Daniel Mayer wrote:
--- "Jimmy (Jimbo) Wales" jwales@wikia.com wrote:
Tony Sidaway wrote:
You couldn't compromise with your fellow editors so you were benched. Tough, but that's how it is.
I don't agree with this attitude at all.
Me neither. Tony's whole email seemed unnecessarily mean-spirited to me.
It's all about a literal vs. a common sense approach to rules. A strict literal interpretation which Tony has apparently applied then starts to beg questions like, "How exactly do we interpret 'revert'?" Lying in wait like a stalking lion for anyone to violate the 3RR anywhere is clearly an abuse of process
Before applying such a rule people need to look at what is going on to see if there is any hope that the warring parties may find a solution. There is no obligation to ban anybody on a fourth revert as soon as it is made; it merely becomes an available tool if it should be necessary.
His point in this particular case is that a mechanical rule like 3RR is flawed when it is applied in this fashion. The reverts were to different aspects of the article, and the participants were communicating.
No argument from me there. But that opinion on how the 3RR should work is apparently a minority one. I base this on asking several other ArbCom members and making an inquiry on the 3RR talk page. The rule states 'no more than 3 reverts on any page in 24 hours.' Most people take that very literally (for better or worse). I interpret 'reverts' to be the same or substantially the same revert. Oh well.
Literalism creates unhappy communities. The people who use it may be perfectly correct, but have as much social grace as an enraged gorilla.
Now, my own personal opinion, and this might be one that Steven shares, is that given the ongoing problems with revert wars and pointless edit wars in general, the 3RR is necessary and useful *even though* it also has some unfortunate negative side effects.
I also share that opinion.
If in the course of these reverts there is also movement in the controversy, that is a sign of progress. The possibility remains that the combatants may find an agreeable solution after a few more reverts. The 3RR can prevent the solution.
Ec