Op/Ed: Prokofy the Communist?
by Alphaville Herald on 31/05/09 at 2:23 pm
Diversionary tactics nurture collectivism
by Matt Cvetic
Recently introduced to the celebrity Prokofy Neva's blog, a great curiosity arose in me. For the uninitiated, Prokofy is a prolific and controversial Second Life blogger. Her contribution to the public discourse is to claim anyone and everyone who captures her notice is a communist, a collectivist, a left-bent hippie, or any of a thousand entries from her well-worn Red Thesaurus.
Prokofy bears no burden of proof. Instead, it's up to the accused to prove otherwise. Anyone who attempts self-defense or disagrees is a crypto-communist or a hypocritical communist. Evidence contradicting Prokofy's assertions doesn't weaken the assertion. Instead, it impunes the character of the accused.
Prokofy delivers it all in a loquacious stream of consciousness. Judging by the caustic nastiness that comes with it, this stream wends its way through sewage and brine. For one example of many, visit her blog and read her mockery of the physical appearance of a popular SL fashionista blogger. In Prokofy's mind, once her argument has lost all merit, personal insult remains on the table.
The question that tickled the back of my mind was: why? What would drive Prokofy to raise such a stink? Why is she constantly on the attack? Could she really see such a thick march of furred hats and pointed beards? Was Second Life already lost to the reds? Had a New Kremlin somehow escaped all others' notice? It's silly on the face of it, and yet she continues to obsess. Maybe this was a diversionary tactic. Was there something we weren't meant to see?
There it lay, hidden in plain sight. Prokofy isn't trying to identify communists at all. She's trying to prevent others from identifying communist tendencies. Perhaps even to make the very idea of identifying or discussing collectivism a laughable endeavor. If she were trying to create fertile and uncontested ground in which collectivism could grow, she couldn't do better. It seemed absurd at first. I crossed the idea from my list of possibilities unexamined and only returned when nothing else made sense. Then, I took a look at the facts.
the politics of personal destruction
Prokofy, in her post on philosophy, states that she studied in Soviet Russia. In Leningrad. Studying journalism, of all trades. That's a curious start. Given the ideological limitations of the school staff under Soviet rule, there is no question as to what she was taught to write. As a Soviet Journalist, we can anticipate the tactics she was taught to use in her writing as well. Diversionary tactics and the politics of personal destruction would permeate the curriculum. As a foreign student, she would have been shown nothing but the best that communism could offer. Her perception of communism would be viciously tilted, and for the entirety of her stay, the message would be this: personalities are expendable in service of the greater good.
Our next observation is this: Prokofy's harshest attacks are reserved for businessmen. These include vivisection of businessmen operating in Second Life, and attacks undermining the businessmen who run Second Life. Again, look at Prokofy's poisonous words for the departing CFO of Linden Labs. But what has she to say of the Soviet role play areas in Second Life? What of the communes, easily found in search? Prokofy hasn't a word to spare. Those who speak and act in communism's favor don't raise her ire.
Further, Prokofy makes it impossible to hold a meaningful discussion about property in Second Life. When such a discussion arises, Prokofy dives in as if in a panic. She cranks up the vitriol and drowns the underlying discussion. It becomes the verbal equivalent of a slapstick puppet show. Regardless of position, any who speak are batted down noisily and humorously. The underlying story is forgotten for the outrageous fighting. A Google search for Prokofy and "CMT" or "Copy Mod Transfer" delivers volume after volume of a long-winded Punch and Judy show.
Prokofy's utopian commune
Now, consider the most curious reality of all. Given the opportunity to manage land in Second Life, to take complete ownership of property issues, the opportunity to prove out her stated beliefs, what approach does Prokofy use? What form does Prokofy's utopia take?
Land management is a well-established business in Second Life, and with that comes a standard ownership model. The model used by virtually every land manager is one of buying an estate, and of ceding ownership of portions of that estate. The tenant purchases the land for a nominal fee and pays tier. The land is set in the tenant's name, fully under his control for as long as he pays his tier. The estate manager is the government, and the land owner is just that: a land owner.
