Silverback wrote:
Disallowing a particular word order or a dependent clause just because someone hasn't used it in a citation before is abusing the rule and results in a lot of the awkward language so many complain about in our articles.
This is not the first time that SIlverback has misrepresented a conflict in order to trivialize the importance of content and contents policies. The specific issue with RJII is this: he has added -- several times over the past several weeks, this definition of capitalism -- "private ownership of capital" and he has claimed, on the talk page and in the edit summary, that this definition comes from Marx. I am certain that this definition does not come from Marx, and is not Marxist, as RJII claims. So how do we resolve this dispute? I asked RJII to tell me where Marx said this or anything like this, to provide a citation. I have asked him repeatedly. He refuses to provide a citation.
This has nothing to do with word order or grammar, and for Silverback to insinuate that it does serves no constructive purpose.
Elian was right to say, "Enforce it" (our policy). The problem is -- how do we enforce it? Through what mechanism? Since RJII persists in adding this definition and refuses to provide a source, I personally want to block him from the article. But if I do so, I will be accused of abusing my admin powers by using them against someone "I am in a dispute with." Okay, I will leave it for others to do something. But I have to reiterate -- the problem is not that I am in a dispute with him, the problem is he won't follow policy.
And it doesn't help that whenever Silverback has an opportunity, he belittles our policies. Silverback, your own "definition" of capitalism only further muddies the waters. As you should know by now, your own definition of capitalism (like mine, or RJII's) is irrelevant here. We are researching an encyclopedia, and we are committed to NPOV and NOR. That means providing different people's definitions of capitalism in a verifiable way.
Please stop trivializing our project to write a good encyclopedia.
Steve
Steven L. Rubenstein Associate Professor Department of Sociology and Anthropology Bentley Annex Ohio University Athens, Ohio 45701