On 06/03/2008, SlimVirgin slimvirgin@gmail.com wrote:
Erik Möller wrote in another thread:
"[T]he real substance here is the destructiveness on the margins of our own community; that is what we must address. Wikimedia has cultivated a tolerance for open hostility. If we see ourselves as a community with a shared purpose, let's start acting like one. That doesn't mean blindly following the leader - I have had my fair share of arguments with Jimmy over the years - but it does mean rejecting the destructive, malicious behavior that we have seen in recent days."
Erik is right. What is happening to the community is the real issue.
I think a key word in that quote that people seem to be missing is "margins". The vast majority of the community are not a problem (at least, not a big one, we're far from perfect, of course), the recent issues have been caused by a tiny minority of destructive individuals. We should do what we can to prevent such individuals causing problems, but they'll always be there somewhere.