Prokofy takes a different approach. A commune is Prokofy's utopia. Prokofy insists that no tenant is allowed to own his own parcel. All land is communally owned. Tenants are not given the controls to prevent others from entering their land. They can't put their name in the owner field. they aren't even given preferential access to the build tools. Indeed the Ravenglass Rentals group, apparently named for an English region that long resisted democratic rule, is set to allow anyone to join. Go ahead and try. Land ownership is optional. No person is denied membership to the party.
Even the cost of doing business is laid on the community, not the businesswoman running the show. Search for the "Ravenglass Rentals" group, read the description, and there you find it. Properties are listed in search, and the search listing cost is charged to the group. The commune shares the tab. Changing this would be as easy as changing one group role box, but Prokofy declines. On one of her rants against others, Prokofy would readily liken this to 1940s communists co-opting American labor unions. It was common for them to excise obligatory union dues in support of activities promoting the party.
Why use a griefer-friendly business model?
The model is a failure, of course. Griefers exploit the building and ownership model mercilessly. Indeed, Prokofy trolls for these reactions, as if invested in some degree of failure. She uses every online venue available to her to fish for hatred and persecutory reactions. She posts her business identity to each to guarantee a link back to her land holdings. Deliberately exposing her business is curious is in a realm where anonymity or second identities are the norm.
As the failures mount, few tenants stay long. No old users can be found on Prokofy's land apart from those who have joined her tiny clique through unquestioning fealty or by never venturing to use independent judgment. The intelligent tenants realize they are paying a premium price, that more control and property ownership can be had for a lower cost on an estate. The thinkers leave. By some margin, only the empty-minded and the ideologically compatible tenants remain. Prokofy successfully retains those most susceptible to collectivist influence, yet she broadcasts the appearance of failure.
When communism failed, where did communists put the blame? It was never the person holding communist positions who failed. No, the failure was a weapon used against the money bags who run the show. Of course, the proposed solution was always to cede more power and influence to the ones running collectives. The same pattern repeats in Prokofy's hands. It's a play lifted off the first page of the Soviet playbook. As low as Prokofy has set the bar for Crying Red, we ought to see the entirety of The Soviet Ballet leaping and dancing over the top. We're reenacting the creation of a Soviet empire in a virtual world. Yet somehow this never comes up in the blogs until today. Why? Because a certain blogger became the defacto arbiter of All Things Collectivist.
There you have it – and what a curious construct it is. This is why we are reminded never to question a folly, but only to ask what it has accomplished. If we follow the evidence, the suggestion is overwhelming: Prokofy is reliving her school days. She's created and now protects a home for her misty watercolor memories, painted in Red.
Prokofy's Third Chin
May 31st, 2009
A further observation about Prok and character assassination? She refuses to let people post to her blog anonymously. Those are the only comments she deletes without response. When she has to refute an idea instead of slinging feces at the speaker, she’s powerless.
There’s more of that here:
http://secondlifekain.wordpress.com/2009/05/04/prokofy-neva-and-the-case-of-the-elusive-principle-or-the-anti-conceptual-mind/
*** The official reply came that there would be no change in their policy regarding adult ageplay, and I made the mistake of sharing my observations with Prokofy Neva who – and this should have been a sign – was present and equipped in garlic, crucifix, anti-toxic pack, combat boots, latex gloves and a welder’s mask which he later removed because ‘he couldn’t see’
What followed was an imprecation of near-Goethian proportions (by way of Woody Allen) in which the aforementioned individual accused me of attempting to ‘undermine legality’, promoting ‘desensitizing activities’ and of apparently leading a campaign in favor of child pornography. This not being enough, Neva proved himself impervious to reason and… ***
Carfagio Guttaluno
May 31st, 2009
It must be hard times for you dudes to bring this old hag out of the attic.
Prokofy
May 31st, 2009
There is a storm gathering.
The clouds are dark, and the winds are strong.
And I am afraid.
Some who advocate for full permission prims have taken the issue far beyond manual permissions changes.
They want to bring the issue into my life.
My freedom will be taken away.
I am a Caledonia skin maker who must choose between my faith and my job.
I am part of a New Dreamland church build punished by Linden Lab because we can’t support group-deeded objects.
I am a Massachusetts parent helplessly watching TeenSL teach my son that freebies are okay.
But some who advocate for copy+mod+transfer have not been content with content makers living as they wish.
Those advocates want to change the way I live.
I will have no choice.
The storm is coming.
But there is hope. A rainbow coalition of avatars of every male gender and white color are coming together in opposition to VWR-8049.
