RE: [-empyre-] Second Life Parody

["Ricardo Peach" <r.peach@ozco.gov.au>]

Hi Melinda,

Well - you know Second Life is potentially SO QUEER! Taking my funding hat off for a minute, and putting my Queer hat on, I think this space has much to offer in relation to the performative nature of (amongst other things) gender, race and sexuality (Judith Butler etc). For me that's where Queer sits - in that multidimensional (Darren Hutchinson) intersection of difference - where one type of marginalisation cannot be separated from the other, but is intertwined and connected.

So in this space there is the potential to experience this interconnected 'difference' to a degree - whether I choose to wear a blue skin, have an ambiguous gender (or a hypergender in most cases!) or go around in a wheelchair. 

What I find fascinating is the different responses you get from different people depending on 'what' you are and 'where' you are. I know of course deep down that this is NOT what sub-altern, marginalised people experience in RL and that I come from an incredibly privileged position to have access to SL in the first place, but for me it has been an eye opener to say the least.

What I also find interesting is how what I perceive as performance of difference, for many people in SL, is not performance at all. Their avatar becomes an extension of their bodies, and is invested with as much emotional content. I must admit, I also flinch and have 'outer body' experiences when my avatar falls off a ledge or bumps into a wall or a friend dumps me! Its frightening how quickly I can forget my avatar is not me!

So in my rambling, I guess what I am saying is that for me this space (or parts of this space) is liberating in that I can explore Queer identities in a way I could never before. In the end its still feels to me like its mostly a hyper-male heterosexual space, but I have subversive access to this space in ways I cannot imagine having in RL. And access to this hyper-male, heterosexual space has made me less frightened of it. Its been very entertaining in fact!

What I hope to see is a continued interventions into this world which subverts it (and doesn't deny those who love their hyper-male, heterosexual space either), but stops it from ossifying into a space where difference is obliterated. I think art has a big role to play in continuing this questioning and I look forward to seeing what evolves.

Ricardo


-----Original Message-----
From: empyre-bounces@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
[mailto:empyre-bounces@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au]On Behalf Of Melinda
Rackham
Sent: Monday, 6 August 2007 21:08 PM
To: soft_skinned_space
Subject: Re: [-empyre-] Second Life Parody


Ricardo hi
I'm interested in that your research arena is queer cinema if you see any
resonances that line of enquiry in second life?

How do you classify queer in SL?
M


On 6/8/07 2:15 PM, "Ricardo Peach" <r.peach@ozco.gov.au> wrote:

> Kathy - u r not the only one! Check this out if you want to have a laugh re:
> Second Life mishaps. This is how life begins to blur for many of us working
> and living in SL.
> 
> 
> 
> Shortcut to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flkgNn50k14
> 
> 
> 
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Melinda
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Dr Melinda Rackham
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