It Has to Be Said: It Has to Be Said
by Jessica Holyoke on 12/02/10 at 7:17 am
by Jessica Holyoke
Over the months that I have written editorials in the Herald, I have typically labelled the Op/Ed. Traditionally, Op/Ed means Opposing Editorial. Someone writes something in opposition to the stated views of the Editorial Board. However, the Herald does not use an Editorial Board to provide a view point to the community, such as endorsing candidates.
At the same time, I do news reporting. And just like Fox News, I am the hottie that lets the news go down so smooth. And there has to be a way to differentiate my news reporting from my editorializing. Therefore, It Has to Be Said is a way to set off my news and my editorializing for ease and convenience. And let me start off with this;
It has to be said that as we are developing as a community, we also have to be developing community mores.
One thing I have noticed is that people go back and forth between how they address people. The best example is when you find out that the resident you know and love is of the opposite gender. Suddenly, every one changes their pronouns. And sometimes that is appropriate when you are talking about a real life law suit and the people involved will not be operating under their avatar names.
But at the same time, Frank Oz is Miss Piggy. Therefore, I win. Also, we still call Miss Piggy a her. We see the womanhood of Miss Piggy and do not think of her as a guy with his arm above his head. On a related note, the accepted etiquette for dealing with a real life trans person is to use the pronoun that they are presenting.
And I believe that same etiquette should translate back over to Second Life. In order to maintain that second life, we should use the presentation as a determination for gender. Looks like a guy, its a he. Looks like a woman, its a woman. Looks like a fuzzy little creature from Andromeda, its an it. And taking that to a higher level of referring to people by Second Life names within the same context does not call for distinguishing punctuation, but referring to them outside of SL does, Jessica Holyoke on a website like this, 'Jessica Holyoke' on a website like NPR.
What is important is that we are able to clearly communicate with each other as our community grows, and probably grows more contentious.
Senban Babii
Feb 12th, 2010
Excellent piece Ms Holyoke. I’m genuinely impressed and pleased that you wrote this. I shall buy you cake if we ever meet
It’s like I said recently elsewhere; it doesn’t matter who Pix is behind the keyboard. Pix remains female and “she/her etc” remains correct. It doesn’t matter whether she’s Mark McCahill or Bender Bending Rodriguez behind that keyboard, she has always been and remains Pix and frankly she’s earned it
Admittedly, I would have been more impressed if it *had* been Bender behind Pix! 8D
Again, great piece
fnc
Feb 12th, 2010
Back in the 70s when I used to do page 3 layout on a newspaper, it was common knowledge that Op/Ed meant Opinion/Editorial. I bet most reporters at FNC know that… Other than that I have no idea what you are talking about, but it must be commie in nature if you invoke NPR.
Ari Blackthorne
Feb 12th, 2010
Before I even finish reading the article… I must respond to this:
” Traditionally, Op/Ed means Opposing Editorial”
In which country? LOL
All the newspapers I used to work for referred to Op/Ed as OPPOSITE EDITORIAL PAGE (As in the paper Editor’s column – meaning the opposite page, most often by a guest writer.) If this is what you meant, fair enough. But you phrased it as “opposing editorial” as in to write a “rebuttal”.
Huh, funny.
Bob
Feb 12th, 2010
@fnc
From Encarta:
op-ed [ op éd ] (plural op-eds)
noun
Definition:
1. page opposite editorial page: a newspaper page, usually opposite the editorial page, that features signed articles expressing personal opinions ( often used before a noun )
2. article in op-ed section: an article expressing a personal viewpoint written for the op-ed section of a newspaper
[Shortening of opposite editorial (page)]
From Merriam-Webster:
Main Entry: op–ed
Pronunciation: \ˈäp-ˈed\
Function: noun
Usage: often capitalized O&E often attributive
Etymology: short for opposite editorial
Date: 1970
: a page of special features usually opposite the editorial page of a newspaper; also : a feature on such a page
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -
Looks like your common knowledge was a bit too common.
Darien Caldwell
Feb 12th, 2010
“And just like Fox News, I am the hottie that lets the news go down so smooth.”
Well, except that now everyone knows you’re not a hottie, you’re a dude.
Of course you do realize you’re now agreeing with the point of view that Prokfy has been promoting for years now, don’t you? I so love Irony.
But yes, I do agree with your new-found wisdom.
JustMe
Feb 12th, 2010
And thus the SL SheMales would be called “(s)he” or “(s)her” or “(s)him” , right ?
Furries could be “shefurs” and “hefurs”.
Any other possibilities ?
We’d be extending the English language. I wonder if any of these usages would ever make the Oxford Dictionary?
Senban Babii
Feb 12th, 2010
@Darien Caldwell
“Well, except that now everyone knows you’re not a hottie, you’re a dude.
”
Wait, I’m confused now. Those words were written by Jessica Holyoke. Pixeleen Mistral is the one who recently outed herself and admitted to being a male in meatlife. Either you’re mixing the two up or I missed something here (which is perfectly possible 8D)
BamBam
Feb 12th, 2010
Get over it… She’s a he. Move on.
Give me some good news like… “Sex beds hold Lindens hostage over pay cuts!” or “Linden ran over by copybot motorcycle gang!” or “SL Hacked by Lesbian Grandmas in High Heels!”