Visit http://secondthoughts.typepad.com and repost this warning far and wide. Join us.
Adric Antfarm
May 31st, 2009
Spot on oh defender of PedoBears. Actually, it’s how I test people. I will mention the topic and I like to hear “distasteful, but suppressing such things is kind of oppressive”
Try as I may to be pretend offended, the pretend doing of pretend kids just doesn’t get me as pretend angry as perhaps it pretend should (for which I pretend apologize).
Somehow help my slow ass out here;
Why is Prok on the masthead? Is this Alpha humor or was there a once happy partnership that ended in a messy split where he left with half your shit and you have to mail him a check every month or they take your tax refund (not that I know anything about that shit)?
What commies. I was thanked for winning that bitch and given a certificate suitable for framing ( http://www.adric.us/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/coldwarrior.jpg ). I can’t possibly get back in the game without a cash advance and man girdle.
Eva Ryan
May 31st, 2009
Though educated and eloquent with her vocabulary, Prokofy has serious issues within her psyche. I’ve long dismissed her dissertations as her credibility is sorely lacking. Her evidence for most of her claims is nonexistent, and she is not above personal attacks when confronted.
Plus, I think she’s a dude.
Jumpman Lane
May 31st, 2009
we were gonna do somthing on the mega troll ms neva. herald beat us to it!
man, I really love weed
May 31st, 2009
Holy shit this is going to piss her off! HAHAHAHAHAHA! Damn, don’t make her kill herself now! You need to be careful and lash out a little bit at a time when you’re pissed at them but there’s no sense in doing serious damage. I honestly feel a little bad for her sometimes.
Gwyneth Llewelyn
May 31st, 2009
Interestingly, that recent post of Prokofy that you quote curiously reaches the conclusion that the thing attracting most people to Second Life is “the ability to control your environment” (as well as others).
Hmm.
The Masthead
May 31st, 2009
“Why is Prok on the masthead? Is this Alpha humor or was there a once happy partnership that ended in a messy split where he left with half your shit and you have to mail him a check every month or they take your tax refund (not that I know anything about that shit)?”
@Adric Prok used to write regularly for the Herald at one time. Pretty much it was Prokofy mirroring Secondthoughts into the Herald. Then she left in some huff about not being able to moderate comments on the Herald.
iirc, she tried to delete comments and pixeleen bitch slapped her over it. Partly why she rages against Pix lately.
Prokofy's Third Nipple
May 31st, 2009
Food for thought. Prokofy posted her reply:
http://secondthoughts.typepad.com/second_thoughts/2009/05/faqs-on-ravenglass-rentals.html
She doesn’t say one thing to refute any point here. Instead she attacks a few people, then does a puff piece about her commune. In that piece, communal living, the ability to manipulate neighbors’ land, and defaulting to open parcel access for all group members are suddenly bonuses. She also suggests that communal ownership is less prone to fraud than estates with private ownership, but she fails to explain how. How would she would have described these claims coming from others?
Not only does she fail to deny the claims, but she goes on to praise communes. What a curious response!
Vivanne Draper
May 31st, 2009
Was that really necessary? I mean Prok digs her own holes deep enough without you spending all that energy making up shit about her. And even if all you said was true, how is being a communist bad? What the hell is this 1950?
Adric Antfarm
Jun 1st, 2009
Thanks Gwyneth -
I try to keep up with these things, but I can’t for some reason.
I’ve chatted with both Pix and Prok. To say you have two strong personalities is an understandment. That they were ever able to exist in the same AO (area of operation – civilian bitches) is amazing really. They both seem like reasonably decent human beings however which makes this gang war all the more unfortunate.
To Mr. “what is wrong with being a communist” ; I suggest you pick up a history book. You can shuffle out of Texas and into Mexico anytime you damn well please (going back to whenever). Trying to do so from East Germany resulted in a bullet in the back and trying to go a different direction brought Soviet tanks into Prague back in ’68. I have a hard time rolling with shit you have to administer at gunpoint. However, you miss the point (shocker) of the author in that Prok is often towards the right side of things at the same time his land policies go the other way. I don’t agree with the author on that, but I see the point.
I need to own my tiny 1024m since I’m not dealing with an owner on my ass, but to each his own. If his/her (shit – I cannot keep up with this) residents signed on to his policy, it’s a little less communism since they can opt out.
