[WikiEN-l] Bans and online/offline reputation (was Re: Follow-up on my Ban from Wikipedia (part 3))

[Armed Blowfish]

On 17/09/2007, Andrew Gray <shimgray at gmail.com> wrote:
> omgno. we must have a perfect system. it must be ideologically sound
> and consistent. we must have a constitution for the community. and
> elect people. and vote on things. and have laws. "it works" isn't
> acceptable.
>
> (Sorry, just channelling...)
>
> --
> - Andrew Gray
>   andrew.gray at dunelm.org.uk

Warning: Excessive following of rules
may cause you to do ridiculous things.

Exempli gratia:

'A man was hanged who had cut his throat,
but who had been brought back to life. They
hanged him for suicide. The doctor had
warned them that it was impossible to hang
him as the throat would burst open and he
would breathe through the aperture. They
did not listen to his advice and hanged their
man. The wound in the neck immediately
opened and the man came back to life again
although he was hanged. It took time to
convoke the aldermen to decide the question
of what was to be done. At length the
aldermen assembled and bound up the neck
below the wound until he died. Oh my Mary,
what a crazy society and what a stupid
civilization.'
-- Nicholas Ogarev, a Russian exile living
    in England circa 1860

(Note that Mary refers not to the Virgin Mary,
but to Mary Sutherland, Nicholas's mistress.)