Inaugural Edition – The Mieville Messenger

by Mieville Messenger

Welcome, everyone, to the inaugural issue of the Mieville Messenger, our new newspaper!

Mayor Perryn

Our illustrious Mayor, Perryn Peterson

As the Mayor of Mieville I’ve been dragooned… erm… shanghaied… erm… asked to write a column for each issue, a task I am glad to do.  People have asked me quite often, what is the philosophy of Mieville? Why does it exist here in SL? What is its purpose?  The answer is simple. It is contained in our group information:

  • To establish a Victorian Steampunk location with real character.
  • To provide a place to live for people of the Victorian Steampunk persuasion.
  • To maintain businesses, dwellings and schools which fit into our vision.

When I first joined SL, as everyone does, I searched for a place where I felt that I “belonged,” where I would be welcomed and where I could contribute something distinctive to this, our digital world. Unfortunately, I found that I was not welcomed in very many places. Most which I visited suggested or required that I wear a “visitor tag” so that everyone would know that I was *NOT* a part of that culture. I find this practise to be EXclusive rather than INclusive. If I tried to join a conversation, I was usually ignored; if I attempted to I/M someone privately to find out how to “join up,” generally I was not encouraged. At worst, I was sneered at or ridiculed.

Mieville is different.

If strangers arrive, we welcome them warmly, offer them a seat, enquire about their reasons for exploring Mieville. If they are furries or aliens or non-speaking entities, we exercise our curiosity and ask them questions about themselves and, perhaps, why they have chosen to represent themselves here in SL as what they are, where the choices for doing so are effectively infinite. In this way, over the seven years that I have been here, I have made many friends ranging from giants to Tinies, from dragons to unicorns! Let us continue to welcome ALL avatars (and the people sitting at the keyboards behind them) to Mieville! For now, please welcome the Mieville Messenger as an enrichment to our already diverse culture.

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