Amanda
Jun 1st, 2009
The Standard ownership model of Land Management described in this article only works on private estates, not on mainland. Even if the reporter is ignorant of this basic information on SL how did it get by an editor?
This is sad
Jun 1st, 2009
This is a sad piece of character assasination clearly written under a false name.
Let’s see, you were (only) recently introduced to her blog were you? And yet her name has been on the masthead for how many years?
And what prompted you to go out and research how her rental business works differently (apparantly) differently to many others?
And why do you feel it neccessary to declare that her tenants have to be empty-headed? as in: “only the empty-minded and the ideologically compatible tenants remain.”
If ask ourselves “Who benenfits?” from this shallow piece, the obvious answer is someone that would benefit is a competing land baron.
So did you write this Intlibber?
Let me be annonymous
Jun 1st, 2009
@ Prokofy-
you seek to go against the civil, language itself has never had to be defined by law as “abusive” or “not abusive” up until the point where people like you have collectively worked against the idea of being civil, where we didn’t have to redefine “Free Speach” into various terms such as “hate speach” and acts of chaos such as yelling Fire in a crowded cinema. You have obviously taken it upon yourself to glorify your quest to redefine “Free speach”.. while at the same time playing the card as a huge distractor of freedoms to be taken away under Blanket terms.
I see a wind of change happening too, and I feel you use other people to feel that they too are defending “free speach” when you don’t do that at all.. nor do you protect children on line from reading your blog and them to think that its ok to use foul language when debating an important point, as it must be a part of the way people communicate these days.. am I right?
Even people who use “bad language” in song.. know its when and where and not so much about going after them for something.. but I get the impression you go after allot of things for reasons other than stated.. all in this guise of “freedom”.
I swore that I would never post here, but now I have.. OMG, now what next?
Oh hi!
Jun 1st, 2009
I don’t know about all the rest of this, but I have seen the character Prokofy’s avatar is based on. It’s a real person.
http://www.poetv.com/video.php?vid=3861
rudi dutschke
Jun 1st, 2009
@adric: “I suggest you pick up a history book.” no, you should have done so!
guess what: the prague spring in ’68 under alexander dubček stood for a political program of “socialism with a human face”. can you deal with the term “socialism”???
there are so many perceptions around, it’s senseless to compare everything leftwinged with authoritarian stalinism. this is your and of course prok’s big mistake. well, prok is kinda fomenting pathological leftwing-basher. he detests everything progressive or connected with progressive attitudes using the means of his so called experience back in the former ussr. thought-terminating cliché.
again: stalinism = communism is a false perception.
Angry
Jun 1st, 2009
This post made me angry. It’s ridiculously inaccurate. Insanely, recklessly, fatally so. It’s just going to misinform everyone who reads it. They’re going to walk away with a wrong impression, and they’re going to spread it.
I mean of course that it’s Linden Lab. Singular. Not Labs.
Otherwise spot on.
Thanks
Jun 1st, 2009
Thanks for that defense of communism, Rudi. That changes everything. Seizure of personal property, ceasing personal freedoms, and vanishing ideological adversaries are no longer frightening. You win the Prokofy Medal of Valour.
Marx and Engels. Not just for figure skating anymore.
ichabod Antfarm
Jun 1st, 2009
Yes, Rudi, communism is very nice and smells like warm history books but, if you want to sound smart, don’t use the expression, “false perception”. It’s far more *intellectual* to talk about “false consciousness”. Oh boy, all the other kids in your study group will think you’re groovy.
/me waves to AlterEgoTrip (free as in “speach”) Svenska.
Liberty Prime
Jun 1st, 2009
DeaAtH Is a PReffeERAble ALteRNATive to COMMUNISM.
rudi dutschke
Jun 1st, 2009
oh, thank you all, indeed. i do really appreciate your comments!
silly as i am i’ve totaly misinterpreted the situation.
for clarification:
1.) prok is not a flaming right-wing temper
2.) it’s me, the petty bourgeois, cause i do make a difference between class consciousness and perception
3.) absurd, as an european and a german i never understood history
moses
Jun 1st, 2009
i never meet prokofy neva before but i just know his articles. and they are very very long. it would be fun to play durak with him. because i know i will win.
ichabod Antfarm
Jun 1st, 2009
You are right on one score, Rudi, Prok *is not* a right winger. Just because a person isn’t strangulated by your “gee-whiz I wish I wasn’t born after Baader-Meinhof” mentality, that doesn’t make them a right winger!
