On Fri, Sep 16, 2011 at 7:45 PM, M. Williamson node.ue@gmail.com wrote:
Let me add to this that some of the same people compared my actions, in supporting a technical move to change the ISO code of a Wikipedia, to those of a group of Turkish soldiers who attempted to murder Kurdish women and children. This game of nationalism and accusations is nothing new on Wikipedia. I have been called a Russian, a Soviet, a Jew, a Kurdish nationalist and many other things.
I was even told once that I was an official enemy of the Romanian people and that my name and face had been stored in a secret Romanian government database of enemies of the Romanian nation and that I would be targeted for elimination. So please, let's keep nationality out of this. I am not Turkish but I am a linguist and a geek and this move makes linguistic and technical sense. I am more a supporter of the aspirations of peoples to be independent, but I'd rather not take sides in every single geopolitical conflict because this does not need to be tied to that. It is a simple technical and linguistic issue with two options for a solution that should be chosen based on common sense, not nationalist sentiments or loyalties, and I have chosen my side without those unnecessary influences.
Mark, your objections would make sense if I had only said "Oh by the way, he's Turkish." I didn't. As a matter of fact, White Cat has an extensive history of being subject to dispute resolution, editing restrictions, blocks etc. for disruptive editing with a Turkish nationalist point of view. While I do understand that you may disagree, I personally think that strongly held biases in the matter at hand are relevant to the decision he asks the community to make.
Nathan