Have you ever been to a Masquerade ball? I would not attempt to compare a Halloween party to an old fashioned Masquerade ball, the latter drips with elegance and beauty, while the former is simply another excuse for people to dress up like a pregnant nun and get sloshed.
At a Masquerade it's required for everyone to come ingognito, in other words to wear some fashionable, elegant mask that is intended to hide their true identity. Now if you throw a Masquerade party for/with close friends, you'll probably know who is behind each mask without too much effort. Even if you cannot deduce identities by sight, a short verbal exchange and some well thought out questions will reveal the true identity of your party guest.
Now imagine that one of your friends brings a date, somebody you don't think you have met before, but you can't say for sure because, well, you don't know who's behind the mask. Is the person beautiful or plain looking? Do they have freckles? How about a birth mark or other defining feature hidden somewhere behind the mask? Are these the kind of questions that you'll be asking yourself when you see them walking in the front door, or will you be wondering about the nature of your friend's date. Is this person kind? Is he/she smart? What qualities attracted my friend to this person?
World of Warcraft is a giant Masquerade Ball/Party. In the melodious words of Andrew Lloyd Webber:
Masquerade! Every face a different shade...Masquerade! Look around - there's another mask behind you!
Masquerade! Burning glances, turning heads...Masquerade! Stop and stare at the sea of smiles around you!
We, all of us, show up to this party in WoW completely ingognito. Nobody can help but see the masks that we put on to play. Some of us put on elaborate masks and some try to keep it simple so that they don't stand out.
There are those that frolic to the trade chat channels and spin gems of countless colors into their masks that they will hope to make themselves sparkle and shine more brightly above everyone else. There is the introvert who puts on a flesh colored cloth for a mask, with holes for eyes to see and nose to breathe, and never wishes to be noticed by anybody. There are some who show up with no mask at all, but are handed the mask that they are told will help them to fit into the party, they take that mask and begin to mingle in the manner they were taught.
So many masks, so many shiny things to grab out attention.
Masquerade! Grinning yellows, spinning reds...Masquerade! Take your fill - let the spectacle astound you!
Flash of Mauve, Splash of puce, Fool and king, Ghoul and goose, Green and black, Queen and priest, Trace of rouge, Face of beast...FACES!
Drink it in, drink it up, till you've drowned in the light...in the sound!
You may not have another chance to interact with any of these masks. Look around, see all the kinds that populate this game world. Run in a PUG, make an attempt to lift the mask from their faces to see what they are hiding. Sometimes you don't even have to try, for some will be willing to show their true selves without asking. Others will hide their face, hide their soul at all costs, however, which makes lifting the mask a near impossible task.
For me, the mask is not as interesting as the story behind the masks, however, and is something I try and make a point of here at my little blog. But our stories are our own, and what right do I have to even ask you to remove your mask and present your true self to me and all the others you play with? Your mask is your friend, it's your protection against unwanted attention and unwanted persecution.
Masquerade! Paper faces on parade...Masquerade! Hide your face so the world will never find you!
Masquerade! Leering satyrs, peering eyes...Masquerade! Run and hide - but a face will still pursue you!
Unless you play WoW completely alone, there is no running from those that would want you to join their Masquerade ball. Some face, some mask will continue to ask you to join a guild, jump into raiding, do end-game PvP, become a Loremaster or World Explorer. There's always some masked person or thing that wants you to join them in their own little Masquerade, but you have the power to take that mask off or put on one that others think will be good for you. Even with this power, however, it does not mean that you can escape into the crowd and be forgotten. Somebody, something will always be either trying to take off your mask or handing you another to wear that's a better "fit" or "design" than the one you have on.
Masquerade! Seething shadows breathing lies...Masquerade! You can fool any friend who ever knew you!
In all the masks that we wear as online gamers, of all the designs and gems and frills and lace, you must decide on what you want to wear to the party. And once you get there, you must decide whether to take it off of try and fool everyone into believing that you are something that you are not.
One thing I enjoyed about my guild was that there was a time (when I was more active with them) that I felt comfortable enough to take my mask off and show everyone who I really was. Then I could put on whatever mask I wanted to and enjoy the game out in the world any way that I wanted to. It created an intimacy from human connections, from the real stories behind the masks of my guildies, that made coming back and coming back to the game more and more inviting. I honestly don't know what the future of guilds will be, whether there will be more larger guilds or if the smaller ones will fight their revolution, keep their masks on and refuse to put on the masks apparently being handed out by Blizzard. I don't speculate because it won't affect me. I know what mask I want to wear in Cataclysm, do you?
If not, then all I have to say is this:
FACES!...Take your turn, take a ride on the merry-go round...in an inhuman race!
