Jimmy Wales wrote:

David Gerard wrote:

...

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:David_Gerard&diff=ne...

Well, you can't say fairer than "let's talk" ;-) Jimbo, if you have a spare moment (hollow laugh) you might find opening dialogue useful.

Actually, that note is a direct result of a talk he and I had today.

Let me expand on this...

I had a long talk in IRC with Karmafist today, and I felt that it was very productive. I am afraid that there is a great deal of misinformation floating around about my views of things, and indeed about the ArbCom's views of things.

One of the core values of Wikipedia has always been WikiLove -- expressed for example in the idea that it is better to be kind to problem users *above all else* whenver possible. Because the ArbCom ends up dealing with difficult users repeatedly after a long history, and because they have an exceptional amount of experience dealing with these issues, they *do* often see things differently from the casual passerby without direct access.

But this does not mean that the ArbCom doesn't routinely worry and fret over exactly the sort of balancing act that Karmafist supports, with respect to trying to find the best possible way for people to fit in.

--Jimbo