[WikiEN-l] Cla68 blocked for asking question

[William Pietri]

Jimmy Wales wrote:
>>> Now, does anybody else think that orders of "zero tolerance and shoot
>>> on sight" seem to fit better for the East German Stasi guarding the
>>> Berlin Wall than for anything on Wikipedia?  Where's the Wikilove in
>>> that?  (Have I just triggered some relative of Godwin's Law?)
>>>       
>> Folks, before you write this off as an excessive rant - please think about
>> it some.
>>     
>
> Yes, think about everything some.  But also realize that there is such a 
> thing as an excessive rant from someone who really really has crossed 
> the line in comparing a 24 hour block for trolling to the "East German 
> Stasi".
>   

Just to be clear, Jimbo, Dan wasn't comparing the Stasi to Durova's 
block, but rather to your request to shoot on sight. I agree that his 
post was hyperbolic, presumably for effect. But wasn't your bit about 
shooting also hyperbole?

Having read a fair bit from both of you, I subtracted that hyperbole to 
get to what I think are the serious meanings. But I think Marc's point 
is that for people who don't know the background, it's easy to 
misunderstand.  For example, when David refers to a class of people as 
"the idiots", I read it as what I might call, "the less helpful 
participants, some of whom I trust will become better contributors down 
the line".  To-may-to, to-mah-to.

If I understand rightly, Marc is concerned that a lot of people take 
these harsh words too literally, absorbing an attitude that subtly 
causes deleterious social effects. Personally, as a guy with friends who 
lovingly bandy insult and obscenity on a daily basis, it doesn't worry 
me much. But plain text is a notoriously easy medium to be misunderstood 
in, so like Marc, I think it's worth a little thought.

William

-- 
William Pietri <william at scissor.com>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:William_Pietri