[WikiEN-l] Vigilantism or due process (was: Plautus)

[Jussi-Ville Heiskanen]

On Thu, 2004-02-26 at 16:10, Gareth Owen wrote:

    "Poor, Edmund W" <Edmund.W.Poor at abc.com> writes:
    
    > How many people want admins to have the Authority to temp-ban any user
    > who (in their opinion) has violated a community rule? 
    
    Yes, please.  
    
    Troublemakers (like Wik, Iriskook and Plautus) only have to show a slight bit
    of subtlety and we bend over backwards to please them, frequently alienating
    actual, useful contributors.
    
     
    Gareth Owen

Oh, please no.

The dangers are more salient than the benefits. We can afford to lose
any number 
of users to exasperation with vandals and trolls. What we can not afford
is to
create (even with the best of intentions) a insular culture of obeisance
and
initiatory progression through the ranks. Sysophood is already too often
withheld
from unpopular users(/users holding unpopular views). Openness is the
jewel of
wikipedia, and it should be protected at nearly any cost.

I understand the will to prevent useful users from leaving in
frustration, but
we must be more concerned about the whole of wikipedia, than any one, or
even
several users. "The law created before me, shall outlast me." As much as
it pains 
us all, it is _most_ important to lay down rules which can be justified
without 
reference to current cases, and personages.

Jussi-Ville Heiskanen (aka Cimon Avaro)




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