[Foundation-l] Reflections on the recent debates

[Keegan Peterzell]

On Sat, May 8, 2010 at 3:20 PM, Mike Godwin <mnemonic at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I've always loved that quote. Me, I want neither to create disorder nor to
> preserve disorder. It's not the nature of disorder to need creating or
> preserving.
>
> Creating and preserving order is a much harder challenge. Obviously,
> creativity needs freedom and diversity, but it also needs rules. Striking
> the right balance between freedom and rules is especially hard, but if the
> recent debate leads people to reflecting on what a better balance is,
> that's
> a good result, even if people remain (understandably) unhappy with certain
> particular actions that gave rise to the debate.
>
> I know a lot of people suppose that the attack from Fox is the trigger for
> discussion of review of Commons policy, but in fact Commons policy has been
> subject to ongoing review and discussion for some time now, as FloNight has
> mentioned. Fox's maliciousness, and Jimmy's unilateral response to it, may
> have added some urgency to the discussion, but I think the discussion needs
> to happen.
>
>
> --Mike
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I don't follow Commons, and I've only an inkling of this debate, but this
comment is strikingly familiar.

It wasn't Jimmy but a couple rogue admins that launched a fury and later
fruitful discussion on Biographies of Living Persons on the English
Wikipedia back in January.  Finger wagging at Jimbo isn't the point, because
whomever did such an action would be excoriated.  This doesn't mean the
theoretical conversation shouldn't be had, or isn't valid, but more to
Mike's point of a catalyst for resolution of a long-term, ongoing
discussion.

While there is much to be said about Jimbo's role from everyone, that's not
Mike's point.  His is, and correct me if I'm wrong, Mike, "Sit down and work
out the issue of the images, which is the most important, and then revisit
social constructs".  Work first, then have a cup of coffee and talk.
 Stepping on project toes and upsetting communities is bad, but this was
bound to happen on Commons at some point and Jimbo was the one that did it.
 Argue about respecting community rights later, it's an apt argument.  So is
the discussion of Jimbo.  But focus on Commons now while it's on the front
burner before it is scorched.

Just my two cents.

-- 
~Keegan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Keegan