The discussion about Drama was like this!

Last Thursday, LnL's Lounge welcomed a great group for its weekly discussion. This time the topic was "Drama is the core of SL!!!". As drama seems to be everywhere in Second Life, the first step was to try to define what it meant. There were many suggestions, from misunderstandings blown out of proportion, to lack of respect, from the need to "win" over someone else, to a lot of whining. Often other's problems are viewed as less important than one's own and that generates a reaction, usually a drama reaction. Drama is subjective and, as such, it is perceived in different ways. What might be an extreme source of drama for some could be very amusing for others though! Drama seems to be seen generally as something negative, yet some residents find drama a source entertainment. Typical drama generators, according to the discussion group, were age and maturity (or lack of!), relationships/sex, beliefs or griefer-related drama. Another aspect the group discussed was the fact that time and again profiles have sentences like "No drama, please! I just want to have fun!, but also "If you mess with me I will kill you"; in the opinion of the group these ARE triggers for drama! As to the question whether drama originated mostly inworld or offworld (RL stress, venting, being angry/fearful), most thought it did reflect RL's anxieties, although some defended that it depended on the type of drama, often promoted by anonimity. It was interesting to see that some discussers saw drama, in some circumstances, as a positive matter as it could bring people together in response to it, becoming a creative force. Alts could also be both a positive and a negative element depending on the way they were used, either as spying or controlling tools or as a way to avoid identification, and as a result... drama. To the question whether men and women experience drama differently in Second Life, most had witnessed drama from both sides! The biggest difference was related to what each group considered drama. Drama as an empowerment tool, often the case with griefers but not only, was a topic discussed as well. To end the discussion, London asked the group to suggest strategies to cope with drama; here are a few -- keep communication objective and non-judgemental, TP away, mute, ban or file an AR (Abuse Report). Our time was up! To conclude, stressful, annoying, amusing or entertaining, drama will never disappear. Despite everything, simply enjoy Second Life, with or without drama! ;) Join us next week, Thursday at 2pm SLT, for another interesting topic!