[WikiEN-l] A call for moderation

[Jimmy Wales]

Tim Starling wrote:
> What is relevant is what offends people here and now. This one image in 
> question obviously does. It's a pity we don't have any representatives of 
> those offended here on this list to mediate a compromise -- it seems to me 
> that both the people suggesting compromises in this thread and the people 
> refuting them have very little understanding of what is actually necessary 
> to answer the objections of the moderate petitioners.

I agree very much with Tim.  The Wikipedia way has always been to 
attempt to find a common ground which is widely satisfactory to all but 
the most unreasonable people.

Here are two unreasonable positions:

1. Anything which offends me (or offends anyone) has to be removed from 
Wikipedia completely.

2. Offensiveness is completely irrelevant to all editorial 
decisionmaking and in fact anyone who mentions finding something 
offensive should be mocked, and we should try to find even more 
offensive things to put in Wikipedia just to show them.

Fortunately, both are straw-men positions not advocated by anyone.

So here we are in the middle trying to find a way to educate and inform 
in a mature, responsible way.

It is a shame that in this thread we do not have any representatives who 
might be able to find a compromise which would be satisfactory to the 
moderate petitioners, while at the same time fulfilling our general 
desire to not censor Wikipedia.

--Jimbo