;p~
Darien Caldwell
Feb 12th, 2010
Ah you’re right, I am mixing up the two. Sorry about that.
Sylauxe Zhao
Feb 12th, 2010
I just assume everyone who pretends to be a girl in Sl is a dude. Or a fat woman in her mid-40s or a fat 18 year old girl who has abandonment/daddy issues and seeks shallow gratification from sad, lonely nerds.
…
Sometimes I love this game :B
corona anatine
Feb 12th, 2010
I have found with Avatars it is best never to assume anything
besides fake of either sex are easy to spot
they act and talk like their true gender
whatever the avatar looks like
a wise person remains wise in SL
the wisdom challenged remain so in SL too
Kanomi Pikajuna
Feb 12th, 2010
What in God’s name are you talking about? “Op/Ed” means Opinions/Editorial section of the newspaper. But this sentence: “Over the months that I have written editorials in the Herald, I have typically labelled the Op/Ed.” not only has a misspelling (“labelled”), it is missing a crucial word: You have been labeled Op/Ed? You have avoided being labeled Op/Ed? You have typically labeled other people’s pieces op/ed? What are you trying to say?
The rest of this gibberish just breaks down into random statements with unexpected italicization. I realize that this is business as usual at the Alphaville Herald — incoherent rambling punctuated by random stylistic button pushes (bold! Underline! italicize!) is de rigeur — but, “Therefore I win”? That just sounds like a 12 year old science nerd blowing milk through his nose, giggling with glee after his first successful ad hominem attack.
You go on: “What is important is that we are able to clearly communicate with each other as our community grows.” Anime jaw-drop.
OK, I think I get it now. You’re a parody of an Op/Ed writer, a satire of yourself. You’re a send-up of Second Life sentiment, deliberately designed for dumkopfness, matriculated on a medium as intrinsically moronic as itself.
Jessica Holyoke
Feb 13th, 2010
Re: Op/Ed.
Other readers and friends of mine told me that Op/Ed was Opposing Editorial. I like ‘It Has To Be Said’ as a set off for my editorials. Especially as this is published on a scrolling web page. There is no opinion section.
@Kanomi
I must have missed the misspelling, either through spell check or that red underline that shows up when I say frak.
And honestly, I giggle, a lot, whenever I use the full line “Frank Oz is Miss Piggy. Therefore, I win.” “Therefore, I win” just alone is immature sounding. But when you add it to Frank Oz is Miss Piggy, then you have absurdist humor.
Sigmund Leominster
Feb 14th, 2010
In any interaction with anyone (or any-thing) in the Second Life world of smoke and mirrors, I find it best not to bother whether your interlocutor is male, female, transsexual, transgendered, or a small fuzzy Andromedan. The word “truth” isn’t very useful in the virtual circus and “verisimilitude” is much better. I am certain than I am a guy but that’s the only certainty I can offer. You, dear reader, are free to assume anything about my real life identity because it’s hard for me to actually deliver any verifiable proof short of sending you my address and asking you over to meet the family. There are a handful of folks with whom I feel pretty comfortable in this pixelated wonderland and that gives me enough psychological grounding to avoid paranoia and terminal mistrust.
As for the nugatory discussion on the meaning of “Op-Ed,” I’m happy to accept J.W. Barrett’s 1931 definition of it stemming from “a distinctive ‘opposite editorial page’ consisting of two ‘columnists,’” that then, by extension, by 1970 became identified as being so called because “it runs opposite a newspaper’s editorial page,” both physically and metaphorically. Of course, as the Herald has almost no editorial stance to speak of – short of hating anything to do with Linden Lab – then, as Jessica (or Jess, who knows and who cares?) points out, the notion of a piece being an “opposing editorial” becomes moot, if not simply logically untenable. I’d be happy simply calling it a “here’s-my horn-and-the-toot-it-makes” column.
Profoutlandish.blogspot.com
Feb 16th, 2010
Re: “And taking that to a higher level of referring to people by Second Life names within the same context does not call for distinguishing punctuation, but referring to them outside of SL does, Jessica Holyoke on a website like this, ‘Jessica Holyoke’ on a website like NPR.”
Yet we don’t do the same for Miss Piggy, Optimus Prime or Sherlock Homes.
Kanomi
Feb 18th, 2010
“And honestly, I giggle, a lot, whenever I use the full line ‘Frank Oz is Miss Piggy. Therefore, I win.’ ‘Therefore, I win’ just alone is immature sounding. But when you add it to Frank Oz is Miss Piggy, then you have absurdist humor.”
I don’t see how you giggling at your own jokes is humorous, absurdist or otherwise. Even Absurdism had basic standards, which you have failed to achieve: which is to make people interested and amused in your story.
Prof. Archie Lukas
Feb 23rd, 2010
OP/ED = Operational Editor
RL journo experience.
He’s the guy that hires the teaboys, pays expenses and occasionally sees a story
making political decisions on whether to screw the politicians, depending on whether he has ahd a good freebie lunch from the right (or left) party.
He (always a man) hassles the working staff who really write and edit the paper occasionally to exert his power and write up reports to the Managing editor, who forwards them to the Executive Editor, who uses them to scratch his or her arse.
Thats the way Real paper/magazine run; trust me.
Archie
Chief Photographer