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What’s wrong with this hat?

Posted: January 22, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: blog | Tags: , , | 8 Comments »

hat

The vendor containing this hat was recently deleted from Virtual Morocco by an employee of Linden Lab without any notification to me. Why? Because an anonymous person complained that it is “broadly offensive”.

Virtual Morocco was created to be both a tourism promotion platform and a space for cultural exchange. It was built entirely by undergraduate students as an educational service-learning project.

We give space in the Marrakesh Marketplace to several Moroccan artisans with virtual goods for sale. Our only requirements are that they keep everything appropriate to the sim’s theme and to the educational context of the space. The vendor selling the hat was owned by a college student (not from our institution) who specializes in items appropriate for the Morocco of the 1940s.

This hat does appear to be in the Nazi style. Even if it is, it is historically and thematically appropriate for Virtual Morocco.

Managing a space for cultural communication is not always an easy task. We have dealt with anti-Muslim intolerance, anti-American intolerance, and other forms of inappropriate behavior. When an incident occurs, I try to use it as a learning opportunity and prompt for discussion for my students and the members the our Virtual Moroccan community.

This incident has implications far beyond one college student and an ambiguously offensive hat. How can we create an academic space – a space for the free exchange of ideas – if our content can be deleted arbitrarily, by a third party?

I’m posting this now because my support request has gone unanswered for several weeks. I will post updates as the situation develops.

  • http://blog.patrickdyl.com PatrickD

    I see nothing wrong with it at all, especially because it is in contex with the virtual enviroment.

    I think LL is catering to people who are overly sensative, I’ve seen much more offensive and obsceane content in SL.

  • http://wait-till-i.com Chris Heilmann

    Actually it is very culturally offensive for Germans as this is not only a part of a Nazi uniform, but more specifically the SS, which was the special elite unit in charge of the holocaust.

    The signature (the skull) is a sign that did inspire fear and oppression for a lot of people, imagine the KKK outfits times 10.

    This is why it is illegal to show anywhere in Germany or where you might get access to as a German. This includes swastikas, too, so ebay had some issues with their German offers that way.

    You can go to jail for owning something like that in Germany, which is why neo-nazi propaganda and products are actually produced in Denmark, the US or South America. It is also illegal to own Hitler’s books.

    Part of these laws were written by the US when they occupied Germany, and whilst I understand the point then I’d consider it worth while to loosen these laws, especially as it would make it a lot less “rebel” to get them as a young hoodlum.

    This goes as far as the Balance of Power Star Trek Episode that plays in a Nazi environment (what drugs were the writers on) never airing in Germany and video Games getting all Swastikas removed.

  • http://www.blutfrau.com Vissy A

    Chris Heilman is not correct. The “SS” as he thinks was in charge of all the evil of WW2. Nothing could be further from the truth. ALL members of the German army that were foreign (to Germany) served under the Waffen-SS.

    I served in Germany (Offenbach USAF) and it was COMMON to see people that still owned all types of things with Swastikas, if nothing else but for the novelty of it. It is NOT illegal to own by any means as long as it is deemed “historical, educational, financially valuable or heiloomic in nature” , and a good friend of mine there has a collection of Nazi-proofed fine dining ware, and her grandfathers totenkopf ring and copper(?) gestapo ID tag. She is not political, and loves the stories her loving Grandfather tells (now in his 90s). I see nothing evil in this man, nor were any of the dozens of stories I’ve heard say anything about any holocaust, other than the one his family was put through in France after WW2, had their home taken from them, imprisoned without charge and slept outside for two years in an overcrowded camp, women and children and low-level German military…CIVILIANS dying daily. Where was the Red Cross then? Where are the Speilbergs making movies about THOSE camps?

    You can get cited for giving the “roman salute” if it is deemed to be in the course of an offensive act. Violence without it is usually overlooked and the laws are thus ridiculous and selective. Most of the time “Nazi!” is the term used for anyone that opposes losing a job or an apartment to an immigrant guest-worker family. most lazy young kids welcome it, as they dont have to work for another two years and get another place to live.

    In a game where internet scams and spam, animal sex, death machines, satanic rituals and god knows what else exist freely under LL’s ToS, they cater to a whining crybaby that is offended BY A HAT.

    Get a life and GTFO out my second life. Asshat.

  • Kyle Pouliot

    Some craziness going on in your comments, Hilary!

    But this is quite the interesting situation. Provided that this is an educational island, I feel that you should do what would be appropriate and somehow hold some sort of discussion on the issue in SL. Personally, it doesn’t effect me and I say, if it brings more people to the island, then great!

    If it offends them, that’s unfortunate, but blog posts like this one are informative and shed’s light on the subject

  • http://99daz.com/ Darren Daz Cox

    That’s the problem with censorship and prohibition, that which is censored gains an aura of mystery and then curiosity becomes a factor.

    I’ll pop into this sim and see what’s going on!

    Daz Honey

  • http://99daz.com/ Darren Daz Cox

    hmmmm there seemed to be a severe lack of clutter,people,animals, etc. The stalls seemed to have signs made by the same person which is more like a strip mall than a marketplace! But there were some very nice 3D recreations and textures.

    Here’s a suggestion, assign a role to the builders rather than a task. Assign most of the people to the role of merchant and worker and squeeze them together in a tiny space where they must build a house and/or a shop.

    Assign the rest to be the government/royalty etc and give them most of the rest of the land to build grand palaces and mosques etc.

    I think a sim for tourism should have an ongoing commitment to improved content and an effort to attract traffic as when I went there it was empty and there was nothing to do but see the sights and then leave with no incentive to bookmark the site or extend my travel to a website or to Morocco itself.

  • http://iliveisl.com Ener Hax

    it seems that the context for this hat is entirely appropriate. as someone with a family history that includes the loss of family to the Nazi’s in WWII, i have absolutely no problem with this type of item.

    when we censor out the bad parts of our past, we censor out the sacrifices leading to a better world today.

    i once heard that Benjamin Franklin’s fur collar would be removed on US currency as a nod to our current beliefs that fur trade is bad. we only believe fur trade is bad because of past devastation and cruelty. this past is illustrated by things like Franklin’s collar. if we remove that, we may forget about those events and why we look down on things like the fur industry.

    removing a hat or collar does not alter history, but it may alter some of the reasons we are *hopefully* building a better future

    just my opinion . . .

  • andrew thorne

    im going to a mansion next week and ihave to dress up as otto von pinkleswurth and he is part of the gestapo so i am going to be wearing very simialar (but not in public) and anyway i see nothing wrong with it

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