Too many DJ’s… with very long toes!
January 9, 2008 10:32 pmSome people got the ‘if you, any time, any reason, any subject, need to get something of your chest, or feel the urge to share something with the -virtual- world, feel free to use VintFalken.com’ green pink card from me. Veronique Kaminski is one of those persons. Where Vint, kean as she is to defend her friends, picked sides, Veronique looks at this past happenings and SL ego’s in general a bit more nuanced. Where Vint said ‘childish behaviour!’ - of course, on the behaviour of ‘the enemy’, Miss Kaminski analyzes and makes us all - me not the least - blush with shame. Yet, I can say to my human’s defense that she chose Vint to be impulsive, huge-ego’d and honest about what she thinks? ;)
Too Many DJ’s…. With Very Long Toes
The other night, I received an IM from somebody I knew in my early days. I don’t know if I can say we were really friends, but back then we did spent a lot of time talking together. Until we lost touch because.. well, lets say especially because, for various motives, I started to avoid further contact.
Anyway, during the conversation that followed the initial IM, he told me that lately he isn’t that much online, because amongst other things, its unreliable..
I replied, ..teasingly.., like I used to talk with him when we were more close.. : ‘who is unreliable, you, or SL?‘ Followed by a smiley, so that there would be no misunderstandings about the nature of my question…
But there were…
A silence, followed by his question: ‘you really think I am unreliable?‘
<< REW
Last week there was a little commotion on some blogs befriended to this one. Though I sporadically read and even comment there, this time I kept my hands away from the keyboard.
What it was exactly about, and who was to blame..? Go and take a look for yourself, if you didn’t do so yet.
I am not going to judge or take side. I’ll just condense the row to what it really was: a clash of egos. Wounded artistic prides. (please do mind the plural)
Instinctively I remembered a post by Loki Popinjay from some weeks ago. He was doubting what to do with his Flickr account. A bit disappointed by the comments he received there. Not the amount, but the nature of it. The idle “awesome” cheapness instead of founded reviews.
He was so right. But practically his view isn’t shared by many.
“everybody wants to be the dj
everybody thinks it’s oh so easy”
There is something I am not getting here. Why are we -allow me to make generalizations- so keen to write blogs, post screenshots ( :-p ), begging for votes or undertake whatever attention- calling action, and thus exposing us to potential loads of criticism, while on the other hand the slightest non-flattering reaction really upsets us?
For it goes beyond the (role-played) SL drama. Contacts are un-friended. Comments are deleted. Blogs or other SL derived activities are put on hold until one recovers from the emotional shock caused by somebody’s deviating remarks. And I am not talking about being Prokofied here.. Though some can even handle Prok’s bashings, most already crack after some harsh words.
Why? Do we identify that much, are the borders that blurry, that when attacked or merely criticized in SL or related stuff, where technically it’s the avatar who takes the blows, the Owner or Puppeteer feels harassed too? Why do we cherish our self-created stardom that much? Clench to it?
Because, lets face it: in the meatworld we aren’t Bob Woodwards or Cartier-Bressons neither. If we were, we would be too busy over there. We wouldn’t have time to hang around in our little dream world. And generally we accept that fact. That we are what and who we are.
When asked about it, most claim they have a quite fulfilling real life. They insist that their second life isn’t an escape from it.
So then, why do we feel the urge to put ourselves on a pedestal here? In this new world where anonymity reigns? And why are we unable, or unwilling to accept also the negative implications of it? Do we become Avatar? Electronic beings susceptible to shortcircuits?
Or are we just hypocrites? Denying that we ARE escaping to a fake world. Biting back at anyone who lifts the veil.
Is Second Life a game? Is it, together with Flickr, the Second Life blogosphere and the likes, a social networking space? Or is it a stage for one-man shows? Only applause and cheers allowed..
Was Time only partially right with their 2006 person of the year nomination? Shouldn’t it have been: “You.. and your Ego” ?
I hope not, but I am open to comments…
“if only i could sell myself
the way that even i would buy”
Veronique Kaminski
PS: thanks to Soulwax for letting me steal some lyrics..
Vint on this: Ow, I just love having guests over! *serves some tea coffee, strong version to Veronique* And guys and girls? Miss Kaminski wanted you to see this as illustration to the story:
8 Responses to “Too many DJ’s… with very long toes!”
Wow …. spot on … been pondering on stuff like this for the last week (if not longer), not to sure what to say about it all, but hey…. I no longer have to, you said it all :-)
Think it would be good if we all put things in the right perspective…
*puts stuff in the right perspective* *shouts to Loki*
You are only saying that because Miss Kaminski quoted you and said you were right!
