from vulgar and often violent sexism in SL . . . but not at the price of banning it.

Banning doesn't work: it just drives stuff underground. And it is the thin edge of the wedge. What's next -- no more BLM-supporting tee shirts?

Edited August 27, 2020 by Scylla Rhiadra

[Kimmi Zehetbauer]

2 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

Kimmi, with respect -- in the last few years, LOTS of stuff has gotten real bad all over. I personally am desperately tired of seeing crass, outright misogyny all over the grid, even in moderately-rated dance clubs. I'd love to "get away" from vulgar and often violent sexism in SL . . . but not at the price of banning it.

Banning doesn't work: it just drives stuff underground. And it is the thin edge of the wedge. What's next -- no more BLM-supporting tee shirts?

You got a point there.  Could open the Pandora's box for other stuff to get banned. As for the crass stuff on the grid, I have seen racism in world, including in a club my man used to DJ at.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

Just now, Kimmi Zehetbauer said:

You got a point there.  Could open the Pandora's box for other stuff to get banned. As for the crass stuff on the grid, I have seen racism in world, including in a club my man used to DJ at.

Yep. So have I. Which again makes a broad-brush application of this idea inconsistent and kinda dumb. It's all "political" -- racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia. ALL of it is "politics." Why this, and not those?

Now, if this is really just about cleaning up egregious examples of visual pollution -- ad farms, and the kinds of thing Animats pictured -- then ok, I guess. But if that's the case, then such signage is already subject to existing rules: adding "political advertisements" as an explicit no-no is dangerous, to say the least.

[Alwin Alcott]

thoughts...? there came to many Trump signs .. LL never liked that.
Funny they themself published several other political themed blogs/statements.

Edited August 27, 2020 by Alwin Alcott

[Lindal Kidd]

I have to say that, legally speaking, Drakona is right.  This is LL's platform and they can allow or disallow whatever they want.

On a practical level though, we do have freedom of speech.  Up until the announcement that started this thread, anyway, any of us could say or do or post pretty much anything that didn't violate the TOS, Community Standards, or Maturity Rating of a region.

I guess LL just decided to try to keep the USA's political bickering out of SL.  Maybe they figured it violated the Community Standards.

I think that was a mistake, as shown by the responses here.  But, that's just me.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

29 minutes ago, Lindal Kidd said:

any of us could say or do or post pretty much anything that didn't violate the TOS, Community Standards

You're right, in theory, of course Lindal.

But I always sigh a little when someone says this. Just to provide a small example -- ever done a search (especially under groups) for the N-word?

Try it. And look at the description of some of the groups that pop up.

The results are eye-opening.

Edited August 27, 2020 by Scylla Rhiadra

[Syo Emerald]

4 hours ago, Lillith Hapmouche said:

Oh, not just American... so-called self-proclaimed political activists are doing a never tiring job of vandalizing other parties' campaign posters, tearing them down and destroying them, then cry blood and murder when charges are filed against them.

Back on topic: 

probably one of the best decisions ever made. /me likes.

In Germany you can spot which party is controversial or unliked by how high they have to hang their posters during election. But what is (in my experiance) very american specific, is normal people plastering their car and home with signs of their favorite political parties. In SL its usually an eyesore, so I'm not sad, if its will be gone.

[Akane Nacht]

Can't say I care much if they ban political ads. But I'd much prefer they add a de-render feature to SL viewer so we can block whatever we find objectionable for ourselves. 

[Ceka Cianci]

 Private sims are awesome to live in.

Hehehe

[Alwin Alcott]

1 hour ago, Syo Emerald said:

 I'm not sad, if its will be gone.

me neither, but all political movements should be removed with their statements, also not longer to be discussed and removed from profile pics. .. ór allow the counter movements also be promoted that way.

Edited August 27, 2020 by Alwin Alcott

[Mollymews]

3 hours ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

So, does that mean that this kind of political expression is now forbidden?

i agree that there is a political dimension to pretty much all human group relationships

i don't get or even believe that Linden said 'politics' in this broader meaning of the word. I think they meant 'electioneering' as in real world election campaign billboards and hoardings. And if this is so then Linden need to say so  

 

[Cinos Field]

Slightly misleading topic. They're no longer allowed on ad farms. Presumably still on other lands, though.

[belindacarson]

3 hours ago, KarenTeyi said:

No problem. I read. Never post. But I have heard the Karen thing just once too often. I had to say something.

I read to learn. Not to be insulted.

Do what I do, I don't see 3/4 of the posts in n these threads ^^

[Anna Nova]

4 hours ago, animats said:

We're about to have a big debate in Congress on how much censorship private social networks ....

You mean: We're about to have a big debate in THE UNITED STATES'  Congress.

The rest of us are totally uninterested in your petty internal politics.