Are You a Normie or a Non-Normie in SL?

[Arielle Popstar]

3 minutes ago, Rowan Amore said:

That'll never happen so I'm out, too.

 

It was moving along quite well within the context of the OP until this post:

5 hours ago, Rowan Amore said:

Usually, the only people using the word Normie are people who consider themselves Non Normie and are using it in a derogatory manner.   

Then it went sideways. Maybe some need to take responsibility where these threads go off topic. It was not a relevant to the OP and from the OP, was not meant in a derogatory manner. 

Just imagine the furor if she had labeled some in SL as snowflakes.

[EliseAnne85]

2 hours ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

Elise, this is so easy.

You admit that you weren't aware of the fuller connotations of the word when you used it, and that you wouldn't have chosen it had you known these. No one is going to hate you or think you're "stupid" if you admit a mistake. We all make them, no?

Then you say, "this is what I meant . . ." and the conversation moves on constructively.

Which is surely the point of this OP?

I wanted to discuss something and after reading Diamond's link I think what I wanted to discuss was more about culture and counter-culture but it's just not happening in this thread.

And, to others, no I am not a troll.  Don't be ridiculous.  That's absolutely not truth.  And, I don't need to be treated like a whipping post for making a mistake either.  

I wanted to have a discussion, probably mostly about counter-culture.  

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Normie

[EliseAnne85]

22 minutes ago, Arielle Popstar said:

Just imagine the furor if she had labeled some in SL as snowflakes

I wasn't really labeling anybody either but there are words to define things.  Like I said above, after reading Diamond's link, I think the words I was looking for to have a discussion about within SL was culture vs. counter-culture.  Mainstream, not main-stream these are real things people like.  Some like mainstream, others don't.  

And, I remember a friend saying to me a few years ago, "I love mainstream music right now, which is usually not like me".  Our tastes can change from mainstream to non-stream and vice versa.  

Edited April 28, 2023 by EliseAnne85

[Rowan Amore]

31 minutes ago, Arielle Popstar said:

It was moving along quite well within the context of the OP until this post:

Then it went sideways. Maybe some need to take responsibility where these threads go off topic. It was not a relevant to the OP and from the OP, was not meant in a derogatory manner. 

Just imagine the furor if she had labeled some in SL as snowflakes.

It was actually mentioned before that last quote of mine if you'll notice.

7 hours ago, Love Zhaoying said:

Adding: When people use the word "Normie", they are probably not using it in a "nice" way.  In other words, it can be and is used as a pejorative. 

 

[Rat Luv]

7 hours ago, Love Zhaoying said:

Adding: When people use the word "Normie", they are probably not using it in a "nice" way.  In other words, it can be and is used as a pejorative. 

I agree...like 'hipster' about 12 years ago  and always used about others...

I think most people use 'normie' to mean somebody is into mainstream culture, but it also suggests they are ignorant of anything outside it. 

[EliseAnne85]

9 minutes ago, Rat Luv said:

mainstream culture, but it also suggests they are ignorant of anything outside it. 

Are they entirely ignorant of what exists outside of mainstream culture in SL or it just doesn't appeal to them?   Maybe a little of both.  I know there are many things in SL I've never heard of, so it would be ignorance in a different way.  

My sister is very mainstream-oriented when it comes to music but she is open to sitting and listening with me if there is something I want her to hear.  

I don't know exactly what I've been trying to say but I think SL is a place to find and explore a lot of things that are not mainstream and to me that's a big draw to SL.

But, this is not an easy discussion to have.  My title and OP were poorly laid out and for that I apologize.  

Edited April 28, 2023 by EliseAnne85

[Marigold Devin]

9 hours ago, EliseAnne85 said:

Does SL allow you to be more of a non-normie?   And, perhaps, to explore parts of yourself you'd otherwise avoid if it weren't for SL?  Or, are you just the same as you are in RL as you are in SL?  

Anyhow, I've seen some posts recently on social media about normie's and non-normies and wondered if you feel you fit into either one of those definitions?  And, can you explain to me a little about what is a normie and a non-normie to you?  

I was wondering if you feel this whole normie/non-normie thing is just a fad for the younger generation, or is it a real thing?  Or, even - has it always been a thing - to be different?  

Write whatever you want about the subject.  It doesn't have to involve my questions.  

