Make the change begin with you, then cease yammering about it.

(OOC here) I've been ogling the string of dramatic blog postings that have been bemoaning Caledon's lot these days. The lack of manners, the increasing snide tone and constant chatter on ISC. How ISC's general decline into sniggering one-upmanship is symptomatic of Caledon's general decline as a community. Many people have weighed in with the best of intentions, with unsolicited advice from on high. Some of this has been distasteful-- particularly an oft-cited example I've seen on the Forums and elsewhere. Calling a returned war veteran with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Childish, and a liar, is a despicable thing in itself.

Case in point: I have a close relative who returned from Iraq in March of 2008 partially deaf and with head trauma as a result of a mortar attack. He wasn't paid until October of 2008, and only got the medical help he needs when the rest of the family had to camp out on our Senator's door when he got his eviction notice. This relative is a bit of a mess, and will be that way for a while. We all realize that he isn't going to improve on a schedule that's convenient to us. So we all have to shrug off behavior that we normally wouldn't countenance. I think that Caledon should extend a similar sense of charity to the lady who proclaimed herself "not a Victorian, nor ever was one!"

As for the general coarsening of dialogue in Caledon, I've noticed it, to be sure. Almost every night, as soon as the ISC window pops up, I turn it off. I'm also tired of the various ISC "chat types" that have been outlined here there and everywhere in various blogs. Honestly, I am close to just dumping this last shred of "citizenship" in Caledon (I moved out more than a month ago, and am very happy I did), but I like the occasional important notice, storytelling announcements, and sometimes technical assistance I can get out of ISC. So you won't have any argument from me about ISC-- but I have to wonder why this is an issue for anyone? If you don't like ISC, turn it off. Can the ISC channel turn chat off and just serve up announcements again? Possibly, but consider a little bit of wisdom imparted to me by none other than Desmond Shang himself:

Have you ever considered that THIS is exactly the Second Life that the people you are complaining about desire, and (important here) are paying for regularly?

Communities change. People come and go. Older members leave an organization, newer people arrive that don't have the same culture and mores as the older generation. In the real world, perhaps the older generation has the cultural and societal position to impose their own world-view on the newer arrivals. In a virtual world were we all pay to play at some level, nobody beyond the sim owner (or his appointed representative) has the right to mandate societal change-- no matter how "senior" you are. I see people looking at Desmond in despair .. "Can't you do something?" Can he? Can he really? Think on the implications of that statement. Are risque, snide, argumentative or overly personal discussions on ISC breaking any covenant? And if ISC is not the culprit, what is? What changes, exactly, should be prescribed?

For the most part, those who advocate etiquette lessons, or mentorship, or some program that will teach new citizens the allegedly correct way of behaving in the culture they are defining... I wish them well, but I wouldn't wager on the success of such a program beyond a smallish subset. At some point, the law of diminishing returns sets in. If the effort involved is worth it, by all means, it is a good idea.

Speaking only for myself, I came to the realization some time ago that unpleasant people and annoying chatter are not part of what I'm paying money to experience in Second Life. I do what I can to make these go away -- sometimes it's as easy as muting a chatterbox. Perhaps if more people just stopped participating and didn't give the people seeking attention exactly what they want by responding to them, things will change for the better. I did not leave Caledon because I was fed up with manners, or I was moaning about the good old days. I left because Caledon's critical center of gravity as a community has greatly diminished. The initiative isn't there any more. I found many activities are becoming repetitive and dull-- how many times can you sit on a dance pose ball and make the same old jokes and same old faux witty observations? Mind you, it took me two years to get there... there's hope.

At the end of the day, you can always move, or start your own community. It would seem to be the vogue thing to do at the moment.