As far as I can tell Harry Potter is using Wikipedia to engage in some form of absurdist conceptualist art by adding subtle inaccuracies in articles, turning then into nonsense, but doing it in such a way that it is hard to pick out the absurdist nonsense from what may be a genuine contribution. Whether this equates to pataphysics or not I have no idea. But it is essentially corrupting Wikipedia. In my opinion he is every bit as much of a vandal as Michael and should be treated similarly with blanket reversions.
Just to clarify the Tony Hancock thing for anyone not familiar with the film "The Rebel". --
The British comedian Tony Hancock used his own name for the character he protrayed in his Radio and TV broadcasts and also in this particular film. In the film he portrayed an office worker who aspired to being a great artist. However he could neither paint nor sculpt with any degree of artistic skill (at least that is the impression his artwork is intended to give to the filmgoer). Despite his lack of artistic ability he manages to become recognized as a great artist by the establishment in Paris. The film is to some extent a satire on modern art.
The purported "London Institute of Pataphysics" claims to have put on an exhibition entitled "Anthony Hancock: Paintings and Sculpture: A Retrospective" http://www.atlaspress.co.uk/theLIP/dora-hancock.html Since it wasn't the REAL Tony Hancock but the CHARACTER Anthony Aloysius St. John Hancock who was an artist, such an exhibition is pure fantasy. Yet Harry Potter has added articles on this and other subjects as if they were real.
Mintguy
----- Original Message ----- From: "Peter Bartlett" pcb21@btconnect.com To: wikien-l@wikipedia.org Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2003 12:56 AM Subject: [WikiEN-l] User:Harry Potter
Dear list,
Please may I ask for your advice and assistance in pouring oil on troubled water with respect to [[User:Harry Potter]].
This user has been starting or contributing to articles relating to pataphysics, which is a movement that parodies things that are pretentiously highbrow (as I understand it, pataphysics is to science and the arts, as Mornington Crescent (the game show) was to chess commentary.) Unfortunately Harry, instead of writing NPOV articles on the subject has been writing articles about pataphysics in the style of a pataphysican. this is to say in a deliberately obscure , obtuse and POV way. Moreover these articles are in fact generally copied from other websites with no sign of permission being sought. Harry has brushed this last problem with a claim that pataphysicans are anti-copyright and so it doesn't matter.
One example is the page [[Anthony_Hancock_Paintings_and_Sculptures:_A_Retrospective_Exhibition]] . NB Anthony Hancock is a character in the film The Rebel played by, perhaps confusingly, Tony Hancock. Knowing that Anthony Hancock is/was not a real person makes it easier to understand why this article is rubbish.
I have tried to engage in a debate with Harry (see Votes For Deletion), but as a relative newbie, I do not how to handle him and persuade to conform to our rules if he wants to contribute to the Wikipedia. For the first time having been on the 'net for years I fear I have been properly trolled.
Pete User:Pcb21
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