[WikiEN-l] An open letter to Jimmy Wales

[doc]

Oskar Sigvardsson wrote:
> This controversy has been going on for a long while now, and I just
> want to say something to both Jimmy and Larry:
> 
> Suck it up, and take your petty fight elsewhere! I don't know what
> happened in the early days of wikipedia, and I don't much care to. You
> have different versions of the same story, and the constant carping is
> getting tiring. And wikipedia and wikipedians are getting caught right
> in the middle. Wikipedia is getting a bad rep because of all this, and
> many different users are locked in an endless struggle trying to do
> either Jimmy's or Larry's bidding.
> 
> We don't need it. This is an issue between *you two*, and every time
> you start one of your diatribes or Jimmy asks for articles to be
> changed, it puts us, the community, in an impossible situation. It
> needs to end.
> 
> So, on behalf of those who actually write wikipedia, I say: suck it
> the hell up!
> 
> Larry, Jimmy readily admits that you where the original
> Editor-in-Chief of wikipedia, and with helping to form some of the
> early core policies. Isn't that enough? You've already basically
> denounced wikipedia in as many ways and places you can think of (not
> least this thread), why would you even want to be considered one of
> its chief architects? You've got a whole project to yourself, I
> suggest you stick to improving that.
> 
> Jimmy, stop getting involved in the articles that concern yourself,
> Larry and the history of wikipedia. It's an impossible conflict of
> interest, not only for you, but for the wikipedians that are loyal to
> you (who, again, are put in an impossible situation). You know better
> than anyone that the wikipedia process works beautifully. Trust the
> process that works for the rest of the encyclopedia, and stay the hell
> away and let the editors sort it out. I think you have enough insight
> to realize that you're not neutral on the issue.
> 
> So, please, both of you, get yourself some blogs and hash it out away
> from wikipedia servers, and away from community at large. We don't
> need it.
> 
> Rant over.
> 
> --Oskar
> 
> _______________________________________________
> WikiEN-l mailing list
> WikiEN-l at lists.wikimedia.org
> To unsubscribe from this mailing list, visit:
> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikien-l

Thank you!

That's about the most balanced analysis I've read yet. Far better than 
most of the pledges of allegiance to Jimmy, or the "two minute hate" 
response to Larry, that we've had on this list.

As long as neutral people write the relevant articles, most of us can 
either stop caring, or draw our own conclusions on who (if anyone) is 
deluded, self-deluded, spinning, lying or otherwise manipulating history.

Me, I'll go back to adopting the mantra of a wise man: "Decline to 
participate, sorry"