Gee Hova
Jun 1st, 2009
Is Adric Antfarm capable of posting on a thread without a link to his dumb blog?
Please Herald editors, stop letting this loser get links to his blog from the Herald. It just bugs me.
Comrade Break-Dancing Stalin, Crusher of The Martian Hordes
Jun 1st, 2009
Comrade Neva was purged from workers’ collective for discourse that was insufficiently collectivist and using “the” and “a” and “an” in writing, sure sign of being a mole in pay of Western enemies of socialist progress! One must adhere to dialectical-materialist standards with which smiling workers, singing patriotic songs of tractor-factory and collective-farm, march in lockstep toward shining future in grease-stained coveralls and rough-spun woolens, finer than any silken Chanel frock from decadent French sweatshop-oppressors!
You mock us, running dogs of fake playground inside computing-boxes made by clever little fingers of Asian comrades…you do not see that cabal of Linden stooges are actually subversive cadre implanted to overturn late-capitalist rot in exchange for epoch of progress and world socialism!
Haha! I do great happy-dance upon graves of plutocrats and their lapdogs! Join us or be tossed into dustbin of history! You have nothing to lose but your free time!
Hmmmm…Comrade Stalin thinks he might have “the” in there somewhere! BAH! Onward, Red Army and hordes of T-34 tanks! Today, Berlin! Tomorrow, your ISP!
kellie ryba
Jun 1st, 2009
Communism ain’t perfect. Capitalism ain’t perfect. Socialism ain’t perfect and even the Churches ain’t perfect. They all get corrupt and screw the people they are supposed to serve because in all cases greedy little pinheads get in there and use the power that people give to these institutions to better their own causes and fatten their own wallets. But whatcha gonna do?
So far, capitalism hasn’t worked very well on its own without significant infusions from socialism. Communism as enacted by the Soviets became Stalinism which was brutal, but can’t really be called “Communism” because it was to Marx and Engels what fish is to bicycle. So enough with the “Communism is bad” vs “Capitalism is good” arguments unless you’re prepared to evict idiots like Adric Antfarm and clearly define your terms.
But all of that is beside the point.
I really have to agree with Carfagio Guttaluno. The whole point of this article looks to attack a rival blogger. True, Prok used to be part of the Herald Team, and true, heckling Prok is a Herald reader favorite pastime, but increasingly the Herald seems to be writing about metaplace (boring) and Prok (which means she wins). How about getting some new writers and assigning some stories?
For example….
WTF is the deal with Entropia or whatever that place is called? You know you earn money there by getting the sweat off of animals? How about There and Kaneva? Are they still around? If you’re becoming a blog that covers virtual worlds, not just SL, let’s hear about them. If you’re going to focus on SL, the other day I saw an avie pull a pretty cool wardrobe thingy from their inventory and show off all their clothes at once…how about a weekly column on new SL gadgets? How about a weekly review of a club or a place of interest? I don’t really need another article by a noob who just discovered that most SL women are guys, including him.
I know you’ve brought Tenshi and Jessica Holyoke back once in a while, and you have Pappi Enoch (really? does anyone think the Clampets are still funny?), but how about getting some of the old gang back together for a month or two of good articles to right this ship? Eloise Pasteur, Walker, Jimbo Quality, Gideon Television, Justine Babii, and Onder Skall all worked for this paper. You had some great writers doing very enjoyable things and I still see some of them in-world from time to time. Bring them back, get some new writers, let’s let Prok wither on the vine, because as is, as this article illustrates, you’re just sending her new readers.
patriotic nevas
Jun 1st, 2009
I heard that old maid Prokofy has been banned from the LL Forums, and has just recently been banned from the LL JIRA system and has been told that they will be booted out of SL for good if they post there again. That person sounds like nothing but trouble to me. There may be readers out there who will feel a little bit better seeing her get some recompense.
Liberty Prime
Jun 1st, 2009
COMMENCING TACTICAL ASSESSMENT: COMMUNIST THREAT DETECTED
COMMUNISM IS THE VERY DEFINITION OF FAILURE.
