Mark Richards wrote:
On the contrary, I think the current climate is hostile to those trying to persuade admins to follow policy, or even inform themselves of it.
What it really comes down to is confusion between policy and enforcement of policy.
If the policy is, "A properly banned user may not edit under any name while the ban is in effect," that is understandable whether one agrees with it or not.
When we have the situation that some individual is suspected of being the reincarnation of a banned user, many, including some sysops start by acting on their suspicions rather than seeking out hard evidence. There is rarely a need for hasty action when the suspect is confining his activities to a handful of articles; there will always be time to fix this when the issue is clarified.
If you suspect that someone is a reincarnation have the logs and other technical information checked, and bring back that information. That will be the basis for the appropriate decision. The incessant gnattering about whether someone's edits resemble those of a banned user serves no useful purpose.
There is a serious need for some people to start understanding what standards of proof are all about.
Ec