[WikiEN-l] You Really Don't Get It

[Todd Allen]

On 4/23/07, John Lee <johnleemk at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> In the end, I think it's more about the kind of people who are attracted to
> the project - specifically, the messy deep dark bowels of the project such
> as RfA, AfD, and all things that attract trolls (e.g. articles on polemical
> issues like [[George W. Bush]]). Most reasonable people hang out around
> these areas for a while, decide they're not worth it, and either leave or
> find their own niche on WP (mine seems to have become Malaysian articles;
> it's an obscure, quiet and peaceful area of WP where I do my best to keep
> politicians' biographies free from libel - not very hard when there aren't
> many people editing them).
>
> The nicest and most respectful people in the project tend to be those who
> avoid the polemical areas of WP. Trouble is, if nobody mans the polemical
> areas, who will? We can't surrender these things to the extremists - but the
> levelheaded centrists don't have the right temperament for handling them
> without burning out.
>
>
> Johnleemk
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Sounds to me that there's a solution there too. There's plenty of a
"silent majority" to take those over and then some. Those who are
generally good editors but occasionally lose their head and let bias
take over or get into an edit war should be forgiven. Those who POV
push or edit war frequently, on the other hand, need to get told to
shape up or leave, and if they don't do either need to get helped to
leave. And we need to be a hell of a lot quicker about it. If someone
hasn't quit edit warring after their fifth 3RR block, the sixth isn't
going to do it either.

Seraphimblade

-- 
Freedom is the right to know that 2+2=4. From this all else follows.