Let's use this basic definition of what a Normie is:

What is a normie? Normie is a slang for a “normal person,” especially someone seen to have conventional, mainstream tastes, interests, viewpoints, etc. 

I've never heard of the term "normie".

Kind of reminds me though of when I was in secondary school (high school), and Kevin O'Neil asked me "Are you a First Year", or at least that's what I thought he'd said, and I responded with "No, I'm a Second Year" (that's equivalent of Year 8 I think), when what he had actually asked was "Are you a virgin?" !!!!!!!!!!!

Language evolves all the time. Someone told me something was "sick" the other day, meaning (I think) it was exceptionally good. 

I feel so lost. 

[Marigold Devin]

1 hour ago, Gwin LeShelle said:

And just to explain, not excuse, my bitterness today about this post...I work at a pediatric oncology clinic in RL and 3 kids did not make it this week, and I come to the forums at nights when I can not sleep ...when the thoughts are too loud, and you find such posts here.

Posts made to divide, and it was nothing else, and it just triggered me in the wrong way. Next time I should just not feed the trolls.

With this said, I'm out here too.

 

No wonder your photos are always so beautiful with such amazing detail when you've got such awful sad things going on in your daily life. And I thank you for those photos, because they always lift my mood. 

[Love Zhaoying]

3 hours ago, Gwin LeShelle said:

I wish I could say that this didn't made me ugly snort 😂 

Thanks for the positive feedback! You're nice! 

[Love Zhaoying]

8 hours ago, benchthis said:

I'm normal. 

 

I never saw this much of it before, better than expected!

[Silent Mistwalker]

Define "mainstream culture in SL".

[EliseAnne85]

17 minutes ago, Silent Mistwalker said:

Define "mainstream culture in SL".

Well, for me, it was human only and I thought I'd never be anything but human.  I couldn't relate to being a non-human character at all for a very long time even though I did NOT want to date in SL and didn't like the abrupt IM's I used to get. AND, my profile even stated I don't date in SL but I still got abrupt and inappropriate IM's.  So, people wouldn't even take the time to read my profile.   And, I pretty much went to all the mainstream clubs that were very popular.  It took me awhile to start typing keywords into the inworld search and go out and look for people who had other interests other than, let's say Top 40, which most of the main clubs advertised played.     

I finally, once I started using keywords in the inworld search, found a whole great big, diverse SL to explore and experience.  And, then, one day I became a Dinkie and used keywords to find where the Dinkies are and it was one of the best experiences of my entire life.  Dinkies/Tinies are very music-orientated and most do NOT play Top 40.  And, the Dinkies and Tinies are also very art-oriented so that opened a whole new SL for me.  

I left the "what's happening now" thing and ventured off on my own and ended up finding some incredible experiences.  Now, in SL, I try all kinds of things and have dropped all the unexplainable hang-ups I had about being something other than human in SL.  I thought people were weird for liking non-human avatars.  Then, I changed and it's great and freeing.

I'm a bit tired, that's about the best I could do.

Edited April 29, 2023 by EliseAnne85

[Ayashe Ninetails]

Just to point out - humans in SL have very alternative subcultures as well. I was a part of them long before I veered off into fantasyland.

They're quite similar to their RL variants, and there are (or used to be) clubs and groups to fit many if not most of those scenes that were very easy to find if you shared a similar interest.

But again, mainstream is very difficult to define in general, as there is no one set standard.

[EliseAnne85]

21 minutes ago, Ayashe Ninetails said:

Just to point out - humans in SL have very alternative subcultures as well. I was a part of them long before I veered off into fantasyland.

They're quite similar to their RL variants, and there are (or used to be) clubs and groups to fit many if not most of those scenes that were very easy to find if you shared a similar interest.

But again, mainstream is very difficult to define in general, as there is no one set standard.

Yes, there are some clubs I found to get away from the Top 40 and that's when I started listening to the Blues in SL and at the Blues clubs that's also where I met some Dinkies before I decided to become one.  It took me a few years before I did become a Dinkie though.  The Blues clubs seemed okay with having Dinkies there; they were cool about it.  

As far as mainstream, I'm thinking music right now.  But, not only do Dinkies play just about every kind of music except Top 40, they also are poets, and just friendly.  We are there to share; it's not about pixel bumping at all which even my profile stated I was not into.

I think the human scene somewhat assumes we are there for the pixel bumping no matter what alternative it may be unless I'm missing asexual human areas of SL I don't know about.  Dinkies/Tinies are the opposite, they are there for friends.  

