From: wikien-l-bounces@Wikipedia.org [mailto:wikien-l-bounces@Wikipedia.org] On Behalf Of W. Guy Finley
Umm, no. Some things just aren't funny -- try going into
an airport
and joking about having a bomb and see how far your "I was just joking!" excuse gets while you're being cuffed and hauled
to jail.
"Joking" that you are a pedophile is no different in my mind.
Joking about having a bomb in an airport or actually having one is illegal. Joking about being a pedophile or actually being
one is not.
Still no difference in your mind?
No. Molesting children is a crime.
Sure. But saying you are a paedophile isn't. It might be stupid, but last time I looked, stupidity wasn't a crime and the world is full of such people slowly driving in the fast lane and getting in the way at revolving doors.
Let me guess, the next splitting hair argument of "well he's a child so being attracted to children is okay". "Pedophile" in common usage is a pejorative term.
You say this with the benefit of your advanced years. The world may seem very different to a sixteen year old. Cut the lad some slack. I don't see too many people saying he did the right or bright thing, but he seems to have reacted promptly to criticism and removed the userbox.
What more should we ask? Maturity, maybe? Should we have a minimum age limit for editing? How do we enforce that?
Peter (Skyring)