Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Second Life strike and protest flairs again (in unproduced news segment)

I'm slated to provide a regular commentary segment for "Second Living: Your Life, Your Neighborhood," a new MBC show slated to debut in a week or two. I whipped off a script for a whiz-bang opening which unfortunately was way over the top for the format and budget. So I offer here in script form for your reading pleasure:


DRAFT OF UNAIRED MBC NEWS SEGMENT

BY BOTGIRL QUESTI



INT. MBC NEWS ROOM

(RECKA WUYTS is sitting in his usual place on the couch)

RECKA WUYTS
A controversial trademark policy issued by Linden Lab last month set off a storm of controversy in the blogosphere. For an update, let's go to Botgirl Questi, covering a protest in Second Life.
EXT. OUTSIDE ZOE CONNOLLY RESIDENCE
(Avatars are walking in large circle carrying signs. Words not visible in shot. AC DC music is blaring. Botgirl Questi is standing in foreground with microphone.)
RECKA WUYTS
Botgirl, can you hear me?
BOTGIRL QUESTI
Barely, Recka. It seems the protesters have taken a tactic from the psych-ops playbook. They are blasting endless loops of "You Shook Me All Night Long" to pressure and disorient the poor beleaguered people trapped inside the building behind me.
RECKA WUYTS
So, the bloggers have some Lindens barricaded inside?
BOTGIRL QUESTI
No Recka, it is actually the Lindens who are protesting against the bloggers. This is the home of Zoe Connolly who runs the Second Life Bloggers community site.
(CU OF PROTESTERS AND SIGNS WITH SLOGANS LIKE "BLOGGERS UNFAIR TO LINDENS")
RECKA WUYTS
I don't understand. What could THEY possibly be protesting about.
BOTGIRL QUESTI
It's very simple, Recka. The Lindens feel that although bloggers may have the legal right to post critical blogs, they have a tacit social contract to support Linden Lab who provides the gift of Second Life for free to all the people of the world. Let's see if I can get one of the Lindens to talk.
(BOTGIRL WALKS UP TO A PROTESTER WHO IS WEARING A BIG M.)
BOTGIRL QUESTI
Hello Linden. Can you tell me why you're out here protesting? Many residents think it should be the other way around. What do you have to say about that?
LINDEN STRIKER
Well Botgirl, if you want to compare this to a labor dispute, Lindens are the proletariat. We work and they play. While residents are dancing in clubs, building fanciful sculptures and trading digital fluids on poseballs, we Lindens are working our pixelated asses off. We've slaved 24/7 for the last five years to create a beautiful world for Second Life residents. I can't believe bloggers have the nerve to complain.
BOTGIRL QUESTI
Hmm. I never thought about it that way. What about those who say you are using the terms of service to threaten residents with expulsion?
LINDEN STRIKER
Don't be so naive, Botgirl. Greedy bosses throughout history have coerced workers by threatening to take away their livelihood. In this case, power-mad bloggers have been intimidating poor Lindens by rallying the masses to strip us of our intellectual property.
(All the strikers began to chant: Bloggers unfair. Bloggers unfair.)

BOTGIRL TURNS TO FACE CAMERA
BOTGIRL QUESTI
So there you have it Recka, it seems it is the Lindens who are actually the oppressed group in this situation. Back to you and your lovely co-hosts.

6 comments:

Dale Innis said...

:) Poor Zoe.

Rheta Shan said...

To quote a mutual friend : « You’re a smarty-pants show-off! ». Keep up the good work :)

Unknown said...

Hah! My only participation in that was using it as an excuse for a blogging-vacation....Hee hee!

Another fine post, Botgirl. Pray continue your efforts! Toodle pip ;)

Camilla said...

LOL - what a riot! I never thought of it from the Lindens' point of view before. Thanks for the insight! :)

Princess Ivory

Botgirl Questi said...

If this would have been green lighted, I had planned to see if I could get some real Lindens to participate. I think exhibiting a sense of humor and an ability to poke fun at themselves would help defuse tensions.

Kanomi said...

Well they are making 5,000 Lindens an hour or something like that on average, so I don't think they have TOO Much to complain about! ;)

funny stuff though