[Wikipedia-l] "central authority structure"

[Larry Sanger]

On Tue, 4 Dec 2001, The Cunctator wrote:

>            I think that in the case of the Cunc, this isn't
>    accurate. I think he's trying to, and does, generate light. He's
>    just sometimes difficult and inflammatory. )
>
> I am in a pretty difficult position, because people have gotten into
> the habit of attacking my motives and character, which means I either
> have to expend energy defending them (like here) or I have to grin and
> bear it, or just leave. And I don't enjoy any of that.

Er, that's not quite what happened most recently, is it?  The above claim
is precisely the sort of misleading claim that irritates me.  In fact, you
posted a completely misleading, inflammatory discussion of the "Wikipedia
Militia" page.  Many people, myself included, responded strongly to your
unfair rhetoric.  It's not as if you're merely the victim of an unprovoked
attack.  So do not misrepresent the situation.  There were indeed good
reasons to respond to the incredible rudeness of your behavior; don't
expect polite people to tolerate it.  Moreover, you cannot expect many
people to give you very much sympathy for the harsh, but *perfectly
appropriate* responses people have made to you.

> I truly think people's expectations of my behavior have been
> influenced by the unfairly negative characterizations of it, and such
> expectations then influence their perception of my behavior.

Give me a break!  As if you had not earned your reputation slowly and
painfully over a period of months, and as if we all did not know this!

> But maybe I am really a troll, as GWO and LMS assert.

I'd like to point out that you, Cunctator, are the one who decided (rather
trollishly, I might add) to make public my opinion that you are (were
acting like) a troll.  I told you that *in private e-mail*.  Moreover, in
private, I know of a few others who have asserted the same thing about
you.  Now, if you want people to stop accusing you of being a troll, then
stop acting like one.  If you want detailed advice on how to do so, I'm
sure there are many here who would be only too happy to help.

I really do wish we could stop this.  Cunctator, if you would cease to
write such inflammatory stuff, we will have no grounds on which to
criticize you.  Apart from the inflammatory stuff, you've done some very
good work for the project.  I know that you won't like to be told to cease
your ill-prosecuted, self-chosen role as resident passionate gadfly; but
you know, the original gadfly, Socrates, is known as the very model of
reasonableness and politeness.  Plato's Socrates let the facts, or logic,
speak for themselves, and did not resort to insulting innuendo and dirty
rhetorical tricks.  Even the famed Socratic irony was generally very
gentle, and usually consisted of Socrates praising someone for knowing
something that Socrates knew all too well his "victim" *did not* know.

Larry Sanger