www.whyville.net Sep 4, 2005 Weekly Issue



Sher10902
Guest Writer

Whyville: Educational or Artificial?

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We all know that Whyville is educational. That's what is supposed to draw users, old and new alike, to Whyville; it is educational and fun all at the same time. But lately I've been looking around at our community, and I've made an observation; Whyville isn't really a place of education. It's more of a place that you can look good even though you're not, and have a life even though you don't have one. I don't mean to be demeaning, but Whyville simply isn't a reality at all.

Just look around you. There's almost always a Beauty Contest going on or someone looking for a boyfriend or girlfriend. I decided a long time ago not to fit the standard on Whyville and dress up in "wind blown" hair of some color, usually blonde, and wear blush, makeup, and eyeliner. It seems like even being a pixie or a goth is a fashion trend now-a-days. It's absolutely disgusting. So the bottom line is, I never get accepted into these Beauty Contests. I have to question why, since I don't dress badly, I'm not a newbie, and I'm not overly obnoxious.

I've found out why. It is because I try and look the most like a normal person that I can. I don't go for the fake look that everybody sports in Whyville. I mean, sure, it's a nice little fantasy that we all look like that. And it's also what society demands of us; it is our standard. That fact is quite clear on Whyville. I hardly ever see anybody who makes a high amount of clams dress normal just because she or he felt like it. It's all about being popular and trendy. Whyville has turned into a clique system all over again. All societies do it, but I was hoping for better results from Whyville. I've been here for almost four years now, in different forms, and on different screen names, and it wasn't a bad place to start out with. Chatting wasn't everything. I actually played the games, and I learned things. I love learning things, and Whyville was an awesome place to come to learn.

However, it now seems that Whyville conforms to what society demands. Blonde hair, thin bodies, and perfection on every count. There is a lot of makeup, and a lot of fakeness. Nobody looks like that. And if it is normal, it's not on Whyville. I've never seen an overweight body for sale at Akbar's. I've never seen anybody dress in a normal fashion or try to look like they do in real life. It's embarrassing to look at what Whyville has become; just another internet chatroom for girls and guys to hook up in and talk. Whyville is supposed to be educational. It's supposed to have higher standards than that. It's supposed to be more and better. But it has deteriorated, and now it is the same way that everything else is; quite aggravating to go to if you're not intent on being judged.

There are many observations to be made on Whyville. I see many people getting on here just to join the society and try and become popular. I see that I cannot go into a chat room here in Whyville without some kind of advertisement going on, whether it's a guy parading so that the most desperate girls can swoon over him, or it's a girl saying, "IF UR A SNGLE GUY PRSS 999 or BC (beauty contest) ON SATURN GO NOW." It gets quite annoying. I come to Whyville for the fun of the games and the fellowship that I get with the people who also like learning. I've found a very short supply of people who like to learn though. Most just want to cheat on the games and get their salaries up any way they can so that they can go to Akbar's, buy the goods, and be just like everybody else. It's not about education; it's about conformation.

In short, Whyville used to be a good place to come. It's a good idea. But it has turned into a society not worthy of having an "educational" label. Whyville is all about Beauty Contests, getting boyfriends, and raising your salary so that you can go and buy the bling. It disgusts me to see such a good idea to help people learn go to waste. I love to learn. It's my passion. For most at Whyville, the main point seems to be buying things and fitting in. Wow. All I've got to say is, Failure.

 

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