Plus, I was free of the vanity of it all.  I love being a non-Normie.  It's been a great journey out of the "what's happening now" thing.  

Edited April 29, 2023 by EliseAnne85

[Ayashe Ninetails]

18 minutes ago, EliseAnne85 said:

I think the human scene somewhat assumes we are there for the pixel bumping no matter what alternative it may be unless I'm missing asexual human areas of SL I don't know about. 

That's not true at all.

SL had at one time (maybe still does - hell if I know these days) a goth scene, metal scenes, cyberpunk, sci-fi sims up the wazoo, cosplayers, motorcycle clubs, vampires (touching on fantasy now, but they used to be kind of their own thing), various niche art scenes, dub/reggae/reggaeton/Latin music (tossing that all together since some clubs had DJs that used to just go ham on everything), stoners, emo, steampunk, drum and bass, dubstep, hardcore, gabber, all kinds of delicious geeks and gamers, ravers, etc. etc. etc.

The adult side is no big deal. Easy as pie to avoid if you aren't into it. I've been hit on as a deer and a frog, so clearly that's not just limited to humans. Shake it off and keep dancing (or shopping, in my case).

[EliseAnne85]

15 minutes ago, Ayashe Ninetails said:

The adult side is no big deal. Easy as pie to avoid if you aren't into it. I've been hit on as a deer and a frog, so clearly that's not just limited to humans. Shake it off and keep dancing (or shopping, in my case).

It is to some of us a big deal, especially when they don't read your profile and you are married in real life.  I say "us" because I darn well know I'm not the only female in SL that has said some of those IM's from guys are just too abrupt and it's annoying.  But, I did have some great times as a human with the girl friends I made.  We had some good times.  I don't regret it at all.  Not at all.  

I guess I think it's a big deal because as a Dinkie I've never been hit on and it's peaceful.  I found peace in SL, and friends, and freedom to just goof around.    

Edited April 29, 2023 by EliseAnne85

[Myntz Mysterious]

12 hours ago, EliseAnne85 said:

Does SL allow you to be more of a non-normie?   And, perhaps, to explore parts of yourself you'd otherwise avoid if it weren't for SL?  Or, are you just the same as you are in RL as you are in SL?  

Anyhow, I've seen some posts recently on social media about normie's and non-normies and wondered if you feel you fit into either one of those definitions?  And, can you explain to me a little about what is a normie and a non-normie to you?  

I was wondering if you feel this whole normie/non-normie thing is just a fad for the younger generation, or is it a real thing?  Or, even - has it always been a thing - to be different?  

Write whatever you want about the subject.  It doesn't have to involve my questions.  

Let's use this basic definition of what a Normie is:

What is a normie? Normie is a slang for a “normal person,” especially someone seen to have conventional, mainstream tastes, interests, viewpoints, etc. 

It depends on my mood and what I'm doing in SL. But 70% of the time I'm a normal human, the other % can range from mermaid, to elf or some high fantasy being. Also at times BRDMRT Griffin or a TWI Wildcat. 😊

[Stephanie Misfit]

12 hours ago, EliseAnne85 said:

I was wondering if you feel this whole normie/non-normie thing is just a fad for the younger generation, or is it a real thing?  Or, even - has it always been a thing - to be different?  

I think it is just a fad for the younger generation, who currently obsess over having 100 special labels that make them "unique" and different from their fellows. Ironically though, this helps them to fit in.

Does anyone else remember the time, not all that long ago, when labeling people was considered a bad thing?

[Ayashe Ninetails]

4 minutes ago, EliseAnne85 said:

It is to some of us a big deal, especially when they don't read your profile and you are married in real life.  I say "us" because I darn well know I'm not the only female in SL that has said some of those IM's from guys are just too abrupt and it's annoying.  But, I did have some great times as a human with the girl friends I made.  We had some good times.  I don't regret it at all.  Not at all.  

I guess I think it's a big deal because as a Dinkie I've never been hit on and it's peaceful.  I found peace in SL, and friends, and freedom to just goof around.    

It's far easier to ignore/block in SL than it is in RL clubs, that's for sure. As someone who's done both, SL is far more peaceful.

