I love you guys, seriously. All of you.
And that's not just the eggnog talking... Wikipedia and all our
Wikimedia projects are, when you think about it, *pretty darn awesome*
and they exist because some *pretty darn awesome people* are working
together.
Those pretty awesome people include YOU!
YOU are pretty darn awesome!
But we do have a bit of a collective anger management problem.
There's lots of flamefests on the lists, on talk pages, on village
pumps, in edit wars, in irc, in private mail...
I'm no saint either; I believe I used words such as "idiot" in a certain
thread a few days ago which I really oughtn't to have.
Well, there's no point blaming anyone or saying anything specific here.
I just want to pass on a big sloppy group hug love letter to all y'all
Wikimedians out there.
Remember, folks, a community like this functions because its members are
willing and able to communicate to reach some end goal.
If you're about to type off another e-mail or talk page note in anger,
please... get off the computer for a second. Get a beverage of your
choice, take a walk, eat a cookie, make a sandwich, tell a joke, stretch
your legs, anything -- just cool off a second.
When you get back to the computer, pretend for a second that the other
person might have a point. Even if they are wrong, consider whether what
you're typing will lead to a useful conversation or if you know it'll
just make them mad and provoke a further negative response.
The worst thing you or I can do is to assume the other person is a jerk
who refuses to listen to reason and, therefore, we can and should ignore
anything they say.
I know I'm often guilty of assuming bad faith and taking on an automatic
defensive position.
What say we all give the opposite a try when we notice ourselves slipping?
HHHHUUUUUGGGGSSSSSSSSS
love,
brion