Beth Macbain

Sounds like a fun new game show!!

When someone doesn't know you, and hasn't got the history on these forums that many do, and their first interaction with you is something involving a wish to invoke a fiery death, it can be a tad bit unsettling, as it was for me. I didn't see any affection in it and took it at face value. I see now that it's just your thing and you have no ill intent towards anyone (I hope), but yeah... it absolutely made me feel like crap when I thought someone I had never had any interaction with or knowledge of wanted to see me die. Can I now view it as just a warm hug instead?

First off, I love men. I love everything about them. I come from a large family with six brothers and a father who was my hero. In no way am I a misandrist. I also had a mom who was a true feminist of the first wave who raised me and my brothers to respect all and treat everyone equal. There is no stereotype around men being gold diggers and money-grubbing hos who'll do anything for a buck. Are there women who fit this stereotype? Of course there are. There are literally billions of women on this planet. The fact of the matter is that this a very small percentage of women yet it is constantly perpetuated through "jokes" like Erwin made that aren't actually "jokes" at all. For a woman to not acknowledge that, and excuse it even, is diminishing her own self worth and sad. I think that Erwin thinks he doesn't have a bit of institutionalized misogyny but the fact that he sees nothing wrong with making these kind of "jokes" says it's absolutely there. Ditto for Rosaline.

I say a lot of things. What thing in particular did I say this time? Edit: Oh, I see what I said. I also stand by that. Edit II: That was a GREAT opportunity for a "that's what she said" joke...

"Honey, you forgot to attach your peen."

Going off topic but... is this going to be a thing now on Bellisseria? Because this isn't the first instance I've heard about actual griefing rather than just random trolls being douche-nozzles. Has LL been made aware of this, and do we know (of course we don't) if they're taking any action against this little group of people that we all know are behind it?

Store gift cards are nice... but if someone gave me a gift card I could exchange for lindens and spend in any store I want?? Oh, yes, please!!

Oh god... you're right! thinks You know what? I'd much rather be an old than a young 'un. We olds know things.

Please don't say "we" as if all premium members want an increase in the stipend. I, in fact, do not. For 27 cents a day ($99/365), I get access to this incredible world where magic happens. I've formed friendships, fallen in love (more than once even!), I look like a goddess, I have a awesome houseboat with fabulous decor, I don't have two left feet when I dance, I can dye my hair and grow it out multiple times a day, I can have all the pets I want without vet bills, I can literally be anything I want to be, and million other things... and on top of that I get L$300 a week and access to events without having to wait for the crowds to die down! Other things as well! Yes, I buy a lot of lindens, too. A couple hundred thousand a year at least. The majority of those lindens go to the creators, though, and not into LL's pockets. I kinda want the Lindens and Moles to be able to put food on their tables and have roofs over their heads, and clothes on their backs. I want them to keep the servers up and running and silly little things like that. 27 cents a day is an insane freaking bargain for what we get.

I have literally said multiple times that I'm willing to pay creators more money to cover the fee increase and have been treated like a giant bag of crap (and told to shut up) for suggesting something so ludicrous.

Okay, but can we talk more about the Shirtless Bellisseria Fireman??

swoons

Then what is it about SL and LL make you feel differently?

None of that makes you any less selfish for your "I dont owe LL employees a paycheck last time I checked" attitude. Are you that hoggish in all areas of your life?

And here is the argument I'd make for SL going to a model where everyone is a paid subscriber of one level or another.

How extremely selfish of you. Those lindens you buy are being purchased from other residents, not LL. And when you shop, the merchant gets the vast majority of that purchase. LL gets a cut, but the majority of that cut goes to fees and licenses and permits, etc. Saying you won't pay to use a service that you, well, use, is like saying you won't pay taxes even though you drive on the roads that those taxes pay for.

And that, too!

Well, first off, not everything is about saving money. I'm not okay with any company outsourcing and paying slave wages (and forcing slave hours) on desperate people. Sure, I want people in other companies to have jobs, but only if they're treated and paid well. I also don't want people in the US losing jobs. You seem to forget that these are human beings and not robots. And speaking of robots, I have telehealth that I can use to speak with a doctor for simple things like colds. If I have something serious, there is absolutely no way I want to be treated by a doctor in another room, much less another country, and I certainly don't want my diagnosis delivered by a robot. I doubt that I'm alone in this sentiment. That is NOT forward spirit... that is a loss of dignity and respect for human beings. There are multiple reasons tech companies are located in northern California and it has little to do with being next door neighbors to each other. First is the access to young talent. Northern California has numerous prestigious universities. Tech companies want to snatch them up, and those grads don't want to go live in Bismark, North Dakota (no offense to anyone in Bismark... I'm sure it's lovely!). The infrastructure is already there. Aside from the tech companies themselves, there is an entire community of businesses built around the particular needs of tech companies, from lawyers, to marketing and PR companies, to real estate developers, and everything in between. Tech companies need investors. NoCal has an abundance of venture capitalists and angel investors and people with handfuls of cash wanting to give them to somebody to do something great with. Not to mention, NoCal is also just a really great place to live. People want to be there. The population is accepting of all cultures. People don't want to leave there, they want to move there, for reasons above and beyond the tech industry. It's just a really awesome place, from San Francisco, to the little towns out in Marin County, to the Napa Valley. No one is suffering because LL is in San Francisco but if they moved, people would absolutely suffer. The quality of LL would certainly go down because talented employees aren't going to pack their bags and move to the midwest. Mine, and your, experience in SL would suffer. This couple bucks extra that they're charging premium is long overdue and extremely fair. People aren't going to be replaced with drones or robots when it comes to every single job and you are... well, frankly, you seem a little creepy with this obsession you have with eliminating human jobs. Again, it's not all about money.

You do understand that there is a reason tech companies all congregate in the bay area/Silicon Valley, don't you? You seem to have some very big issues with LL not outsourcing everything to India for some reason. Would you like to discuss it?

Anyone ever see the Kitchen Nightmares' episode with Amy's Baking Company?

That is a terribly inaccurate generalization. Yes, you can choose what to share and what not to share, but if you grow close to someone and feelings start to develop, you're an extremely selfish jackass if you don't tell them certain things, like your actual gender.

Oooooh... are you British?? crush intensifies I just have a perfectly irrational hatred of navy for absolutely no good reason.

whispers... but why navy?? 😋

I just looked at your profile. My avi is older than yours... should the list be sorted by age?