DEATH IS A PREFERABLE ALTERNATIVE TO COMMUNISM.
COMMUNISTS DETECTED ON AMERICAN SOIL. LETHAL FORCE ENGAGED.
Adric Antfarm
Jun 1st, 2009
@ ichabod Antfarm
I would kiss you were it not incest.
Quit feeding the attention whore. It only makes him come back.
Adric Antfarm
Jun 1st, 2009
@ Comrade Break-Dancing Stalin, Crusher of The Martian Hordes
Your points are on target sir.
Adric is a major idiot for sure, there is no perfect system – or we have yet to find it since capitalism has a sad stretch between the rich and very poor and communism I’ve covered, the personal attacks are getting a bit much when RL pictures come into play, and wait– evict?
Okay fine, I agree. What every comment area needs is a good ban of opinion that your stupid ass doesn’t agree with. Let me make the calls.
peeeg
Jun 1st, 2009
Communism is like the christian conception of heaven but without a God.
“They all get corrupt and screw the people they are supposed to serve because in all cases greedy little pinheads get in there and use the power that people give to these institutions to better their own causes and fatten their own wallets. But whatcha gonna do?” Capitalism is the only one that explicitly enables this. Socialism and communism attempt solutions to this problem.
p.s. american capitalist peeeg make me sick to my stomach.
Let me be annonymous
Jun 2nd, 2009
All you cold war spies need to really tell us all what you are actually doing in SL anyway? Haven’t you lot got nothing better to do with your time than play a “game”.. or is there something MORE to it than that?
kellie ryba
Jun 2nd, 2009
@adric
You really ARE retarded! How cute! The person who posts a comment gets their name UNDER the comment, so I think you just replied to my comment but addressed to Comrade Break-Dancing Stalin, Crusher of The Martian Hordes. At least I think that’s what you did, I’m not sure, because your writing is so horribly disconnected.
What are you talking about with the RL pics?
@peeeg
Yes, those worked so well under Soviet communism.
Comrade Break-Dancing Stalin, Crusher of The Martian Hordes
Jun 2nd, 2009
“so I think you just replied to my comment but addressed to Comrade Break-Dancing Stalin, Crusher of The Martian Hordes.”
HAHA! ALL COMMENTS refer to Comrade Break-Dancing Stalin, Crusher of Martian Hordes!
(Even if capitalist “the” snuck in first time–remnant of boyhood squandered in stupid seminary instead of deflowering Georgian girls. BAH! Even Comrade Stalin makes little slips).
Comrade Stalin is pole-star for world socialist revolution! He is lean, mean, Red-dancing machine! He commands you to DANCE!
Now join march leading to hegemony of proletariat in final victory against bourgeoisie!
Yevgeni, Boy Revolutionist (and faithful dog, Trotski)
Jun 2nd, 2009
All hail the five-story tall Colossus of World Socialism! None may withstand his commands to BOOGIE DOWN!
Emperor Norton Hears a Who?
Jun 2nd, 2009
Communism is foolish. Just do what we Americans do; off-shore all our jobs to the Chinese (who are communists but never mind that) and borrow a BIG PILE of money from the Chinese (and never mind they are commies) to buy all the cheap crap the Chinese are making(and ignore they are communists). When you run out of money, BORROW some more! That’s how you run an economy.
Yep, we really showed those commies whose the biggest group of retards in world history, didn’t we Adric Antfarm?
Luke Termagant
Jun 2nd, 2009
First of all – Prokofy Neva is female and that by my opinion simply sufficiently explains the constant anger and obssesive need to get attention at any cost.
I agree with Matt Cvetic that SL has been already lost to the Reds (virtual communists as I say). Total lack of respect for private ownership, constant restrictions and re-education of “masses” (us) is the name of the game now.
Proof of love relationship of Linden Lab with communism can be found on the map of Ravenglass sim – there is a large communist symbol which Lindens refuse to remove, although I have been asking for it many times. Why Linden Lab refuse to remove a symbol of totality, oppresion and death of dozens of millions people? Answer is simple – they have no problem with communist ideology. Most of Western intellectuals who have never been interogated by a communist secret police do not have. I do. I exactly now this sort of people.
