Reality Bites!

So, I've been in the doldrums recently. The bad money management practiced by most students (if the stereotype is to be believed) has caught me, and the decimal points needed moving. Purse strings have been tightened, so I planned to make the half hour walk to uni today (at least the sun is out). I hadn't planned for some real-time greifing. The fact is that in the real world, crimes of opportunity are more than just a slight annoyance. My niece (who is really just my long term girlfriends niece, but lives downstairs, so it seems more like that type of relationship than "a freind of a friend's daughter") was out playing. Just a child, she left her (pink) nintendo ds lying around, and someone took it. I spent a good hour on the (cold) trail of two guys with a burgundy car. When I eventually left for uni (late again) the police hadn't arrived yet (they took statements about 2-3 hours after being phoned, but i guess it isn't something that warrants an immediate response). 
Anyway, this is definately off-topic. the point, I suppose, is that i missed the lecture. I am led to believe that it concerned extreme cases of "greifing".  My judgement somewhat clouded, I say that this is of little consequence in the grand scheme of things. There is never any point when my virtual property, my virtual identity and/or my virtual (second) life come close to comparison with my real life, job, property, identity. Having lived though high school, and not far from the bottom of the food chain, I can understand that bullying is menatlly scarring, and that little things can disrupt our overall mood for long periods of time, and having scanned a little of the "A Rape in Cyberspace" paper, I agree that punishment should be a consequence of these actions, but real crime is still more of a problem than words/pictures on a screen will EVER be. Bad news, yes. In the long run, though, what's been lost?

Before you post a comment, realise that I'm just a little irritated at the moment, and there will probably be a re-count in the next post.
I promise not to read the comments 'til I've washed this red paint off of my eyes.

Just in case you wondered, Rachel (6) is ok. She's made of sterner stuff. Thank god.