I hope to see you all at the party, but hope to see you all wearing whatever mask makes you feel comfortable. May the Masquerade begin!
p.s. Phantom of the Opera is one of my favorites. I always found the character of the Phantom to be pitiable, singing at the very end:
Masquerade! Paper faces on parade...Masquerade! Hide your face, so the world will never find you!
He was taught to be ashamed of his face, of his deformity, which drove him to madness and to murder. But Christine realized what I love to see while playing online games, that is there was a story behind both the mask and the face, a story of a life ruined by ill treatment and cruelity. He was taught to be ashamed of his face, Christine taught him that he didn't. Don't be afraid to lift your mask every now and then, you may just find someone who understands who you. You've got a story, go ahead and share it...not with everyone, but with someone.
Showing posts with label Privacy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Privacy. Show all posts
Monday, September 27, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Unperson
Perhaps not as well known as Big Brother, Thought Police, Newspeak or Doublething, Unperson is a term coined by George Orwell in his famous novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984).
Unpersons
What is an "Unperson"? "It is a person who has been 'vaporized'; who has not only been killed by the state, but effectively erased from existence." -Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unperson#Unperson)
I can say without a doubt that Blizzard is NOT in the business of killing people. There are some who, during this Real ID business, want to guilt Blizzard into retracting their plans by assuming that by posting real names on their forums it will inevitably lead to the stalking and assault (or killing) of another human being and fellow WoW enthusiast. These sort of arguments are in bad taste and should be avoided.
I will say, however, that Blizzard is creating Unpersons by forcing us to use our real names IF we choose to post on their official forums. How is that? By devising a means whereby a large group of people "feel obligated" to stop posting, they are silencing those voices, erasing them from existence. Sort of. Obviously these people can talk on other forums, but Blizzard says they don't use other forums to achieve the feedback they seek. They want good discussions on their official forums. So it's an Effective, not literal, creation of Unpersons.
Doublethink
According to Orwell's novel, Doublethink can be a complex theory:
The power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them....To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies — all this is indispensably necessary. Even in using the word doublethink it is necessary to exercise doublethink. For by using the word one admits that one is tampering with reality; by a fresh act of doublethink one erases this knowledge; and so on indefinitely, with the lie always one leap ahead of the truth.
We have been told that the reason for displaying real names on the official forums is to essentially scare or shame people into being nice. To eliminate and reduce trolling. This is THE reason being sold to us. I am sure that Blizzard genuinely believes it. They also believe that their parntership with Facebook will be a profitable one, but that fact is inconviently omitted when posting their arguments for the new feature to the end user. By standing firm in their resolve Blizzard is effectively denying the existence of objective realtiy, i.e. the protests from the community, while at the same time vocally stating that they are listening to that reality. In truth they do listen, but since there are more motives than just "reduce trolling and improve conversations" present they must acknowledge both realities at the same time while supplies us with only those words that will allow them to proceed.
Blizzard seems to get the hang of Doublethink and Doublespeak pretty well.
Anonymity
Raise your hand if you think that the opinion of a Supreme Court Justice carries some weight. I don't care if you think that they are political or activists, they are incredibly intelligent people that have worked long and hard to get where they are. Sure, some politics are involved in their decisions, but their knowledge of the law is significant and their wisdom shouldn't be shunned without listening to it first. That said, Vixsin over at Life in Group 5 posted a little quote from a Supremen Court Justice regarding the right of anonymity of an author:
“Despite readers’ curiosity and the public’s interest … an author generally is free to decide whether or not to disclose her true identity. The decision in favor of anonymity may be motivated by fear of economic or official retaliation, by concern about social ostracism, or merely by a desire to preserve as much of one’s privacy as possible. Whatever the motivation may be, at least in the field of literary endeavor, the interest in having anonymous works enter the marketplace of ideas unquestionably outweighs any public interest in requiring disclosure as a condition of entry. (n.5) Accordingly, an author’s decision to remain anonymous, like other decisions concerning omissions or additions to the content of a publication, is an aspect of the freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment.
The right to remain anonymous may be abused when it shields fraudulent conduct. But … in general, our society accords greater weight to the value of free speech than to the dangers of its misuse.” (As referenced in: McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Comm’n (93-986), 514 U.S. 334 (1995) )
Anonymity may allow for some individuals to speak freely about some really stupid things, or in a really stupid manner. But the lack of anonymity allows for people to be judged not on the merits of their arugments but additionally on the person themselves (be it race, gender, nationality, sexual preference, etc). Anonymity helps further good discussion, it does not hinder it. What hinders it is the choices people make to say offensive things because they are a bigot or a totalinarian, or whatever. It's in the person's moral structure that they decide how to act and speak, and that is what allows them to choose to be a troll. Anonymity gives them some freedoms, but what is gained by the trolls through anonymity is less than what can be gained from those who truly intend to further a discussion in a productive manner.
