[WikiEN-l] Scott McCloud on Wikipedia

[Ray Saintonge]

geni wrote:

>On 2/24/07, Philip Sandifer <sandifer at english.ufl.edu> wrote:
>  
>
>>The problem he has? Notability. Specifically the arbitrary and
>>capricious way in which AfD targets things, questions their
>>notability, and uses guidelines that make no sense from the outside.
>>    
>>
>Treating those outside wikipedia as a single homogeneous group is
>illogical. Different groups will have different views about whether or
>not certain guidelines make sense. can find plenty of groups that
>think including any webcomics at all make us inferior and think that
>our inclusion of such non entities as penny arcade.
>
Who's saying that the outside is a single homogeneous group?  At least 
try to argue against what is said.  Saying that what matters to others 
is inferior is an act of pomposity.  Who has the right to arrogate such 
decisions to himself.  I am not so special as to pass judgement on 
someone else's interest in webcomics.  Are you?

>>See also Timothy Noah's recent article on Slate for this - it gives a
>>good view of how notability guidelines look to the outside. In this
>>case, it's how they look to the subject of the article, but I assure
>>you - they look similar to people who are familiar with the subject.
>>In short, they appear a Kafka-esque absurdity.
>>    
>>
>Almost any set of rules can be made to appear that way.
>
It's more than just appearing.  Rules can be a refuge from thinking.

Ec