[Wikipedia-l] Lir and Christopher Columbus

[dograt at earthlink.net]

On Tue, Oct 22, 2002 8:47 AM, wikipedia-l-request at nupedia.com
<mailto:wikipedia-l-request at nupedia.com> wrote:

>Message: 11
>Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 08:08:08 -0700
>From: Jimmy Wales <jwales at bomis.com>
>To: wikipedia-l at nupedia.com
>Subject: Re: [Wikipedia-l] Lir and Christopher Columbus
>Reply-To: wikipedia-l at nupedia.com

>Or, we could just relax and let the article be wrong for awhile.  In a
>day, maybe everyone will feel better.
>
>If some particularly vicious argument goes on for weeks at a time,
>then we can start thinking about alternative solutions.  But, usually,
>people get tired of it.

Lir has been at it for about 3 weeks since the day she joined. Her hallmark
is to edit artcles either using unsubstantiated, outlandish claims, all-
caps exclamations and/or political rants at the top of entries, childish
entries (see Iowa State history, for example: "common pastimes (at Iowa
State) are smoking, tripping, complaining..."),  changing other user's and
her own comments in talk pages, removing references to herself that seem
unflattering or challenge her and accusing other users of being racist if
they don't abide by her ridiculous edits. 

>
>Was Columbus a slave trader before coming to the New World?  Maybe, I
>don't actually know.  But I do know that it's the sort of claim that
>needs some documentation.  Maybe the guy who wants to say that can
>provide documentation, OR someone who doesn't want to say that can
>provide counter-documentation.

Maybe, but is the onus on us to provide counter- documentation to
speculative claims? More importantly, would it matter to lir? She quoted a
dean at Iowa state with an outlandish quote. I emailed the dean and he
flatly denied making such a quote. I posted that to the talk page and was
immediately attacked by lir and she promptly ignored my evidence and
reverted her quote.

>
>In the meantime, edit wars just make us all unhappy.
>
>--Jimbo


A lot of people seem very concerned about lir's feelings and her possible
positive contributions down the road. That's kind of wierd considering that
she has already wasted a considerable amount of other user's time and
energy with her combative, irrational tirades; time that could have been
spent making wikipedia better. I, for one, have severly curtailed my
contributions out of disgust and weariness. So, if you think that maybe we
should"just relax and let the article be wrong for awhile", you'll probably
get your wish. People like lir have worn me down and her edits certainly
won't be disturbed by me anymore.

dave