[WikiEN-l] No more blocking people for who they *are*?

[Peter Mackay]

> From: wikien-l-bounces at Wikipedia.org 
> [mailto:wikien-l-bounces at Wikipedia.org] On Behalf Of Jimmy Wales
 
> 1. Wikipedia is not a free webhosting service, your userpage 
> is not your own infinite free-speech zone where you can 
> pontificate about anything, no matter how bad it makes Wikipedia look.
> 
> 2.  Wikipedia is a diverse community with extensive tolerance 
> for what people put on their userpages.  We try to get people 
> to change with reason and kindness rather than hardcore 
> measures, whenever we can.

I like the analogy with a worker's cubicle. A certain amount of
self-expression is accepted. Family photographs, movie posters etc. But
displaying gatefolds from Penthouse or extreme political messages is
generally discouraged, sometimes to the extent of dismissal.
 
> Now, achieving balance between these two is a difficult 
> matter.  But I think that people who self-identify as 
> pedophiles (with a userbox or
> otherwise) could bring Wikipedia into serious disrepute, and 
> I have a real problem with that disruption.

The editor self-identifies as a sixteen year old boy. A quiet word rather
than a whack over the earhole might be more appropriate.

Looking at the history of [[NAMBLA]] it is clear that there are edits from
several points of view. Whether or not any of these edits were made by
self-identified paedophiles, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that some of
them were made by people with a deep and personal interest.

How do we maintain NPOV and avoid charges that we are a haven for
paedophiles, neo-Nazis and supporters of terrorism?

Peter (Skyring)