[WikiEN-l] Thoughts on naming people - article content, this time.

[Charlotte Webb]

On 6/4/07, Jeff Raymond <jeff.raymond at internationalhouseofbacon.com> wrote:
> To de-emphasize these things would probably be more POV than to note them
> properly.  Do we overdo it sometimes?  Probably.  But is there no place
> for it?

I'm not advocating any of this, just making random observations and
asking rhetorical questions, to see what other people think about the
ironic and unwritten general practice:

If the subject is Black, or Asian, or Pacific Islander, or American
Indian, or Alaska Native, or Hispanic, we say so. We add them to
categories and to lists.

If they are white, rather than saying so, we look for a photo.

If we can't find a photo, we assume that the reader assumes the
subject is white, because we haven't stated otherwise, because white
is the default skin tone.{{fact}}

If the person knows which boat their ancestors arrived on, we might
say they identify as "Norwegian American" or as "Irish American", then
the reader can conclude the subject is white, but only  if they know
the demographics of Norway or Ireland.

Failing that, we assume that the person's race is irrelevant, and drop
the issue completely [1].

Disable images and try reading [[The Streets]] or [[Brent Barry]] [2],
then think about the blind people who might be listening to a recorded
or synthesized reading of the article.

Likewise if a subject identifies as "gay" or "bisexual" we say so, we
back it up with reliable sources, we put them in a category, we add
them to a list, we put a big LGBT project banner on the talk page.

If they identify as "straight", again, we explain it by example rather
than statement. We give a thorough account of the person's various
heterosexual relationships and marriages and the children which
resulted, possibly invading families' privacy along the way.

Again I'm not pushing for any changes. I'm just wondering if others
actually think this is the most neutral way to write, or if it is just
what we have conveniently decided to settle upon.

—C.W.

[1] For the record I'm about 37.5% "white".
[2] "Trivia", really?