Lir and his clones (Was: Re: [WikiEN-l] Sysop nomination: Jtdirl)

[Jimmy Wales]

cprompt wrote:
> I've advised Lir in the past to stop making new accounts, apologize and 
> ask the list for permission to return, and for guidance when he does 
> something that makes people want to block him. He says that he's already 
> done that, and he doesn't think that the list would respond well to 
> that. So, what do you people think? If Lir came around and said all of 
> that, how would you feel?

I'm in a unique position to make unpopular decisions and have them
stick, and I can say that if Lir were to mature and agree to act
co-operatively, I'd buck some serious heat if necessary to give
another chance.  I've done it before and been disappointed, but my
nature is to be very willing to allow people ways to grow, and to
"save face" and become something other than a pariah.

I'm constantly concerned, as is well known, that threats of banning
are tossed around too lightly, and that we should try (to a *point*,
at least) to reform people with love rather than berate them into
submission.  A reformed Lir would be a great propaganda coup for me,
illustrating that positive change is possible and desirable and so on.

However, the constant attacks -- and I consider making new accounts
and editing while banned to be a form of 'fuck you' to my face -- make
it difficult to believe that there's been any change at all.

--Jimbo