Comments on: Op/Ed: Are You “Normal,” or teh Clone?

By: Maria LaVeaux

Maria LaVeaux — Mon, 14 Mar 2005 10:45:50 +0000

Ask any ten “Normal” people seperatly to define “Normal”, and you will get ten different definitions.
Normal, Like “Perfect” is an ideal, and doesn’t exist in the real world. There is only varying degrees of tolerance for difference.
I live a rather controversial lifestyle, and i frequently end up in discussions of it with “Normal” people (Vanillas as we call them), and Frankly, the Views of some “Normal” people, and the Vehemence and fervor they exibit in expressing them disturb me.
If these people are “Normal”, I worry for society.

Maria

By: Kendra Charlton

Kendra Charlton — Mon, 14 Mar 2005 00:26:12 +0000

Oh I agree completely with you Kim! This article, although it could be taken as hurtful, isn’t meant to be hurtful at all. I also do know that it’s not how a person looks, it’s what they say that makes you remember them .

Everyone is unique in their own way, but often times you have to get to know them first before you can tell. And also, as I stated in the article; we’re so different, yet so very much the same.

By: Kim Charlton

Kim Charlton — Sun, 13 Mar 2005 12:07:44 +0000

In German those clones are called ‘Stino’ for ‘Stinknormale’ (which you could roughly translate with ‘boring normal people’). I am one myself and feel a little hurt by your article. To me it seems to imply – even though you do not say so explicitely – that the clones or stinos don’t have any individuality.

You are right, of course, that especially with the restrictions of SL there is not much individuality when you don’t style yourself somewhat drastic. For example: much of the differences between Stinos are in the details: facial features for example, details of the body shape, clothing. And that you only see in SL if you look real close. A lot of ppl in SL are blackhaired because the SL client renders that best. Many ppl – even those in the goth community – like to style their avvies with the usual attributes of beauty: all slender, broad shouldered males, big bosomed women. This list goes on and on …

Much easier to feature some ‘alternative lifestyle’ attributes in a prominent way to give yourself some individuality … But I would like to question: Is that ‘you’? Or just a spectacular mask? Its all just visuals. Could be an expression whats i me. Could be just ‘belonging’ to a group. Which I don’t wanna condemn.

But if someone I met in SL stays in my memory its usual of what he – or more often, she – said. It doesn’t matter much if that avvie was wearing a cocktail dress, some nearly nekkid slutwear, a cool leather jacket, green wings, goth wear or the jeans and t-shirt outfit of the total noob in the welcome area.

By: Artemis Fate

Artemis Fate — Sat, 12 Mar 2005 00:10:00 +0000

I don’t know, I never put much thought into social cliques. I notice people who label themselves under one or another, but really i’ve never thought of the “normal” people as clones. They may dress a like but so do the goths (white skin, black make up, black clothing), and the hip hop guys, and the clubbers, and to some extent furries (though a lot of them have very unique avatars).

So I guess me as a black clothing wearing, cat ear and tail sporting, technology and gadget gearin’, and dark-skinned avatar with a Black Eyed Peas shirt, makes me a cyberpunk goth hip hop furry? But I think it’s easier just to call me Artemis.