[Foundation-l] Pedophilia and the Non discrimination policy

Newyorkbrad (Wikipedia) newyorkbrad at gmail.com
Sun Nov 29 01:09:15 UTC 2009


Let me make a few basic points here.

1. Obviously, we usually have no way of knowing what an editor's personal
beliefs or even activities are, unless he or she voluntarily discloses them.

2. At least on English Wikipedia, and I assume on other projects where the
issue has come up, there has been a policy (somewhat de facto, but with
high-level support) for several years of blocking self-declared
pedophiles and especially pedophile activists from editing.  The
justifications for the policy include those mentioned previously in this
thread.  There is also the fact that many users who go out of their way to
describe themselves as pedophiles may or may not actually be such at all,
but are simply trolling for reactions or to create controversy over whether
they should be blocked or not.

3. I have never seen a serious argument made that self-declared pedophiles
are protected by the Foundation's non-discrimination policy, and I certainly
have never seen any suggestion that the Foundation would overrule a block or
ban made by local project administrators on this basis, much less has this
actually happened or is there any likelihood it would ever happen.  The
question that opened this thread, about the wording of the policy, is at
best a purely theoretical one.

4. It is entirely 100% predictable from experience (cf the En-Wiki userbox
wheel war case from early 2006) that this thread will quickly degenerate, if
it hasn't already, into extreme rhetoric and name-calling without producing
much, if any, usual output.  I suggest in the strongest terms that this not
happen.

Newyorkbrad



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