Editorial: Ashley?s Stroke of Genius
by Alphaville Herald on 22/07/04 at 5:46 pm
While there is much gnashing of teeth about this over on The Alphaville Gazette, the Second Life Herald can only but praise Ashley Richardson for enlisting Eve and Mr. President Bradley (along with anisette) as judges in the finals of her recent beauty contest. Although both Eve (formerly many of the Merrill sisters, Voleur, and Evangeline) and Mr. President Bradley have long records as scammers, the lesson of TSO is clearly that endless bannings, taggings, and verbal abuse are not effective weapons against scamming. Her critics claim that her enlistment of scammers in the contest is inconsistent with her election campaigning against scammers, but we note that she did not campaign against scammers, but rather against scamming. There is an important difference. Engaging sims on the margins in more mainstream events can only be good. Plus, we think that Eve is a particularly inspired choice as a judge in a beauty pageant. Plus, it was a beauty contest for sims! Get a grip, people.
Ian
Jul 22nd, 2004
“did not campaign against scammers, but rather against scamming. There is an important difference.”
Yes there is a difference, however let me give you another example. Terrorism and Terrorist. Terrorism, is the act of commiting some type of crime against people that results in death. Terrorist, is a person who commits terrorism. A terrorist is an evil people who supports such an act. Eve is a scammer, who encourages and supports scamming. Let’s face the facts here. Ashley is against scamming, but to be against scamming you can’t say, It’s okay for Eve to scam, but not okay for Celestie. Also, it was noted later that Eve donated 100,000 to Ashley, with money scammed from innocent sims. Ashley, by accepting this, in some way is a scammer.
Tony Montana
Jul 22nd, 2004
That very true Ian it like ashley don’t like scamming but it ok for scammers to give her money from scammed sims.So Ian your right in some way Ashley for accepting is greedy and a scammer
Urizenus
Jul 22nd, 2004
Hmmm, I have issues with the analogy between tso scammers and terrorists that, you know, kill thousands of innocent people. Some perspective please? But running with the analogy anyway, I think that if tomorrow OBL decides that he wants to take time out from his ususal activities, leave his cave, and start judging beauty pagents, well that would be good news. And if he wanted to give his money to the pagent organizers, I guess that would be even better news.
Ian
Jul 22nd, 2004
Terrorism, Terrorist, has nothing to do with Scamming, and scammers, whatsoever. But I was comparing the doer, to the action. It would be ironic, if the US, invited OBL to judge the Mrs. America contest. And OBL donating the $1,000,000 prize.
Mafioso
Jul 23rd, 2004
I dont see genius, I see naive hypocrisy.
Urizenus
Jul 23rd, 2004
well I concede that ‘genius’ is strong, but I still think it’s a really good idea. Hating has yet to stop a scammer.
Ashley Richardson
Jul 23rd, 2004
Ian,
Eve did NOT donate any money for the pageant.
Ashley Richardson
Jul 23rd, 2004
Thank you Uri for getting the big picture.
Zerg
Jul 23rd, 2004
Hating and banning and shunning are what scammers deserve not a giddy “lets all be pals”. We need to find better ways to hate them and attack them back…not “if you cant beat em let them join us”. Ashley just made my mental friend of scammers list. How many potential paying TSO customers have been driven to ToonTown by that batch of sociopaths? They need a good dope smack or 10 not this.
Ian
Jul 23rd, 2004
The stroke of genius, I think is, these people are only doing what they do because of people going over and ‘beating them up’, making them enemies (which encourages them), but Ashley decided to play nice with them. But professor, I don’t think ashley knew this, or tried this, even at the sub conscious state. She is a proven attention whore. I think we all know she just did this, for people to come, and probably complained, and made Eve an enemy at the pageant. Ashley what is the big picture? Is it something, that someone explains, but when it goes to your side, it is convenientto say “Thank you”. Oh please.
urizenus
Jul 23rd, 2004
An attention whore in alphaville? Gosh, imagine that! Seriously Ian, since we can’t look into Ashley’s mind and judge her motives, let’s just judge the decision on whether it was a good one. I say that it was.
And Zerg, I don’t see how “better ways of hating” and dope smacking are going to accomplish anything except to give you and other haters a nice fun meta-game to play, and thereby give the griefers a nice fun meta-meta-game to play.
Hating is a loozers game. Give it up.
