[WikiEN-l] Analysis of Request for Adminship

[jayjg]

On 3/31/06, Ilmari Karonen <nospam at vyznev.net> wrote:
>
> Steve Bennett wrote:
> > On 3/31/06, Ilmari Karonen <nospam at vyznev.net> wrote:
> >
> >>sock.  The six months or so between the two events served not only to
> >>familiarize me with Wikipedia, but also to provide other users with some
> >>confidence that I wasn't going to go on a vandalism spree as soon as I
> >>got my admin buttons.
> >
> > The chance that anyone will go on a "vandalism spree" with admin
> > rights is vanishingly small. And if they did, they can be  quickly
> > desysopped before they've done any real damage (as I understand it).
> > Is this really what the whole RfA charade is about? Protecting
> > ourselves against users with 1500 edits who might suddenly,
> > inexplicably turn into vandals the instant they're given admin rights?
> > Sounds fishy to me.
>
> Well, no, the part about going on a vandalism spree was hyperbole.  It's
> more about protecting ourselves against users who might use their admin
> povers for more subtle undesirable things, such as POV pushing, or for
> ends incompatible with the project (like the folks who think the best
> thing about Wikipedia are the userboxes), or who might simply use them
> carelessly or thoughtlessly, say, by rangeblocking all of Europe.


There are people who are working towards getting several userids up to admin
status, doing uncontroverisal editing in areas they don't care about, so
that they can then use that status to enforce their views in areas which are
truly of concern to them.  This has been advertised and discussed on
off-Wikipedia fora.

Jay.