Well, the idea of "-mania" meaning "collective outpouring of enthusiasm" rather than "mental illness" dates to at least the 1960s with Beatlemania, even if the original use of the formulation - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisztomania - was intended to have clinical meaning. 

I am unaware of any actual objections to this usage from, for instance, psychiatrists or mental health organisations.

Chris



On Thu, Nov 3, 2016 at 1:16 PM, Stuart Prior <stuart.prior@wikimedia.org.uk> wrote:
"Mania" is not a word where the meaning has completely changed, and is still evidently used in current psychiatry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mania#References

A prescriptivist view of the word would be deciding what it doesn't mean, as much as what it does.
Gordo is rightly pointing out that nowadays it just has more meanings, and has stigmatising qualities like the words "lame", "retard" etc. And we should think about that as a movement that tries to be inclusive.

Personally I've always thought that Wikimania needed a name change (Wikimedia Conference needs a name change too). WikiGlobal? WikiSummit? WikiFest?

S



On 3 November 2016 at 12:54, Stephan Schulz <schulz@eprover.org> wrote:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymological_fallacy

> On 03 Nov 2016, at 13:52, Pierre-Selim <pierre-selim@huard.info> wrote:
>
> I'm not specially shocked. In France we have a video game retail company called Micromania (based on microcomputer and mania), who targeted video game player (I don't think the name of the company is confused by anyone as a medical condition or an insult).
>
> Long time ago I heard a good joke about the naming of the conference: it should be called the Wikimedia Conference and what is call now the Wikimedia Conference should probably be called Wikimania
>
> 2016-11-03 13:28 GMT+01:00 Gordon Joly <gordon.joly@pobox.com>:
>
>
> Is it proper and correct to use the term "mania"?
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mania
>
> Would we say "WikiMad" or WikiCrazy"?
>
> Gordo
>
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>
>
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> Pierre-Selim
>
>
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