[Foundation-l] Principle and pragmatism with nudity and sexual content

[Marc Riddell]

> --- On Mon, 4/20/09, Samuel Klein <meta.sj at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> From: Samuel Klein <meta.sj at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [Foundation-l] Principle and pragmatism with nudity and sexual
>> content
>> To: "Wikimedia Foundation Mailing List" <foundation-l at lists.wikimedia.org>
>> Date: Monday, April 20, 2009, 3:39 AM
> 
>> On Mon, Apr 20, 2009 at 1:19 AM, private musings <thepmaccount at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> 
>>> Here's a few questions about the foundation's role in
>>> ensuring the projects are responsible media hosts -
>> Can the foundation play
>>> a role in discussing and establishing things like what
>> it means to be
>>> 'collegial' and 'collaborative' on the various
>> projects? Can the foundation
>>> offer guidance, and dare I say it 'rules' for the
>> boundaries of behaviour?
>>> Is there space, beyond limiting project activities to
>> legality, to offer
>>> firm leadership and direction in project governance?
>>> 
>>> I'm hoping the answer to all of the above is a careful
>> 'yes'.
>> 
>> I believe the answer to the above, as worded, may be a
>> careful 'no'.
>> These are important decisions, and should be made and
>> improved over
>> time, but I believe it is the community's role to make them
>> - and the
>> foundation's to help provide interface or infrastructure to
>> support
>> the community's resolutions.  Feel free to elaborate
>> if you disagree.
>> 
>> A strong and sustainable group within the community can
>> absolutely
>> work towards and establish the definitions and guidance you
>> suggest.
>> Past discussions have generally been useful, and not
>> spiteful, but
>> never pushed through to a resolution at least on meta and
>> en:wp.
>> 
> on 4/20/09 10:03 AM, Birgitte SB at birgitte_sb at yahoo.com wrote:

> I second this. Does anyone really believe it is even possible to set one
> standard of what it means to be 'collegial' and 'collaborative' for all
> cultures? These things are not absolute values and each community needs to
> work out what standards are most pragmatic for it's members.  There is no
> shortcut or appeal to authority that can solve this for en.WP.  en.WP has to
> do the work and find these answers from within.
> 
I agree with you, Brigitte, it is up to the en.WP Community to establish its
own common-ground culture. However, this is no small task since you are
dealing with a multitude of individuals who have established cultures of
their own. I believe that common ground should lie in the simple question:
How do you treat another human being?

Marc Riddell