I am really not comfortable with this list being used to host or organize
opposition research or commentary against individual editors. I understand
that people are angry about the disposition of this case (and I agree that
it was pretty craptastic), but taking it as an opportunity to delve into
and opine on the real lives of those on the "other side" is as much
personalizing the dispute as anything else that happened in this case (and
is unattractively similar to doxxing-style intimidation in my mind, even if
you don't propose to explicitly list addresses or phone numbers). Speaking
as someone who has had similar done to me because in the other person's
mind I was wrong, evil, corrupt, etc: it's not any righter when we do it
because we think "I'm good and they're bad" than when someone else does
it
to us because they think they're "good" and we're "bad".
-Fluffernutter
On Sun, Nov 30, 2014 at 3:51 PM, marinka
marinkavandam.com <
marinka(a)marinkavandam.com> wrote:
I'm new to this mailing list, so I may not be
doing this right. Please
let me know if I'm not. I wish to make a response to Carol's remarks on
anonymity.
I don't propose to doxx Corbett here, but I don't think there was ever any
problem about his identity even when he was editing under the monniker
Malleus Fatuorum ("hammer of men" - but originally it it was Malleus
Fatuarum, "hammer of women"). His first few edits are classical in nature
and then there is a hiatus of several months after which he resumes again
and commences his familiar program of edits centered around his local
history and things Northern in the UK. Should one have wished to identify
him then, it really shouldn't have been difficult even in those early days.
And of course he subsequently made, earlier this year, a remark about a
dreadful family tragedy which certainly does serve to identify him should
anyone wish to research it.
My experience of life is that sexist men are generally unaware of their
trait, would indignantly deny it if put to them, and thus don't necessarily
feel the need to remain anonymous.
What I find interesting about Corbett is his lack of notability when you
go searching for him. Other than a couple of Amazon reviews (which appear
to be his based on the subjects reviewed) I can't find a single blog,
article or any other resource authored by him with a single exception
pertaining to a charitable fund his family and associates appear to have
set up (for the welfare of ferrets). Otherwise the world outside Wikipedia
is silent on him, and he in that wider world.
I confess myself quite curious about Corbett and his Manchester circle,
and not merely within the context of Wikipedia's gender gap but within the
broader context of exercising power, and for that reason I am making a
preliminary study of his editing history with a view to discovering how he
came to achieve his position of dominance in Wikipedia. If I have anything
significant to say about that, I shall upload it to my website and let the
list know. I don't expect that will be before next Spring,
Marinka van Dam (a pseudonym)