News and Commentary: SL Day of Remembrance and Action Against Violence

By Any1 Gynoid

 Concerned citizens of Second Life built a monument and gave recognition to those who passed on December 6, 1989 at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal.  One of Canada’s finest engineering colleges became the scene of a violent anti-woman atrocity with 28 casualties all told. I got the call from Scylla Rhiadra (Pictured at the memorial) and it was like a getting an invite from movie director Martin Scorsese, of course you go.

There I met Teachergirl Razor and Carlotta Adagio, but what was very important about this gathering was the fact that 4 years ago, together, we organized 16 Days Against Violence Against Women, a grid-wide Second Life event that focused particularly on the anti-woman drug violence in Juarez Mexico. Then, after men and women in SL walked a mile in high heels (Walk a Mile in Her Shoes), we settled down to hear this amazing eye-witness testimony http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-525460 about the 400+ unsolved murders of women of Juarez.

Are these tragedies connected? Like events at Virginia Tech, UC Santa Barbara, Sandy Hook, Columbine High, and so many others? Indeed. And it would be wrong to blame the victims. The most common question after a reported rape is “What was she wearing?”… indicative of the rape culture which pervades society.

The potential for such events is very high. US states have mostly eliminated budgets for mental health services, neglecting to care for over 1,000,000 diagnosed schizophrenics now in the general population. Is it any surprise that these tragedies occur with regularity?

What can be done? In Second Life, we can take to first step to recognize serious gaps in society and to raise awareness. Our strength is our ability to communicate without threat to our physical safety. We can and do organize around many RL issues such as Violence Against Women and epilepsy http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-555914. Get involved.

-- Any1 Gynoid is a freelance contributor to SL Newser