I'm a what?

I'm sitting here thoroughly amused by something I was told recently.  And I'm not angry about it at all, I'm actually highly amused. There are differing opinions on the matter though. But I'm going to be looking at this from my point of view, instead of trying to reflect on why other people may think that it's wrong. Admittedly, it is downright impolite and childish to call other people names. But there is always a silver lining.

So what was I called? Well it wasn't just me who was caught in the cross fire of name calling, but I'm content to wear the badge for now. Slut. Mhm, that's supposedly what I am. Writing the word actually brings a rather amused smirk to my face. So we'll start with a definition of the word, as well as some information concerning the way it has evolved.
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slut

1.a. A person, especially a woman, considered sexually promiscuous.

   b. A woman prostitute.

2. A slovenly woman; a slattern.

4. an immoral woman

5. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) Archaic a female dog

(defined by the dictionary)

The following is a quote from Wikepedia.

"the term has been used as an expression of choice to openly have multiple partners, and revel in that choice: "a slut is a person of any gender who has the courage to lead life according to the radical proposition that sex is nice and pleasure is good for you." A slut is a person who has taken control of their sexuality and has sex with whomever they choose, regardless of religious or social pressures or conventions to conform to a straight-laced monogamous lifestyle committed to one partner for life. The term has been "taken back" to express the rejection of the concept that government, society, or religion may judge or control one's personal liberties, and the right to control one's own sexuality.^"

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So in all actuality there isn't a reason that I should find offense in being called a slut. It is a rather... odd word, and not one that I hear often. In fact part of me finds it kind of thrilling to have someone label me with it. Why? Because I haven't had anyone else try to classify me with it before. That doesn't mean  that it is right. But what it does do is have me open my eyes and reflect on what I do. Do I really seem that bad? In my opinion, no.

To live life is to have experiences. Even in second life we are entitled to trial and error. There is no designated right to wrong way to do things. We go through the digital world testing new experiences, making friends and acquaintances along the way. So what if I wanna try out a new vertical mambo pose ball for kicks? It's just pixels. 

Unlike the real world, Second Life holds less danger in exploring thoughts and ideas than real life does. I don't have to worry about who my partner was last with, and what kind of nasty heebe jeebie I might be the lucky recipient of. Unless I want to role play pregnancy, I don't have to worry about that either (And honestly I really don't want to RP that). It really is a place to explore thoughts and ideas without being worried about judgment.

Which leads me to my next point. Many of you are thinking that there must be something wrong with me if I'm trying to say that I accept this as an alright definition of myself. It is not ideal in any way, but I find it amusing. The one word I find to be most useful for expressing why is the one I'm defining next. Immoral. I will explain why this is the key to understanding this issue for me.

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Immoral

1. transgressing accepted moral rules; corrupt

2. sexually dissolute; profligate or promiscuous

3. unscrupulous or unethical

4. tending to corrupt or resulting from corruption

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I do not feel that anything I do or have done is in the intent to corrupt others. I do not feel that I am unethical. And I sure as hell do not feel that I am promiscuous. In fact in all honesty I feel that I am more likely to hold up moral rules than to try and get around them. There is nothing in second life that defines what the moral values and codes are across the board. In fact what is and isn't acceptable changes not only on a daily basis in this digital realm, but by sim. You can go to twenty different sims, and each one will have different values, rules, and expectations.

That said, sure if you want to call me a slut. Fine, call me one. But there are a lot of things that you don't know about me. In fact, there are thousands of things you will never ever know about me. What you do know is from experience and what I have admitted. I would advise that those who are pained by the words of another to really think about what is driving that person to sway what they are saying. Are they frustrated? Jealous? Angry? Lonely? Nine times out of ten their words will be driven by jealousy.

The green eyed monster can make people say horrible things. It can make them do horrible things, and they won't even realize what is altering their behavior in such a horrible way. So smile, and wear your badge of dishonor.  They're only giving it to you because they're not getting what they want.