[WikiEN-l] Reply to Tony on advocacy - resend with new title

[John Tex]

>
>
> Message: 6
> Date: Fri, 5 May 2006 12:51:07 +0100
> From: "Tony Sidaway" < f.crdfa at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [WikiEN-l] We need to recognize that advocating is a
>         basic right
> To: "English Wikipedia" < wikien-l at wikipedia.org>
> Message-ID:
>         <605709b90605050451u54ffec61i46939c96b8f8a6e1 at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> On 5/4/06, Fred Bauder <fredbaud at ctelco.net> wrote:
> >
> > On May 4, 2006, at 10:10 AM, Tony Sidaway wrote:
> >
> > > On 5/4/06, John Tex < johntexster at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > >> This is "advocacy".  Contacting people to recruit them to support
> > >> you or to
> > >> act according to beliefs you think they may already have should
> > >> rightly be
> > >> called "campaigning". This is a Good Thing.
> > >>
> > >
> > > You're on the wrong project, mate.
> >
> > He's thinking about policy issues and expressing himself in the
> > proper forum. He's being courteous. He may be wrong, but input on
> > policy questions is welcome.
>
> All of the above may be true, but he's still on the wrong project.
> This is a project for the production of an encyclopedia, not for
> political campaigning.


Hi Tony,

I thought it was a bit rude of you to essentially invite me to leave the
project with your "You're on the wrong project, mate."  However, since
you're known for your somewhat surly statements and lack of civility, I let
it slide.  Now that you've repeated your transgression, however, I feel
compelled to respond.

I'm here to build an encyclopedia.  I hope that my contributions log shows
that I have helped to do that.  If people disagree, then there are proper
channels to go through if anyone thinks I shouldn't be here.  I'd thank you
to use one of them rather than to make your snide, off-wiki comments saying
I'm in the wrong place.

In the meantime, building the encyclopedia requires decisions on policy, as
well as daily decisions about how to apply policy to individual situations.


This requires discussion and sometimes debate.  That is inherently a
political process.  Person A will inevitably be trying to convince person B
and C that Person A is proposing the correct solution.  Sometimes Person A
will be successful in bringing B and C around.  Sometimes the opposite will
happen and A will change positions.  Sometimes people will agree to
disagree.  Etc.

Fortunately, Wikipedia is not ruled by Tony Sidaway, so you don't get to
make all the decisions yourself.  As long as multiple people are
contributing to decision-making, politics is a fact-of-life.

I welcome your continued presense on Wikipedia and I thank you for the
myriad contributions you have made to date.  I would thank you as well to
extend me the same courtesy, even if you disagree with my position.

Sincerely,
Johntex