Just imagine to place swastika symbol over your piece of land. Your account would be deleted the within minutes for breaching “community standards”. And the first who would cry would be our Zionist lover Prokofy Neva. Of course, she has no problem with communist symbolics. No virtual communist does.
whitehouse commission on unamerican activities
Jun 3rd, 2009
I just went and pulled Ravenglass up on the Map in SL, and sure enough right in the middle of that sim is a GIANT RED SQUARE with a big yellow Hammer and Sickle in it. Thats like a giant “Come Grief Me” calling card target. Who the hell would put up something like that? You are right, if that was a WWII Swatsticker LL would kick them out or make them take it down one or the other.
kmeisthax
Jun 3rd, 2009
My first encounter – and, thankfully, only encounter – with Proko was at that way way way way old iCommons summit which she wrote here: http://www.secondlifeherald.com/slh/2007/06/by_prokofy_neva.html
I didn’t discover it until a few months later when I heard of this dunghole of a blog, and noticed that she mentioned a comment I had made, a sarcastic quip in response to her questioning us about having a picture of a guy throwing a Molotov cocktail. I had a faint inkling that she was insane back then, so I sarcastically quipped “Yeah we’re going to blow up Microsoft over Vista” and she actually took the time to mention that in her post.
Later on, after joining Digg, and from there being infected with the Ron Paultard Bug (a distinction I proudly wear), I come to find that Proko is probably the most ideologically confused (read: retarded) individual that ever commented on this site. I can neither place her as left-wing, right-wing, or Libertarian-minded. I would strike her as crypto-Authoritarian; changing her views whenever it suits her because she has no view other than ‘I am right’.
Proko whines about LL creating too many sims, essentially ‘devaluing’ SL land and hurting big business. Fair enough, free-market capitalism is good and all.
Then, she whines about people having the freedom to choose whether or not their items can be copied. Not that she’s against DRM or copyright law – just the opposite, mind you. She doesn’t WANT people to make cheaper goods, or compete. She wants things to be expensive, completely missing the point of the price system as a method to communicate scarcity. So now she’s against free-market capitalism.
She whines a lot about griefers as if they’re going to destroy SL. Fair enough, although griefers are much less harmless, and much more fun than fashionistas in my opinion. But then she starts to red-bait; and the original article noted she does this alot to everyone. But she isn’t a supporter of capitalism either. The best I could peg her is a supporter of crony corporatism, even though I highly doubt she would benefit from such a system.
Even though I am not capable of psychological analysis, I would surmise that her fear of communism from childhood has engendered within her an idea of capitalism being ‘not communism’ and communism being ‘anything that doesn’t cost money’. Even though in many cases lower or no prices is the end result of a free market economy. I.E. in a copyrightless system, knowledge shouldn’t cost much more than the amount of money required to transmit it because knowledge unlike other goods isn’t scarce. There’s plenty of knowledge to go around, and giving it up doesn’t cause you to lose that knowledge. But to Prokofy, this is the ultimate evil. Apparently, communism to her is merely things being free of cost. Just having things being free causes governments to start seizing property, communalizing crops, and murdering dissenters.
That’s enough for Prokofy the Character, a very fictional man created by a very obvious troll. Prokofy is most obviously a troll, pure and simple. On 4chan she’d be banned and any words she used particularly (if she had invented any) wordfiltered into “I AM GAY” or something like that after they became memes or something.
In short, please don’t feed the trolls.
Prokofy Neva
Jun 3rd, 2009
There is nothing that angers and vexes extremists more than a system that is not extreme — Lenin could get more exasperated at social democrats, more liberal than his socialism/communism, than he would monarchists and fascists.
That’s why the Herald alt hijacking the name of a real historical figure can become so incensed at my civil and democratic rentals community with a few simple laws, that avoid the oppressive extremes of other options in SL.
Of course you avoid the bad experience of island frauds when you have the option to pay only a week ahead, *and get a refund*, duh. That’s how mainland rentals work in most cases — refund with a small cancellation fee.
As for Termagant, who extorted everyone on the grid with his ugly ad farms until LL put him out of business, he is perpetrating misinformation here.
The ugly red hammer & sickle perched over the sim of Ravenglass — a symbol of the massacre of millions — is not on my land. I would never host such an abomination.
The symbol is on the land of Scott Detritus, who is a Gorean weapons dealer, member of Woodbury, and griefer, and the object was created by him to harass me and my tenants.
