[Wikipedia-l] Re: Inflammatory rhetoric (Ark)

[Poor, Edmund W]

Maveric and Stephen wrote:

|> I personally give up and say we should issue one
|> final warning and then test 
|> the block user function if that warning is also
|> ignored. 
|
|I strongly object. Using stupid rhetoric on talk pages
|is not grounds for locking someone out. Ark has made a
|lot of good contributions relating to computer
|security, and it's unfortunate that he doesn't play
|nice with others. He also has an agenda to push. But
|let's not get too ban-happy. 
|. . . a better option would be for many different
|Wikipedians to ruthlessly edit the problem articles.

I wrote the following to Ark on a talk page:

=>Hi, Ark. Welcome back. Your contribution to this
=>subject has the potential to be very valuable. Also,
=>bear in mind that how you present yourself in the
=>talk pages makes a strong impression on others. We
=>are impressed with solid scholarship, but we also
=>enjoy a cordial atmosphere.
=>
=>You may not be aware that phrases like "you can't
=>accept" or "you can't dismiss" are taken personally.
=>Now, if you and I were talking on the phone (or
=>better, in person), it would be easy for me to
=>perceive the gentle spirit behind the words. But,
=>alas, we get only the bare text here.
=>
=>I myself am very much against infanticide and child
=>abuse, so anything you can do to expose these crimes
=>in the article pages would be welcome to me. Let's
=>discuss what we can each do to help each other make
=>excellent articles on such worthy topics. Ed Poor
=>12:01 Aug 13, 2002 (PDT)

He neither replied nor made further contributions since then. Perhaps he is thinking over what I wrote.

Ed Poor