[MUD-Dev] [DGN?] It's just a game (?)

[Sharon Mock]

> From: "F. Randall Farmer" <randy.farmer at pobox.com>

> As you might guess, I'm also not so keen on so-called "virtual
> rape."  I think it also devalues the very real tragedy of
> rape. Similar arguments to above. Harassment <> Rape.

Moving this part of the response to a new message...

I would tend rather to argue that the outrageous weight of the concept
of "rape" ("a fate worse than death") tends to devalue forms of
assault and torture that don't involve violent sexual penetration and
resulting physical damage.  I don't have any patience with an outsider
wandering into a conversation and deciding that "u bitch, u suk"
qualifies as "cyberrape."  But neither do I have any patience with
somebody who dares to admit to feeling "violated" by a concerted
campaign of humiliation and intimidation being told to "shut up, it's
not real rape, you can log out any time you want."  (Especially since,
last time I checked, logging out of a conflict is considered the
province of Losers, Lamers, Bad Sports, and, oh yeah, Wussy Little
Girls Who Can't Take What The Boys Dish Out.)

Is intent to rape <> rape?  Does the real-life evidence [possibly now
discredited] that attempted rape is often more traumatic than "the
real thing" have pertinence?  Does it make a difference that it's
easier to be virtually cruel?

What about women who exploit relatively trivial incidents in order to
gain sympathy?  (I'd love to say they don't exist, but....  If it
makes me a disloyal feminist, so be it.)  What about women who, for
whatever reason, have genuine but exaggerated responses to relatively
trivial triggers?  What about women who, for whatever reason, deny the
seriousness or impact of the behavior to which they are subjected?

And how much of a difference does it make that MUDs are still
perceived to be a "boys' club," and that Bartle's quote on women in
MUDs is still considered to be a safe guideline?

"If you see a persona with a female name, it's a male. If they come up
and talk all feminine and giggle, it's still a male. If they phone
you, meet you in a park chat for two hours in detail about MUD and
produce logs of their games it's still a male playing the persona. If
you actually see them sitting down, playing the game, behaving just
like they do when you've snooped them, then they might be the real
thing; but the chances are they're not. You can't be too careful!" 
(http://www.mud.co.uk/richard/cpdec89k.htm)

   --  Sharon

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