[WikiEN-l] filtering, etc.

[Zoe]

--- koyaanis qatsi <obchodnakorze at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Two points: one purely logical, the other political.
> 
> 1) the logical:
> 
> Our goal is, and let me reiterate this for those of
> you who have forgotten, to make a complete, factual,
> NPOV encyclopedia.  The only viable, though tedious
> and laborious, option in implementing filters on
> wikipedia would be to cite who believes what about
> which article--e.g. "George W. Bush believes this
> article was written by an anti-capitalist scumbag." 
> "Osama bin Laden says Allah will strike down the
> infidel who gave voice to these words." "Robert
> Mapplethorpe says this article is less explicit than
> the dreams he had when he was 12."  Otherwise, when
> we
> decide what is "explicit" or "controversial," we
> will
> be labeling the articles with a POV.  It may be a
> common POV, or an uncommon POV, but it will be a
> POV. 
> It will, furthermore, be the "official" wikipedia
> POV.
>  Wikipedia is not supposed to voice a POV.  Voicing
> a
> POV = bad.  Contrary to mission.  Not voicing a POV
> =
> good.  In keeping with mission.
> 
> Wikipedia is not your mother, or your thoughtful
> well-intentioned son.  It is an encyclopedia.  In
> keeping with the general purpose of encyclopedias,
> it
> presents information.  Some of you will not like
> information.  Those of you who do not like
> information
> will be at the wrong site.  Don't complain to
> Firestone because they sell tires and not pizza.
> 
> 2) the political:
> 
> And, since you've brought the children into it when
> they're not relevant, let me bring *you* into it
> when
> you are:  There are people throughout the world
> dying
> of starvation, some of them so desperate for food
> that
> they look through feces for undigested kernels of
> corn.  Already I hear you saying "Whoa!  Hey!  the
> details of your miserable life are too 'explicit'
> for
> me and my 200-pound 8 year-old son, driving down the
> street in an SUV eating a McRibs Deluxe."  I say to
> you, you are the posterchilds for miseducation, for
> fear, for censorship and everything wikipedia
> doesn't
> stand for:  you've so come to love the weight of
> your
> own ignorance, that yoke on your shoulders, that you
> miss its caress when it's gone.  Go in peace, but
> please do go.
> 
> kq

Bravo.  This entire "filtering" discussion is making
me ill.  I intend to have no part in it.  But then,
there are those who don't want me to have any part in
Wikipedia at all ...

Zoe


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