On 12/12/06, M Roget mroget@gmail.com wrote:
Can we have a rule that states that any admin who "quits" Wikipedia to protest this or that is automatically desysopped? It's one thing to take a wikibreak or to leave because of real life time commitments but any admin who quits in order to make a point has abdicated their responsibilities. There seems to be a trend of admins announcing their departure only to come back in a few days after dozens of people have posted supportive statements on their talk page. Call me cynical but this looks like manipulative trolling to me and automatic desysopping would create a disincentive. If someone really intends to leave they won't care about being desysopped - they'll even request that it be done but if somone is just pretending to leave an automatic desysopping will make them think twice.
It's of course manipulative (it is common on all internet forums — "Goodbye, internet! I quit!") but that's not necessarily a good reason to de-sysop. The temptation to make a big stink and slam the door on the way out is always going to be there. I'm not sure adding punishments to something which was already provoked by acrimony would solve much or help much. Usually such huffs are made in a moment of high emotions; I think we should all be allowed a little slack in things we do and say when we are upset. For repeat-repeat-repeat offenders it might be a sign of inability to cooperate with others, but I suspect that's relatively rare, definitely not worth making a new rule about.
It's manipulative but most people see it for what it is. I don't think it has any real negative effects on the 'pedia or the community. I think that adding punishments probably would, in the long run. Better to just add it to the neverending list of "annoying things people do on the internet" and leave it at that.
FF