[WikiEN-l] a final word on Essjay

[Sam Blacketer]

On 3/4/07, wikien-l-request at lists.wikimedia.org <
wikien-l-request at lists.wikimedia.org> wrote:
>
> Date: Sun, 4 Mar 2007 12:48:55 EST
> From: daniwo59 at aol.com
>
> It is my sincere hope that people will just stop discussing this whole
> Essjay episode ad nauseum.
>
> Here is someone who made a mistake. You may even say a big mistake.
> For  that
> mistake he lost his credibility, he lost his community, he lost his  job
> at
> Wikia, and he is the subject of disparaging articles and opinions  both
> online
> and in print.
>
> Apart from a public lynching, what else do people want from him?


The really depressing thing about the episode is that so many editors did
seem to want a public lynching, and thought it would be for the good of us
all. All it was was just a childish joke by Essjay when he first signed up,
that ran away with him and only caught up when he was well-known enough to
really harm him. Not to say that I approve of what he did but I do have
immense sympathy for him.