After Midnight (My apologies to Eric Clapton)

Went back in world tonight dressed in my Middle Eastern outfit. At first I went to a couple of Islamic places, but no one was around. Then I went to Israel's site and still nobody. Finally, I ended up at a dance club that was rockin'. As opposed to my experience the other night, this time two people immediately said hello and welcomed me. Granted, they were the DJs, but at least they acknowledged me! We chatted for a moment but they informed me that the club was closing. Apparently they were from the Netherlands and it was 4 AM. So I didn't get a chance to really talk to them, but I noticed a big difference in their willingness to approach me.

Then I remembered something my friend from Qatar said: I wasn't meeting anyone in the Islamic sites because it was the middle of the night there! Duh.

And, just in case it's a gender thing, I also went to a dance club that had women in it. Well, women is a pretty general category. Most everyone had a tail. And they were doing pole dances. But hey, they were friendly and offered me several methods to make my av dance, even in my conservative outfit! I declined because I didn't want to disrespect the outfit's symbolism. But they had no problem accepting me into their group.

Here's my outfit:

Only the Lonely

Well, I spent a couple of hours in world tonight (SL). Part of the time I spent putting together my -hopefully more stylish- Middle Eastern outfit. It consists of a long skirt, a tunic and a hijab that covers my hair but leaves my face exposed. I also carried a duffle bag. Then I went searching for somewhere to chat with people.

I ended up at a dance club that was rated PG. The music was oldies and there were about 15 folks on the dance floor groovin', both men and women. The dancing was going on in the center park-like space. I was the only one dressed in an outfit from the East.

At first I wandered around the outside storefronts for awhile, but none of them were up & running yet. So, I went and sat on a park bench to watch. No one bothered me. No one came near me. So I went down to the dance floor and walked around the edges of the action. People were participating in a constant stream of chat all around me. No one spoke to me. Finally, I stood in the center of the floor right near a shirtless guy who was shakin' his booty. Nothing.

Not one single person said a word to me while I was there, which was about 30 minutes....

This Has Been A Test...

Yowser! What a couple of weeks I've had!

• Thursday: Elderly mom went to the E.R. (everything's fine)
• Friday & Saturday: I took my Comprehensive Exams for my Master's degree (PANIC MODE!)
• Thursday: Husband had outpatient surgery (that wasn't..ended up staying overnight)
• Friday: Had a snow storm and I couldn't get the car up the hill to get hubby back home
• Sunday: Trip to Mpls for Easter dinner & return son to college
• Monday-Thursday: Couldn't log into this blog...apparently I didn't exist for awhile...
• Saturday: Will be my first political County Convention - I'm a delegate!

Related stuff

Here are some links to other sites with related content...

Marketplace went to the Middle East: http://marketplace.publicradio.org/

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/newvoice/index.shtml

Book - Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think http://blog.speakingoffaith.org/post/28034006

http://www.religionwriter.com/islam-in-america/islam/for-the-terrorist-cheering-section-its-about-policy-not-principles-qa-with-dalia-mogahed/

http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/one_billion_muslim_voices/#When:23:00:00Z

What Not to Wear -addendum

Last night I spent about two hours chatting with a college student in Qatar. I was wearing jeans & a Hillary Clinton t-shirt. I met him while I was wandering around, exploring a site called Islamonline where you can perform the haj virtually (all the steps are given and the text, prayer rugs, etc.)



When I showed him my burqa, he indicated that it is the kind women wear in Afghanistan. In the Middle East they wear black ones that are in style . So, apparently I've already made a fashion error. He did offer to help me pick out a new one, so we'll go shopping for an abaya some other time.



Here's me at Hillary's (unofficial) site in SL:

What Not To Wear?

I'm in my last semester of a Master's program at Boise State and it's being delivered in Second Life (SL). For a class project, I'm trying to discern whether or not discrimination exists in SL. Specifically, do people react to me differently when I'm wearing a burqa versus when I'm wearing jeans & a t-shirt?

I chose this particular research question because of the heightened awareness of cultural differences in real life (RL), and to explore the perceptions and myths that surround both Western and Middle Eastern ways of life.

Because "react" is a pretty vague criteria, I've decided to standardize a bit by attempting to ask some of the same questions when I meet folks. Keep in mind that this is certainly NOT scientifically conducted research.

I'm open to discussing anything, but this being an American election year, I'm throwing a bit of politics into the mix. I hope to get the following questions into the conversations. Besides, politics should be a sure bet for a conversation starter!

1. Where are you from (or where are you in RL)?

2. What do you think Western people think of Middle Eastern people? (or vice versa)

3. What do YOU think of Western people? (or vice versa)

4. What is your opinion of America?

5. Who do you think will be the next President of the USA?

6. How old are you?

7. How long have you been on SL?