After reading A Rape in Cyberspace; or How an Evil Clown, a Haitian Trickster Spirit, Two Wizards, and a Cast of Dozens Turned a Database into a Society by Julian Dibbell, I found myself questioning my thoughts concerning the ethical boundaries of virtual reality, pretend, and censorship.
Part of the magic of participating in digital otherworlds (MUDs), is that you can masquerade yourself to be anything you want, such as a cute dolphin or even a sick, twisted, fat clown rapist. It’s pretend, right?
Although I find the semi fictional acts of Mr. Bungle absolutely deplorable, I must admit that I advocate the thoughts of the technolibertarians. Mr. Bungle was an asshole, but his existence in this technical system was impossible to avoid and, because this otherworld is supposedly a place of pretend, the questions of expulsion and censorship start to arise.
In today’s virtual reality otherworlds, there are self-protecting softwares available to block cretins such as Mr. Bungle if YOU choose to do so. For me, it’s just like television or radio. If I don’t like what I’m watching on television, something that I may find uncomfortable, I turn it off. It’s my prerogative; however, it’s the prerogative of someone else to continue enjoying a program that I may find offensive.
As much as the actions or actually the words of Mr. Bungle sickened me, I do believe he had a right to play his character regardless of how offensive I found it to be.
It’s pretend, right?
