Genesis stance on black lives
Posted: 10 Jun 2020 01:45
Here are my thoughts:
It is important to keep Genesis in theme. Role play and domain authenticity are important. And yet, at times these things are broken. There are Easter Egg Hunts (a holiday based on the resurrection Jesus), Christmas Events, we sometimes throw parties that celebrate people's real life birthdays, Halloween events (an RL pagan religious holiday) complete with costumes. Sometimes the line is crossed for fun. Sometimes the line is crossed when we loose a beloved player like Raffee. His statue is in the game. When I was I was in the hospital with a broken neck and fractured skull the AOP title was a running update on my condition. I got hospital phone calls from players I barely knew.
My point being: Genesis crosses the line. We cross it when it is unimportant, and also when it is a big deal for those we know and love in the game. Right now is a very important matter of human rights. It is a historic time of unrest in the USA, and the choices that are made there will affect the lives of people of color not only in the USA, but by their precedent, of peoples of color across the world, some of those people are in our game.
Martin Luther King Jr. said that those who bear witness to injustice, and stand by without speaking out, are guilty of perpetuating those injustices. I think that is why many large companies who consistently remain silent on issues, are breaking silence to stand in solidarity with black brothers and sisters. They are crossing lines and speaking out in a way that is off topic and out of theme. I think perhaps that is being done because the issue being faced by black people-- not being safe in their own homes, workplaces, towns, states-- is not a political issue, but one of basic human rights.
It feels like it is time to cross that small little line again, and be in the company of businesses like Amazon, Facebook, the YMCA, Intel, Youtube, Uber, the Gap, Levis, gaming sites like EA and Square Enix have broken silence and NOT ONLY spoken out publicly, but also donated large sums to Black Lives Matter, to the NAACP, to Civil Rights Legal Defense Funds, and the like. Because this is not a political issue, but one of human rights.
It's my hope that Genesis, a home that I have always been proud of, will choose to stand with our black community. I've been thinking about what that may look like, and I have a few ideas :
We could temporarily change the slogan on the opening scroll above the castle from "The Original LPmud" to "In solidarity: BLACK LIVES MATTER"
We could also have a fun pin for players to wear that has a few emotes and changes their leaving and arriving messages "Player arrives wearing a "BLACK LIVES MATTER" pin on his_her chest."
We could take donations for Black Lives Matter, or the NAACP, of the like.
I am willing to help where I can, and also betting that with all our creative talent we can find many beautiful ways to engage and contribute support to the black community.
Mona of Lothlorien
It is important to keep Genesis in theme. Role play and domain authenticity are important. And yet, at times these things are broken. There are Easter Egg Hunts (a holiday based on the resurrection Jesus), Christmas Events, we sometimes throw parties that celebrate people's real life birthdays, Halloween events (an RL pagan religious holiday) complete with costumes. Sometimes the line is crossed for fun. Sometimes the line is crossed when we loose a beloved player like Raffee. His statue is in the game. When I was I was in the hospital with a broken neck and fractured skull the AOP title was a running update on my condition. I got hospital phone calls from players I barely knew.
My point being: Genesis crosses the line. We cross it when it is unimportant, and also when it is a big deal for those we know and love in the game. Right now is a very important matter of human rights. It is a historic time of unrest in the USA, and the choices that are made there will affect the lives of people of color not only in the USA, but by their precedent, of peoples of color across the world, some of those people are in our game.
Martin Luther King Jr. said that those who bear witness to injustice, and stand by without speaking out, are guilty of perpetuating those injustices. I think that is why many large companies who consistently remain silent on issues, are breaking silence to stand in solidarity with black brothers and sisters. They are crossing lines and speaking out in a way that is off topic and out of theme. I think perhaps that is being done because the issue being faced by black people-- not being safe in their own homes, workplaces, towns, states-- is not a political issue, but one of basic human rights.
It feels like it is time to cross that small little line again, and be in the company of businesses like Amazon, Facebook, the YMCA, Intel, Youtube, Uber, the Gap, Levis, gaming sites like EA and Square Enix have broken silence and NOT ONLY spoken out publicly, but also donated large sums to Black Lives Matter, to the NAACP, to Civil Rights Legal Defense Funds, and the like. Because this is not a political issue, but one of human rights.
It's my hope that Genesis, a home that I have always been proud of, will choose to stand with our black community. I've been thinking about what that may look like, and I have a few ideas :
We could temporarily change the slogan on the opening scroll above the castle from "The Original LPmud" to "In solidarity: BLACK LIVES MATTER"
We could also have a fun pin for players to wear that has a few emotes and changes their leaving and arriving messages "Player arrives wearing a "BLACK LIVES MATTER" pin on his_her chest."
We could take donations for Black Lives Matter, or the NAACP, of the like.
I am willing to help where I can, and also betting that with all our creative talent we can find many beautiful ways to engage and contribute support to the black community.
Mona of Lothlorien