Ian
Jul 23rd, 2004
I am not an attention whore, I just put up those hoods for business, and one for pleasure. I Know I could make it, and plus it got rid of some shitty hood, that I won’t say. Plus its gone by now. But Urizenus, *I know you are trying to be a nice adult*, but face the music; She is an attention whore. It’s like inviting mr-president to your house, you know it will be filled up in 5 minutes. (we tried this the other night, haha)
David
Jul 23rd, 2004
“I think that if tomorrow OBL decides that he wants to take time out from his ususal activities, leave his cave, and start judging beauty pagents, well that would be good news.”
Hehe.
Now that I’m done chuckling over that…
Yes, it is true that “beating up the scammers” is not our best viable option of eliminating them. However, what good does it do to have them running around hosting major events like a celebrity? Heck, we might as well have a parade for them.
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. These people want ATTENTION. By beating them up or by letting them host a beauty pagent, we’re giving them exactly what they want. If I were 15, and wanted to think of a way I could be a star in an MMORPG and saw other scammers in the spotlight, I think I would try to be one too!
Ian
Jul 23rd, 2004
thank you david;
and urizenus; hating is a losers game, you should know, you playa hater
…….but by using them in [quote]“spotlight”[/unquote] events; that just encourages them
Dante Dracos
Jul 23rd, 2004
It’s been discussed many times in and out of game and this just proves even more that Uri has a big crush on Ashley.
urizenus
Jul 23rd, 2004
David, if it is true that these people “want ATTENTION” I would rather they get it by judging virtual beauty pagents than by some new racist scam house or newbie humiliation scheme. Lots of us need attention. Maybe all of us. Let’s just make sure we hand it out when poeple do positive things rather than when they do negative things.
Dante, you are one twisted dude, lol.
Ian
Jul 23rd, 2004
oh he gets to talk about poedophila and i dont :/
David
Jul 23rd, 2004
Uri,
Their participation wasn’t positive. I wasn’t there, but Ian reported that the show had been considered rigged by at least one contestant. Also: “After the winner was announced, one of the judges, Eve, said ‘WHAT I DIDN’T VOTE FOR HER TO WIN’.”
So, 1) The event did not do the community justice.
2) The event was not fair for those participating, when those participating assumed it would be.
3) Their participation as judges was based on their “celebrity” status as scammers.
So yes Uri, by their participation as judges, these scammers made a potentially positive event a negative experience for those involved. Thus, they received undue attention for a “negative thing.”
urizenus
Jul 23rd, 2004
Yes, well as you may recall we heard the same complaints about the last round of the contest too. Oddly enough, they probably had no friends in the pool and hence had no favorites, and hence were more objective judges than the ususal suspects.
Urizenus
Jul 23rd, 2004
Well, you folks that were in a moral outrage when you thought (incorrectly) that Eve had given 100K to the pagent, what are you going to say now that we are informed that Pres. Bradley gave 7 million and an afghan to the AVG?
RB
Jul 23rd, 2004
Nothing at all Uri. It’s normal for crooks to work with politicians. Why should TSO be different from RL? =D
- RB
Ian
Jul 23rd, 2004
Urizenus; I would like to see proof of that and where the afghan is (or if it has been sold). However, I don’t really support the AVG; but if I really did, I would be outraged. Atleast these words should have came from Mr-President.
Fans II
Jul 24th, 2004
I say… We send the union after AVG! But first.. making the ma-whatever it is called for Uri!
urizenus
Jul 24th, 2004
manifesto
Nataleigh
Jul 24th, 2004
Actually one of the scammer judges did contribute 100k of scammed money to the contest. Ashley would only let Mr. President Bradley be a judge if he would contribute money to the contest. Ashley messaged me and told me about it, I have the transcripts if you need proof. Furthermore, there was a series of inaccuracies in the judging. As well as the fact that the judges were making negative comments that had nothing to do with the contest itself. Just ask Charlize, she got 1st runner up and she commented on what a joke the whole thing was at the Alphaville gazette boards. I think if you are going to give one side of this story, you need to give the other too. If you would have been there, you would have seen what a joke it was.
urizenus
Jul 24th, 2004
erm, it was a beauty pagent for sims. Sorry, I just don’t see the gravity in this event, and I’m not sure what it would mean to “turn it into” a joke. It would be different if there was some custom content involved, but what the contestants did was to select a head from about 100 options, a body from about the same number of options, and pick up some clothing from even fewer options. Am I missing something here?
