[WikiEN-l] Wikipedia and "indecent" content

[Oldak Quill]

2008/12/23 Thomas Larsen <larsen.thomas.h at gmail.com>:
>> I don't see the point in suppressing the image of a naked pre-pubescent
>> girl.
>> Are you claiming that such an image is obscene or something?
>>
>> Wouldn't a conclusion like that be best left up to the courts to  decide?
>> I would have no problem suppressing images that a court has actually
>> decided
>> are obscene.
>> But suppressing in-advance sure smells like censorship to me.
>> And a type of censorship that no Western government is actually  practicing.
>
> Whether the image is obscene or not is irrelevant; whether suppression
> is censorship (as it is) is also irrelevant. What's relevant is
> whether or not such an image is appropriate for an encyclopedia such
> as Wikipedia claims to be, and whether or not including it is in
> accordance with established standards of content scholarship.

You are suggesting that a particular image should not be shown in
Wikipedia. I assume you would be happy for an image of an apple to be
shown in the relevant article. What motivates you to want the album
cover removed in particular? In other words, if you believe that the
image is not appropriate for Wikipedia, why do you believe that?
Surely the motivation here is whether the image is "obscene" or not?
If that is the case, then whether the image is obscene or not is
relevant, since it is your motive for wanting the image removed. What
of those who disagree with you regarding the obscenity of the image?

Even some of those who agree that the image is obscene may not wish to
suppress the image. A Voltaire quotation might be relevant here. So
surely the role that suppression should play in Wikipedia is also
important to this discussion, and is not irrelevant?

-- 
Oldak Quill (oldakquill at gmail.com)