I know that nobody has the guts to do it, but I wonder... I wonder what would happen if all administrators, bureaucrats and so on where told to take a hike. What would happen if new requirements for being administrator and so forth included assuming real identities, and a set of real world qualifications. What it would be like to grant amnesty to all that are currently banned and/or blocked. What it would be like if there was separation of powers, and secret balloting. I wonder what it would be like if Wikimedia projects would borrow a little more from democratic principles. Yes, I wonder... Scary thoughts aren't they? No surprise though, coming from someone who is the scourge of countless Wikimedia projects and a troll according to many.
Sincerely,
Virgilio A. P. Machado
We have real world experience, building and maintaining Wikipedia; attaching a name to most of us is rather immaterial, it just invades our privacy. We do need to welcome back users who have had trouble for one reason or another, including you, and assure them that their contributions to editing and policy deliberations is welcome. Wikipedia really is open to anyone who is patient enough to work with us.
I've repeatedly advocated for second chances for some of our more serious banned users, and occasionally unblocked them, resulting in general dismay, "What are you thinking" is one of the kinder responses. However, even given a second chance in good faith, nearly all revert to what got them banned. Once a strong commitment has been made to be oppositional it is rare to see a turn-around.
Fred