:p
ROTFL …. didn’t even know that … serves you right for not including links ;-)
Wow Vint… cascase of powerfull words!
I personally will not admit my RL is “fulfilling”, quite the oppostire, SL makes me feel more “alive” then my RL at times… and yes I know how sad that sounds, but I don’t care tbh.
As you will know, I’m not a blogger, cuz, I don’t know what to talk about… my latest building project? Not my style to talk about that kind of thing…
Pictures I tend to use as practice to master some basic skills in PS, sometimes they turn out great, and then I upload them to Flickr, but there’s a lot of stuff going into my trash can aswell. So I know I’m not a true artist like some are.
I do have to admit that Flickr has become too time-consuming with all those weekly assignment groups, so am forcing myself to check each group if I still wanna stay in it.
For the rest, I do my own stuff, if other like it, that’s awesome, if they don’t, I’m not crying over it.
I know my friends appreciate me for what I am, not what I do, and usually they even like what I do, or sometimes give great tips, for which I’m always thankfull.
Now that I think of it… this reply would have worked as a blog post… in a way…
Loki, do you now admit at not having read the entire post and still saying it’s spot on? :D *still putting things in the right perspective* ;)
Gany, ‘For the rest, I do my own stuff, if other like it, that’s awesome, if they don’t, I’m not crying over it.’ A kick-ass statement, I wish I could say the same. Although I’m bound to ‘I try to do my own stuff…’ as even in SL there are persons that influence my ‘being Vint’, my writing, my photographs. I figure as long as it are persons that influence, and not the whole crowd, I’m doing ok… ;)
And I do think Veronique is rather spot on with this question: Or are we just hypocrites? Denying that we ARE escaping to a fake world. Biting back at anyone who lifts the veil. Although limited. I don’t think we’re escaping first life. We _are_ escaping some first life limitations. What those limitations are, depends, from one avie to another: yes, why not have one alt to escape limitation #1 and another alt to escape from limitation #2?
PS. ‘For the rest’ is ‘Dutch English’ I think? :p
Erm, yes, it’s “Dutch English”, but after 19 hours of being awake I can’t think of a better phrase to use…
*feels idiotic for a second or 2, then gets a grip*
Escapeism is something everybody does, and it’s of all times (bedtime stories, the Harry Potter books, the Bible, all novels, athletics, bathing, the circus and other aspects of the Performing Arts, etc…)
So to say that “we’re escaping into SL” is to say that we’re perfectly normal, but we’re just part of group of people with a more… (at this point in time) unusual way of escapeism.
Am I escaping into SL? Yes, but I try to be creative when building or try to make a picture, am affectionate towards good friends, have strong feelings towards my Love and try to just have a good time, and is that bad? Hell no it’s not!
And, don’t forget that ppl don’t really change you, it’s you who changes you by interpreting reactions (correctly and sometimes incorrectly) of the select group of people around you that you trust, or look up to, or want to project yourself on… erm… ack!
Darn those Psychology and Sociology classes!
PS. Loki, I asked Miss Kaminski if she wished to have links served with that opinion of hers, and she said nothing besides the Soulwax link. Said you should do some searching, browsing and reading of your own!
I’m grateful to SL for allowing me to get creative after many years of working outside of what I studied in University for so long ago.
I blog several times a week; I used to write Broadcast News and the blog is a great way for me to get back in touch with that skill.
I post images (I know, they’re not photos) to Flickr; many people do a wonderful job of showing off their Av. I look at mine as form of SL “graphic Journalism”. And a chance to crack wise.
Most of all though, I DJ; 8 hours a week with a chance of more hours in the future. I have 10 years of Radio experience and SL has fulfilled my dream of being on an Internet radio station (coferadio.com). And people seem to like the music.
With that listed, I must admit that my inner 19 year-old craves attention. And if I don’t get it, my inner 11 year-old starts to pout and sulk. An example is last week’s post where I pulled a page from The Rock Snob’s Dictionary and listed all my favourite music from 2007. Not one Comment. Not even a “you’re full of shit”. the 11 year-old was so pissed he even disappeared from SL for more than a day (!).
IMO, the bottom line is this: we do all this for ourselves, our own personal entertainment. If others are entertained that’s fantastic. But if you feel you’re being ignored please don’t stop being creative. Yourself is all that matters. Thanks, Vint.
Care to comment?