Second Life: Interview 1

DellLacombe (left) and BethJoy2 (right) at the Blarney Stone Irish Pub

My first interview in the Dublin community was fairly successful! At first it was difficult to find people, but using the mini map helped. People were very willing to talk, some even tried to say hi to everyone as they came into the location we were at.

The person that I interviewed was very willing to answer my questions, and also willing to share information about Second Life in general. I do think that interacting in some of the same things as the other users in the location help to connect with them so that they are more willing to answer questions.

Here is a look at part of my interview:

[14:35] BethJoy2: Hi, I’m from the USA and I am using Second Life in a final project for a class. Would you mind if I ask you a few questions?
[14:36] DellLacombe: Sure, go ahead!
[14:36] BethJoy2: Thank you!
[14:37] BethJoy2: When you first meet a stranger in Second Life do you normally stand close to them or farther away?
[14:37] DellLacombe: Close
[14:38] BethJoy2: Does that change depending on their gender, age, race, or social class?
[14:39] DellLacombe: No, because when I meet a new person in SL I understand that I know nothing about their real life gender, age, race, or social class.

[14:48] BethJoy2: Is there a limit you place on how personal your conversation becomes? What would be a “polite” conversation to keep in place? Does this change based on if you know the real gender, age, or race of the person?
[14:52] DellLacombe: My limits on conversation in SL mimic my limits in RL. It depends on how well I know the person, and how comfortable they are in talking about different things. I have some friends in SL I can talk about absolutely anything with; other are more uptight. One thing about SL though is that it seems to compress the time it takes for you to feel like you know someone; where in RL it might take a couple of months to consider someone a ‘friend’ that might only take 3-4 weeks in SL.
[14:54] DellLacombe: And knowing the RL information doesn’t change things.
[14:54] BethJoy2: That’s very interesting. So if someone expresses a belief you find to be odd does it offend you or make you more curious? Do you ask them to explain them self?
[14:55] DellLacombe: It makes me curious and I’ll often ask for an explanation; though I am kinda quiet and unless I was really curious I might just let it go.
[14:56] BethJoy2: I can relate to that. Can you give me an example of a belief that you find offensive?
[14:59] DellLacombe: I feel that beliefs are neutral. We all have our own beliefs just like we have our own opinions and our own favorite colors. A person’s beliefs are not really anything that can be judged because they are what they are; just like their favorite color. Somone may say that they like Yellow, and I don’t like that color, but I don’t think less of that person for liking that color.

Chapter 5 Study Question

There are a few reasons why we as a global population can not come to a “reasoned agreement about values.”  First, for some of us, we were raised to believe a certain way. Parents often raise their children to believe what they were raised to believe. We grow up thinking that our parents are always right (that’s a stretch), so we assume we have to keep the same values that they do. Second, some people take it upon themselves to explore other perspectives of topics and create their own opinions and values. They realize that, just because society or their family believes one way, it does not mean that they have to follow their lead. Either way, it is a personal matter.

Despite the fact that we can not agree, why do we continue to communicate? By being a part of such a diverse, populated world, we have no choice but to communicate. While some cultures may be quite similar, some cultures may differ greatly. Because many cultural beliefs are so controversial, it often becomes an easy topic to discuss. Unfortunately, not many people understand that it’s okay to agree to disagree. Instead, they think that the views they have are the correct ways to see things, which leads to the many problems we are facing today. But, if you really think about it, is there a correct way? Multiple perspectives give numerous pros and cons of the situation.

Cosomopolitanism: Chapter 4

In chapter four of Cosmopolitanism, I believe Appiah was trying to explain the difference in values and morals and how that when these are discussed across different cultures and societies that agreement on some matters can be very difficult to reach. I believe when he describes values as “open textured” that he means some value can be seen is mostly the same fashion across all cultures and societies. They are open, and everyone can “feel” them and understand what they are about and mean. The “texture” or true core meaning isn’t hidden or different from others; it is in plain sight. Appiah also goes on to say that values are “contestable.” I believe he is meaning the some values some societies hold, or different cultures, are different from our own or from what we believe in. That others might not understand why such values are important to the society. And some might question or argue against why these values are held up in such a way. These two terms then can complicate discussions about values, because if some values are accepted among many societies and then some are contested when discussed across societies this could cause unwanted tension, because neither side would want to think from the others point-of-view.