Ian
Jul 24th, 2004
urizenus; it is the principal of the subject. nataleigh has already made it clear that she is not complaining that she lost, because it is “something stupid taht she doesnt care about in RL”… it is just the fact that someone who cries anti scammer and then has some at their house. urizenus; i know you are just trying to defend your scamming friend, but come on, see the light
urizenus
Jul 24th, 2004
Is that so.
Nataleigh: “Furthermore, there was a series of inaccuracies in the judging.”
Ian
Jul 24th, 2004
what are you trying to say
Cocoanut
Jul 24th, 2004
Having won a couple of in-game beauty contests myself, Uri, long, long ago, I can tell you there there actually are ways to differentiate among the contestants. For example: The gown they choose, how professionaly they move, the emotes they use, what talent they show (if there’s a talent portion), and their answers to the judges’ questions. Not to mention just being there, cooperating, and being pleasant.
Believe it or not, a beauty contest really is something that can be done along legitimate lines. Or on less traditional lines – my favorite beauty contest of all time was one won by a guy in a diaper.
coco
P.S. If scammers’ money makes it back into legit society, via donations to beauty contests, government, or whatever, that seems to me better than its being sold on ebay.
Nataleigh
Jul 24th, 2004
All, I am trying to point out Uri, is the fact that Ashley is a hypocrite. She shouldn’t be complaining about the elections, when stuff like this is happening in her own event. She has lost what little credability she had for herself by this incident. By the way, Coco is right, there are ways to differentiate between contestants, by talent and interview questions.
Charlize
Jul 25th, 2004
Yes, I too recall her telling me about Mr. President Bradley contributing so that he could judge. They told me that Eve was one of the judges, and I told them that it would make Ashley look like a huge hypocrite if they had her judge. That comment was responded with “oh i dont care what they think!”. During the actual contest, ugly comments were given out for absolutely no reason. They told me they thought it would be funny to hire the scammers, so I guess they must have been viewing some part of it as a joke. And uri: You said “erm, it was a beauty pagent for sims. Sorry, I just don’t see the gravity in this event, and I’m not sure what it would mean to “turn it into” a joke. It would be different if there was some custom content involved, but what the contestants did was to select a head from about 100 options, a body from about the same number of options, and pick up some clothing from even fewer options. Am I missing something here?” So wait a minute, you went from calling the pageant a “stroke of genius” to that? Now I’m the one who’s missing something.
Charlize
Jul 25th, 2004
Yes, I too recall her telling me about Mr. President Bradley contributing so that he could judge. They told me that Eve was one of the judges, and I told them that it would make Ashley look like a huge hypocrite if they had her judge. That comment was responded with “oh i dont care what they think!”. During the actual contest, ugly comments were given out for absolutely no reason. They told me they thought it would be funny to hire the scammers, so I guess they must have been viewing some part of it as a joke. And uri: You said “erm, it was a beauty pagent for sims. Sorry, I just don’t see the gravity in this event, and I’m not sure what it would mean to “turn it into” a joke. It would be different if there was some custom content involved, but what the contestants did was to select a head from about 100 options, a body from about the same number of options, and pick up some clothing from even fewer options. Am I missing something here?” So you went from calling the pageant a “stroke of genius” to that? Now I’m the one who’s missing something.
Charlize
Jul 25th, 2004
Yes, I too recall her telling me about Mr. President Bradley contributing so that he could judge. They told me that Eve was one of the judges, and I told them that it would make Ashley look like a huge hypocrite if they had her judge. That comment was responded with “oh i dont care what they think!”. During the actual contest, ugly comments were given out for absolutely no reason. They told me they thought it would be funny to hire the scammers, so I guess they must have been viewing some part of it as a joke. And uri: You said “erm, it was a beauty pagent for sims. Sorry, I just don’t see the gravity in this event, and I’m not sure what it would mean to “turn it into” a joke. It would be different if there was some custom content involved, but what the contestants did was to select a head from about 100 options, a body from about the same number of options, and pick up some clothing from even fewer options. Am I missing something here?” So you went from calling the pageant a “stroke of genius” to that? Now I’m the one who’s missing something.
Charlize
Jul 25th, 2004
Whoops sorry for the triple comments lol it wasn’t loading so I kept having to refresh.
Nataleigh
Jul 25th, 2004
Thank you Charlize for helping to prove the point here. Charlize did very well in the pagent (1st runner up) and even she thinks it was a total joke and Ashley is a hypocrite. There is proof that more than one person witnessed Ashley accepting funds in exchange for judging rights. If you are going to include a story, please show the other side. I don’t think that this was a stroke of genius at all, but merely a sad attempt of a little girl trying to get attention.