I really liked parts of the Nakamura (2005) article on racial passing and yet other parts left me really confused. In the very beginning she writes that "in the medium of cyberspace, distinctions and imbalances in power between beings who perform themselves solely through writing seem to have deferred, if not effaced." Then the rest of the article seems to refute this. Am I missing something here? Was she saying that is seems this way but actually isn't? Throughout the article she writes about how race gets articulated and thematized on LambdaMoo and explains that there is still a pretty clear imbalance in power relations. In the end of the article she even cites Ross and Penley: "In spite of the claims that everyone is the same in virtual worlds, access to technology and necessary skills will effectively replicate class divisions of the rest of reality in the virtual spaces" and "will tend to reinforce existing inequalities, and propagate already dominant ideologies."
One part that really worked for me was how she explained that the nondiscolsure of a racial identity was read by others as a disclosure of a white identity. This is similar to a concept that I am writing about in my thesis; there is a default/assumed identity that exists until there is reason for doubt. I think an example of this is all of the talk abut Hillary Clinton being a lesbian. First of all, I am pretty sure that everyone assumed she was straight from the get go. However, in light of her glbt-friendly policies (and other things as well) many people have started to suggest that she is in fact a lesbian. She briefly responds to these claims in the latest issue of the Advocate. I think this is an interesting implication of a default identity, anyone that even discusses issues about the non-default identities is presumed to no longer identify as the default identity.
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At first analysis, default to whiteness seems totally different than default to queerness Kelsey mentions. Many argue that the internet is a white space, a space where performance of any racial identity (except elf, dwarf, etc.) is discouraged, and therefore whiteness is assumed and performed by default.
Sexuality is different on the internet, certainly, if for no other reason than so many people use the internet for hooking up (or fantasizing about hooking up): sexual orientation is generally pretty relevant in such pursuits.
Critics do talk about straightness as a default, as the norm which is assumed and performed without consciousness of the performance. I suspect that claiming Hillary Clinton is a lesbian is more simply about name calling.
On the other hand, I have found what Kelsey says to be true: some people seem always to conclude that if someone talks about queer issues, that person must be gay. Such logic only works if you take for granted that one shouldn't talk about sexual preference, which, in turn, seems to lead back to the assumption that everyone is straight.
To sum up, the argument is that when race or sexuality aren't or can't be talked about, then the default assumption is the dominant, the "normal," the "mainstream," whiteness, straightness, etc.
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