[Wikipedia-l] The poor, tired, windshield police...

[Michael R. Irwin]

> Mike Irwin wrote:
>   Having Fucking Asshole and Throbbing Monster Cock
> in use as accounts names and spread throughout the
> Wikipedia greatly limits the appeal and utility of
> the database and site for a lot of potential users.
> 
> 
> My reply:
> 
> Could pages be rated for maturity and the appropriate rating meta 
tag be inserted into the page header for childproofing software?
> 
> 
> Christopher Mahan
> chris_mahan at yahoo.com
> http://www.christophermahan.com/
> 

On one hand .... Anything is possible given sufficient
free labor and infinite time.  Whether volunteers think it 
is reasonable or worthwhile for implementation is 
another question.

It is my experience that most of my relatives and friends do not
mess around with kiddie censorship or spy software.   It is sufficient
that the kids know where they should or should not be and that they
have occasional adult advice/supervision.  If they do not use the 
computer responsibly, then they do not use it for a while.  Remarkably
repressive I know but it seems effective.  They seem to absorb what
parents or "Uncle" Mike will view as "responsible" quite quickly, 
their furtive behavorial cues inviting a spot check makes baby 
sitting or casual supervision fairly easy and amusing. 

If this nonsense can be easily avoided then the adults will
mandate that it should be avoided.   If the adults find
it permeates the site past a threshhold, the site will
be placed off limits.  Probably redundant.  The kids 
know the basic rules, no spy/censorsihp software required, 
we check on our minors periodically, and they learn rapidly.

Also, one kind of has to wonder if an account name like
Throbbing Monster Cock; and the associated visual humor; is 
a cruising tool for a potential child molester.  Of the
adults I know, some would find it amusing in private while
most would not consider it appropriate public humor with
minors present in the audience.

Have we determined what our target audience for
Wikipedia (online and derivative products) should be?  
The last attempted discussion I saw on the topic at
meta was cut short due to uncivil behavior.

It would certainly seem, to me, more appropriate free 
speech to exercise at an adult porn site rather than a 
general encyclopedia site.

Finally, IMO, it is unreasonable to expect kids to use an
encyclopedia where pages and utilities are randomly and
arbitarily (from the minor's perspective) restricted
due to the casual dropin of a flashing account name.

Consider the following operational scenario:
 
1.  A minor is checking occasionally to see if an answer to their 
question on a science or math talk page has appeared from one of 
the admired Wikipedian authors.
2.  Suddenly due to [[Throbbing Monster Cock]] attempting
to flash them with this signature, they are restricted from 
the applicable talk page.   

Not a very good operational scenario in my view.

So I say censorship software is probably a waste
of time and undesirable.   A public librarian or 
school board might have a different perspective.
Likewise other parents and relatives with different
rearing habits or experiences.

Regards,
Mike Irwin