For other facts refuting the numerous ignorant errors and points of bias in this article, see my blog. My group rentals is exactly the same as hundreds of other mainland rentals businesses that aren’t attacked here. Most people don’t go after their neighbours’ land in a group, because there are checks against such behavior (eviction, exposure). In the five years I’ve run this business, I’ve had the sort of nasty terror-forming that the b/tards and Woodbury do disguised as tenants exactly twice. Griefing is overreported on the Herald — it’s not the center of gravity, and there are easy tools to dismiss the view, the prims, and the avatars.
The Lindens ought to view the Soviet symbol with the same repugnance that they view Nazi insignia, but they are like all Western liberals in that regard, and view communism as merely a good idea that was never implemented properly. They aim to fix that of course.
BTW, the Herald should cease printing information about me and my business that it knows to be false, and which harm me materially. What’s good enough for the Electric Sheep Company should be good enough for me.
Confused
Jun 3rd, 2009
Prokofy – your post makes me more confused.
Why did you choose the Ravenglass sim as a base for your business if it had a big Soviet symbol in it?
The Grown Ups
Jun 3rd, 2009
@Prokofy Neva said
BTW, the Herald should cease printing information about me and my business that it knows to be false, and which harm me materially. What’s good enough for the Electric Sheep Company should be good enough for me.
I smell an injunction and then damages suit on the horizon. Or possibly that’s just someone’s feet.
Governor Linden
Jun 3rd, 2009
I think if I saw a sim with a Soviet symbol in it, I wouldn’t build my business there. I would buy land somewhere else. If you had left the land alone instead of buying it (was it cheaper because of that? is that all your principles are worth to you?) then people might have listened when you compared it to a swastika.
But I bet you wouldn’t have built a business around a parcel with a swastika in it. So who’s the hypocrite now?
Prokofy Neva
Jun 3rd, 2009
Um, “Governor Linden,” don’t be an ass. I bought the sim Ravenglass whole on the auction in December 2004. I was there first. I sold some of the parcels to make a community and rented out the rest.
These griefers came years later. Oldbies who had originally bought in Ravenglass when it was partly sold, who lived quietly for a long period, were not happy with my criticism of their privileges on the forums, so they handed the parcels off to griefers, one of whom put up the hammer and sickle. They located their business on a sim largely owned by me, not visa versa.
Governor Linden
Jun 3rd, 2009
So you’re saying you gave the land to someone to build a hammer and sickle because people made you angry in the forums. You feel you’re not responsible because you didn’t build the actual prims. You let someone else do it, and then you built a showcase around them.
grave warning
Jun 3rd, 2009
So, the big Commie symbol in Ravenglass is a warning then, a service to unsuspecting travellers, a message that they are entering Moscow. Danger…
Luke Termagant
Jun 3rd, 2009
I seriously doubt that Neva ever asked Lindens to remove Soviet symbol from Ravenglass sim. I am sure her inner child somehow likes it.
If you want to enjoy my ocassional effort to make SL virtual communism free, you can also wake Linden Lab politbyro up and ask them to remove this symbol of suffer and death of millions from the sim.
I am sure they will. Not because they have any problem with it ideologically but because they will decide to avoid negative publicity and possible legal implications.
Money talks and history repeats itself.
IntLibber Brautigan
Jun 3rd, 2009
Comrade Pfokofy always insists on twisting up her newspeak and her Ingsoc double plus goodness to sound like she isn’t what she is. But everybody knows that what seems to be opposites really, when properly spoken in newspeak, is shown to be the same. Slavery is Freedom, Mainland is Low Lag, Speech is Grief.
Prok, YOU are the biggest performance art piece in SL.
Robert
Jun 4th, 2009
@ Thanks…”Seizure of personal property, ceasing personal freedoms, and vanishing ideological adversaries are no longer frightening.”….I had to laugh when I read this…let’s see now, does this describe life under Stalin or life under Bush?
But Antfarm whether you like it or not there is plenty of Socialism in America right now…and its increasing significantly during this recession because capitalists have made such an incredible mess of some of the largest and most important industries in the country. Imo a blind and somewhat patriotic love of capitalism is kind of inappropriate in these times, given the current situation, so maybe you should consider toning the rhetoric down a notch…but then, as with your buddy Rush, I suppose thats not possible is it?