[Foundation-l] Reflections on the recent debates

[Ilario Valdelli]

On 08.05.2010 17:48, Mike Godwin wrote:
> I think it's also worth remembering that when an individual like Jimmy is
> given extraordinary cross-project powers to use in extraordinary
> circumstances, this more or less guarantees that any use of those powers
> will be controversial. (If they were uncontroversial, nobody would need
> them, since consensus processes would fix all problems quickly and
> effectively.) But rather than focus on whether your disagreement with the
> particulars of what Jimmy did means that Jimmy's powers should be removed,
> you should choose instead, I believe, to use this abrupt intervention as an
> opportunity to discuss whether Commons policy and its implementation can be
> improved in a way that brings it more into line with the Wikimedia projects'
> mission. Once this discussion happens, it would not surprise me if the
> result turned out to be that some of the material deleted by Jimmy will be
> restored by the community -- probably with Jimmy's approval in many cases.
>
>    

I agree most of all with this point.

I don't understand this dissatisfaction generated by Jimbo's decision.

Commons is so careful with the copyright's violation and some decisions 
of Commons community has been perceived to be excessively "severe" to 
other communities, but in other ways Commons seems to be so unconnected 
with other kind of "legal" problems that I personally have thought to be 
in mistaken.

In Italy, for example, the explicit publication of pornographic content 
in a public web sites is not allowed and any deficiency is treated *with 
"criminal" law*.

The deleted images and the free access for children has been a strange 
situation until now with legal involvement in a lot of countries.

The images have had neither a disclaimer or a warning concerning the 
children access and the feeling given to the users has been that of the 
indifference to the problem.

I have never understood why the Commons community has not treated this 
matter so careful than the copyright's violation and the reaction of the 
community to Jimbo can only confirm me the feeling of "indifference".

Now I see that Jimbo has managed the problem with urgency and asked to 
the community to fix the problem at last.

I cannot see any other problem.

Ilario