Orwell spoke of many devices implemented by Big Brother to destroy all anonymity. Nobody was safe from their spying eyes. Information of all people were held by the State and they decided who was a person and who was an Unperson.
The Original Real ID
Don't take all these arguments literally, they are meant to shine light on a singular issue, Privacy. In the US in 2005 a little thing called Real ID was inserted into a "must-pass" Iraqi War/Tsunami relief bill. There was no democratic debate on the issue by the people or their representatives. There was not a single congressional hearing on its merits. But it passed, and much to the disdain of the States. What it essentially does is standardize driver's licences cards accross the nation into a single national identity card and database. Think of that, the Government attempting to mandate a National ID card where all your most personal information was centrally located.
Imagine if your an identity thief. Currently information is spread out, so it takes hacking into multiple systems to get a lot of information. This would centralize all personal information into one database. As an indentity thief this is good because you just need to hack the national ID security and you're good to go...for life!
My point is that whether it's centralizing personal information or revealing personal information in a centralized location both endanger personal identity security. There are so many good arguments opposing the Real ID that Blizzard is proposing, it's ironic how similar this Real ID is to the Real ID shooved down the throats of the American people by their own Governemnt. It's release was "insignificant" and optional. But slowly each Real ID is continued to be pressed by those in power.
Blizzard, I doubt, will truly listen to their customer. But that doesn't mean that we stop fighting. In 1984 the main character Winston Smith, who questioned Big Brother and their Teamspeak, ultimately was tortured into acceptance and love of State. He stopped questioning, he stopped fighting.
I hope that any others who run a blog understand that I do not and will not judge them or their motives if they wish to not talk about Real ID anymore and the resulting privacy implications. I have my motives for continuing to speak out and they are mine only. I apply these arguments to myself, I hope you can believe that.
My motives for playing have been well documented here on this blog. (Check out my archives, they were some of the first posts I ever made.) It is because of these motives that I will not stop playing. It means too much to me and my family, it's been a relief in a life of much pain. I see this as an opportunity to teach my kids that you can stand up and fight for something you believe in.
I guess that just about everyone is against murder, but not everyone is a Policeman or Judge. We can care about something but not spend a lot of time combatting it. That's my reasoning for asking other bloggers to understand why I will not judge them. This is something that I personally feel that I need to fight against. And I will...to the very end. You will remember me, I will not become and Unperson.
I will still talk about the game I love and all it's wonderful features and it's flaws. It's just that I'll keep fighting against Real ID any way I know how. Thank you, as always, for stopping by and reading my words. I appreciate your attendence.
Unpersons
What is an "Unperson"? "It is a person who has been 'vaporized'; who has not only been killed by the state, but effectively erased from existence." -Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unperson#Unperson)
I can say without a doubt that Blizzard is NOT in the business of killing people. There are some who, during this Real ID business, want to guilt Blizzard into retracting their plans by assuming that by posting real names on their forums it will inevitably lead to the stalking and assault (or killing) of another human being and fellow WoW enthusiast. These sort of arguments are in bad taste and should be avoided.
I will say, however, that Blizzard is creating Unpersons by forcing us to use our real names IF we choose to post on their official forums. How is that? By devising a means whereby a large group of people "feel obligated" to stop posting, they are silencing those voices, erasing them from existence. Sort of. Obviously these people can talk on other forums, but Blizzard says they don't use other forums to achieve the feedback they seek. They want good discussions on their official forums. So it's an Effective, not literal, creation of Unpersons.
Doublethink
According to Orwell's novel, Doublethink can be a complex theory:
The power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them....To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies — all this is indispensably necessary. Even in using the word doublethink it is necessary to exercise doublethink. For by using the word one admits that one is tampering with reality; by a fresh act of doublethink one erases this knowledge; and so on indefinitely, with the lie always one leap ahead of the truth.
We have been told that the reason for displaying real names on the official forums is to essentially scare or shame people into being nice. To eliminate and reduce trolling. This is THE reason being sold to us. I am sure that Blizzard genuinely believes it. They also believe that their parntership with Facebook will be a profitable one, but that fact is inconviently omitted when posting their arguments for the new feature to the end user. By standing firm in their resolve Blizzard is effectively denying the existence of objective realtiy, i.e. the protests from the community, while at the same time vocally stating that they are listening to that reality. In truth they do listen, but since there are more motives than just "reduce trolling and improve conversations" present they must acknowledge both realities at the same time while supplies us with only those words that will allow them to proceed.
