[WikiEN-l] "Suicide methods" article

[gjzilla at gmail.com]

On 4/16/07, Slim Virgin <slimvirgin at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 4/16/07, Tim Starling <tstarling at wikimedia.org> wrote:
> > Jeff Raymond wrote:
> > > Newyorkbrad (Wikipedia) wrote:
> > >
> > >> I consider myself a rather conventional and non-rouge type of editor and
> > >> administrator but it is requiring a supreme effort of willpower not to
> > >> perform an immediate IAR speedy deletion of this article on the ground
> > >> that
> > >> it represents an imminent threat to human life and safety whose
> > >> existence tends to place the project in disrepute.  I have no desire to
> > >> create drama, but I am gravely troubled and would welcome comments from
> > >> other Wikipedians.
> > >
> > > I hate to be a broken record, but not censored is not censored.  It's not
> > > u pto us to make a distinction on what may end up being "dangerous."
> > >
> > > I mean, are you going to go after [[Self-immolation]]?  [[Erotic
> > > aspyxiation]]?  Where do we draw the line?
> >
> > Draw the line where good judgement dictates that it should be drawn. Don't
> > defend a policy on the basis that there exists no better policy that a
> > robot could understand -- we are not robots. Wikipedia is not a platform
> > for free speech, the lack of censorship does not mean we should publish
> > everything that can possibly be published. We need to select our material
> > based on more nuanced criteria.
> >
> I agree. Wikipedia is not a free-speech zone. It's a project to create
> an encyclopedia, one that needs a sense of responsibility commensurate
> with its popularity.
>
> Sarah
>

Do you want to be "responsible" or write an informative encyclopedia?

Keep in mind, if you choose the first option, what will we exclude,
exactly? [[Suicide-by-cop]]? [[69 (sex position)]], because someone
might read it and want to do it, and then get an STD and die? Or
perhaps [[atheism]], because some think that if you don't believe, you
will go to [[hell]]? (That's surely worse than suicide.)

What I'm saying is, people can get this info from other places online
(i.e. alt.suicide.holiday). Maybe, if we write a fair, non-glorifying
article on suicide methods, then we might save someone's life. Maybe
*that* is more "responsible" than simply driving a kid to those other
places.

Just a thought.

~~~~