Hang out with goths if you don't want to be hit on constantly. Not saying they're all like that, but some would rather primp in mirrors and others prefer the solo lurk in a dark corner technique. Cute as all hell, but definitely doesn't exactly make for easy flirting. Goth clubs were an absolute joy to hang out in when I didn't want to be approached - in both lives. It's a pretty chill crowd.

[EliseAnne85]

1 hour ago, Ayashe Ninetails said:

That's not true at all.

SL had at one time (maybe still does - hell if I know these days) a goth scene, metal scenes, cyberpunk, sci-fi sims up the wazoo, cosplayers, motorcycle clubs, vampires (touching on fantasy now, but they used to be kind of their own thing), various niche art scenes, dub/reggae/reggaeton/Latin music (tossing that all together since some clubs had DJs that used to just go ham on everything), stoners, emo, steampunk, drum and bass, dubstep, hardcore, gabber, all kinds of delicious geeks and gamers, ravers, etc. etc. etc.

I said the biggest clubs in SL played the top 40.  It was top 40, Big Hair Band music, and metal which was a lot of Top 40.

I was speaking about the sub-genre human scene was still a slex scene basically.

One could find other music, but in the "what's happening now" it was mostly the above all the time and maybe some country.  There was one club I remember from long ago, called maybe Ambrosia or something like that, that played trance and other stuff I did not like that got pretty big then too, but most other music one had to learn to hunt for.

So, I don't know what you mean by the above?  What's not true?  The biggest clubs in SL didn't play Top 40 in the "what's happening now" scene?  Yeah, they did.  Constantly.  Those were the biggest clubs with people in them.  I did, of course, once I started to use inworld search find other music clubs but, as many have said on the forums, they were empty or near empty.  

Edited April 29, 2023 by EliseAnne85

[EliseAnne85]

17 minutes ago, Stephanie Misfit said:

I think it is just a fad for the younger generation, who currently obsess over having 100 special labels that make them "unique" and different from their fellows. Ironically though, this helps them to fit in.

My generation was like that too.  In a way, I think my generation thought our parents were "normies" and we were not.  And, in my generation, maybe Normie meant stodgy.  Although my generation and where I grew up tended to be very into non-mainstream stuff.  My parents generation was kind of mainstream, following the norm.  

Although I think venturing off into non-mainstream areas of life can happen at any age.  

 

[Arielle Popstar]

3 hours ago, Rowan Amore said:

It was actually mentioned before that last quote of mine if you'll notice.

In a more btw context rather than turning it into a personal mission against its use.

6 hours ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

 But it is almost always used by someone "inside" a particular group to refer to those "outside." It's not generally a term you would use to describe yourself -- it is almost always directed at "the other."

 It's origins predated 4chan or other online groups as I recall the word being used by people in various recovery groups for years before 4chan was around and used to refer to people who were not saddled with the problems or issues relevant for the group. Being a "normie" wasn't a bad thing as it simply meant you were not an alcoholic or a drug addict or subject to one of the myriad of other issues that some look to recover from. Just because some group or another commandeers a word for negative purposes doesn't mean the whole culture should then give it credibility by subscribing to its new definition.

[Ayashe Ninetails]

26 minutes ago, EliseAnne85 said:

So, I don't know what you mean by the above?  What's not true?

Exactly what I quoted. 

[EliseAnne85]

8 minutes ago, Ayashe Ninetails said:

Exactly what I quoted. 

The adult thing or all the sub-genres you were speaking of?  

As far as the adult thing, I know it's true.  I experienced it.  It's way too forward and not how to approach someone, that is for sure.  

They could do better, honestly and be more respectful.

Edited April 29, 2023 by EliseAnne85

[Harper Held]

28 minutes ago, Arielle Popstar said:

In a more btw context rather than turning it into a personal mission against its use.

 It's origins predated 4chan or other online groups as I recall the word being used by people in various recovery groups for years before 4chan was around and used to refer to people who were not saddled with the problems or issues relevant for the group. Being a "normie" wasn't a bad thing as it simply meant you were not an alcoholic or a drug addict or subject to one of the myriad of other issues that some look to recover from. Just because some group or another commandeers a word for negative purposes doesn't mean the whole culture should then give it credibility by subscribing to its new definition.

I grew up in the 70's and 80's with siblings in 12 step programs; this is the first I'm hearing of this usage.

 

Seriously. This is sounding to me a lot like the steamed hams bit where Skinner's trying to say that's what hamburgers are called in Albany...