Blizzard seems to get the hang of Doublethink and Doublespeak pretty well.
Anonymity
Raise your hand if you think that the opinion of a Supreme Court Justice carries some weight. I don't care if you think that they are political or activists, they are incredibly intelligent people that have worked long and hard to get where they are. Sure, some politics are involved in their decisions, but their knowledge of the law is significant and their wisdom shouldn't be shunned without listening to it first. That said, Vixsin over at Life in Group 5 posted a little quote from a Supremen Court Justice regarding the right of anonymity of an author:
“Despite readers’ curiosity and the public’s interest … an author generally is free to decide whether or not to disclose her true identity. The decision in favor of anonymity may be motivated by fear of economic or official retaliation, by concern about social ostracism, or merely by a desire to preserve as much of one’s privacy as possible. Whatever the motivation may be, at least in the field of literary endeavor, the interest in having anonymous works enter the marketplace of ideas unquestionably outweighs any public interest in requiring disclosure as a condition of entry. (n.5) Accordingly, an author’s decision to remain anonymous, like other decisions concerning omissions or additions to the content of a publication, is an aspect of the freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment.
The right to remain anonymous may be abused when it shields fraudulent conduct. But … in general, our society accords greater weight to the value of free speech than to the dangers of its misuse.” (As referenced in: McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Comm’n (93-986), 514 U.S. 334 (1995) )
Anonymity may allow for some individuals to speak freely about some really stupid things, or in a really stupid manner. But the lack of anonymity allows for people to be judged not on the merits of their arugments but additionally on the person themselves (be it race, gender, nationality, sexual preference, etc). Anonymity helps further good discussion, it does not hinder it. What hinders it is the choices people make to say offensive things because they are a bigot or a totalinarian, or whatever. It's in the person's moral structure that they decide how to act and speak, and that is what allows them to choose to be a troll. Anonymity gives them some freedoms, but what is gained by the trolls through anonymity is less than what can be gained from those who truly intend to further a discussion in a productive manner.
Orwell spoke of many devices implemented by Big Brother to destroy all anonymity. Nobody was safe from their spying eyes. Information of all people were held by the State and they decided who was a person and who was an Unperson.
The Original Real ID
Don't take all these arguments literally, they are meant to shine light on a singular issue, Privacy. In the US in 2005 a little thing called Real ID was inserted into a "must-pass" Iraqi War/Tsunami relief bill. There was no democratic debate on the issue by the people or their representatives. There was not a single congressional hearing on its merits. But it passed, and much to the disdain of the States. What it essentially does is standardize driver's licences cards accross the nation into a single national identity card and database. Think of that, the Government attempting to mandate a National ID card where all your most personal information was centrally located.
Imagine if your an identity thief. Currently information is spread out, so it takes hacking into multiple systems to get a lot of information. This would centralize all personal information into one database. As an indentity thief this is good because you just need to hack the national ID security and you're good to go...for life!
My point is that whether it's centralizing personal information or revealing personal information in a centralized location both endanger personal identity security. There are so many good arguments opposing the Real ID that Blizzard is proposing, it's ironic how similar this Real ID is to the Real ID shooved down the throats of the American people by their own Governemnt. It's release was "insignificant" and optional. But slowly each Real ID is continued to be pressed by those in power.
Blizzard, I doubt, will truly listen to their customer. But that doesn't mean that we stop fighting. In 1984 the main character Winston Smith, who questioned Big Brother and their Teamspeak, ultimately was tortured into acceptance and love of State. He stopped questioning, he stopped fighting.
I hope that any others who run a blog understand that I do not and will not judge them or their motives if they wish to not talk about Real ID anymore and the resulting privacy implications. I have my motives for continuing to speak out and they are mine only. I apply these arguments to myself, I hope you can believe that.
My motives for playing have been well documented here on this blog. (Check out my archives, they were some of the first posts I ever made.) It is because of these motives that I will not stop playing. It means too much to me and my family, it's been a relief in a life of much pain. I see this as an opportunity to teach my kids that you can stand up and fight for something you believe in.
I guess that just about everyone is against murder, but not everyone is a Policeman or Judge. We can care about something but not spend a lot of time combatting it. That's my reasoning for asking other bloggers to understand why I will not judge them. This is something that I personally feel that I need to fight against. And I will...to the very end. You will remember me, I will not become and Unperson.
I will still talk about the game I love and all it's wonderful features and it's flaws. It's just that I'll keep fighting against Real ID any way I know how. Thank you, as always, for stopping by and reading my words. I appreciate your attendence.
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