Second Life

DopeBeastieDopeBeastie Posts: 2,513
edited February 2009 in Poetry, Prose, Music & Art
Droning on in her "yes, it's true but it doesn't invalidate the assumption that Autism and ADHD are interruptions of empathy and communication and are quite likely interelated, and that people with either affliction do quite well in their second life... that is to say, communicating with others using a computer without (some would call) the added advantage of of facial expression and body language. Still, an increase in both of these conditions is measureable (regardless of the fact that more measurement is now taking place). Really, I'm curious to find out if research will reveal which is the chicken, and which is the egg..."

He says, "yes, but some would have argued the same with the advent of television in the 1950's".

And she says, "it's true that people did say that, but in the 50's, adults weren't wasting their free time, their leisure, playing computer games . You see, in a computer game, you gain great elation, great satisfaction in saving the princess. You don't really care about the princess. You just want to save the princess."
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • justamjustam Posts: 21,410
    From the way you wrote this, I'm not sure how you feel about the opinions expressed but I will say that to me it feels negatively slanted.

    Autism and ADHD are genetic and they are not caused by using computers. And, why begrudge autistic people the relationships they form at the computer just because it is a form of communication that works around their social handicaps?!

    I'll also say that before telephones, people wrote letters and didn't see faces either. Does that mean those are bad too?

    And, how is a game with live people any different from a game that kids play when they pretend to be cowboys and indians down the block? People learn from games. Social interaction of all kinds helps people grow. Why is it wrong for people to enjoy taking on the role of a hero? Heroes are positive symbols.

    I'm so tired of people wanting to view people with developmental differences as somehow inferior. They aren't. They are just different.

    If I seem defensive, it's because I hate it when people look at my autistic child as if he's not beautiful just because he may not be entirely like every average person.
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  • DopeBeastieDopeBeastie Posts: 2,513
    oh heavens, my dear... i so certainly did not mean to offend! apologies!!!

    this is a quip i heard on the bbc yesterday morning... I quoted it as best I could remember... some british bitch going on with a buncha nonsense... utterly unquantifiable, and certainly beyond hard science...

    the only thing i was really interested in was that she called our lives on the computer "second lives"... our second life, and it struck me personally because well... i used to function primarily in my second life, and I'm fascinated by the kinds of psychological "science" that will come from research on people doing just that

    my own personal observations see the benefit of messin' around on chat rooms, but there is nothing like 3-D, real time living

    kisses on your child's perfect little nose (i am certain s/he is beautiful)


    Rachel
  • justamjustam Posts: 21,410
    Thanks for telling me where the opinions came from Rachel. The way it was written, I couldn't really tell what your purpose was. :geek:
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  • DopeBeastieDopeBeastie Posts: 2,513
    yes yes! it WAS Susan Greenfield... omg, how funny? she truly had an aire about her that was all pomp...

    how funny!
  • DopeBeastieDopeBeastie Posts: 2,513
    thank you for all those links, richard. you are the man...

    you know me, though... i've been trying to talk about the evolution of man with respect to this form of communication. it's cool, ya know? my grandparents had no phone, my parents had no tv, i had no internet (all of these, as children, of course)

    i'm most interested in how the internet increases our interpersonal communication, and decreases our contact with one another... what good, and what bad, will come of it?
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