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

[Chip Berlet]

It's all about the Social Contract.

 

Using the cubicle analogy, it's always better in an office to make it clear what is acceptable in writing, and then posting it for all to see. That's the whole idea of an employee contract in the workplace. "Harassment based on race or gender will not be tolerated." Is a typical rule in the workplace. 

 

We need to make our boundaries more clear and have a few more rules of use, especially about user pages and their content. I just went through an arbitration that resulted in one editor being banned for a year, not for our editing conflict, but because he turned his user page into a shrine for personal attacks on me.

 

Maybe we need an Asimov corollary based on the Three Rules of Robotics.

 

1. Wikipedians must never post material that calls for illegal activity or the harming of human beings or, through inaction, allow such text to remain unchallenged. 

2. Wikipedians must follow the posted guidelines and defend Wikipedia as a collaborative community without violating rule 1. 

3. Wikipedians have a right to defend their edits and protect their reputation in a reasonable and collaborative way without violating the other rules.

 

We do not block people for who they are, but for what they post and for behavior that threatens Wikipedia as a community.

 

Calling for attacks on Jews or any group, suggesting illegal activity, calling for terrorism, all fall outside the boundaries of the above rules.

 

-cberlet


________________________________

From: wikien-l-bounces at Wikipedia.org on behalf of Peter Mackay
Sent: Wed 2/8/2006 8:26 AM
To: 'English Wikipedia'
Subject: RE: [WikiEN-l] No more blocking people for who they *are*?



> From: wikien-l-bounces at Wikipedia.org
> [mailto:wikien-l-bounces at Wikipedia.org] On Behalf Of Jimmy Wales

<<SNIP>>

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

Peter (Skyring)


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