Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 18:52, 20 April 2007

Response to Bov's view

I think you misinterpret my sentiments. I was not talking only about conspiracy theorists, but any editor who pushes or gives undue weight to non-notable fringe or unverified (unverifiable?) stances, and thinks that it is Misplaced Pages's responsibility to give them a soapbox from which to push these views. Whether the view is "Matt Drudge is gay", or "Chimpy did MIHOP", it's all the same horse hockey to me, and it has no place on Misplaced Pages. WP is not a soap box, is not an investigative journalism organ, and is not a rumor mill. It is an encyclopedia, which reports verifiable information given by reliable sources. I also do not consider "POV pushing" to be a perjorative comment. It is an accurate description of the behavior of quite a few editors. - Crockspot 21:13, 18 April 2007 (UTC)

Mongo has reverted the addition of the claim that the collapse of WTC 7 was "an obvious controlled demolition, ordered by owner Larry Silverstein" and the addition of the sentence "you momma is a whore" on the same grounds ("rvv"). They are surely not the same sort of edit.--Thomas Basboll 06:30, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

• I should also point out that Bov is one of a number of editors who was canvassed by the caller of this RfC. - Crockspot 21:17, 18 April 2007 (UTC)

Just to clarify: that number includes Tom Harrison and Mongo. I informed a handful of editors that I believed would be immediately interested when I posted the RfC.--Thomas Basboll 06:30, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

Since you specifically named MONGO in the RFC, and named Tom as "trying to resolve the dispute", you were required to notify them. Aside from them, you only notified a very selective group of editors who would be sympathetic and didn't bother to notify me (despite my involvement on the pages in question). --Aude (talk) 19:29, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

I apologize for the oversight. I'm glad that you have found your way over here. I did consult the canvassing guideline before sending out those messages, and interpreted them to be more concerned about disturbing people (to whom the messages are sent) than somehow biasing an RfC. Also, it seemed to me that the first order of business was to find someone who might certify the dispute (so the RfC even gets off the ground) before bothering people with its existence. I can see my interpretation of "canvassing" isn't quite the same as yours. Again, sorry about the oversight. If it does last beyond tonight (which it may not), perhaps we can inform relevant editors on both sides together.--Thomas Basboll 06:19, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

I had previously asked Thomas to inform me, so you can remove me from the list of the canvassed. Tyrenius 06:49, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

Question for Crockspot

Do you think Mongo deserves a medal for his treatment of me? --Thomas Basboll 06:15, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

• I don't think you were treated all that badly. As I implied on the project page, civility can be difficult to maintain at times, but you were not that badly abused in this case. The words "thicker skin" come to mind. Crockspot 16:10, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

You are here saying that Mongo does not deserve a reprimand. That's one possible assessment of his behaviour, which, if it is the community's view, tells me what I can expect here, and that's what I'll base my decision on whether to stay or go on. Thanks for your input. But your outside view suggested that Mongo's treatment of me was praiseworthy because my work here is "foolish", "wacky" and "tricky". You also seem to think that it would be a good thing if I were "prevented" from contributing. Is that really your view of my work?--Thomas Basboll 06:13, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

To clarify, I was speaking in general, not about you specifically, because I do not edit 9/11 articles, and am not involved in the dispute. Just drawing from my own general observations on a certain "style" of editor, ie., POV pushers, whatever their POV. Some editors are more "crusty" than others. It's the way of the internet. I think you should just acknowledge that MONGO is one of the crusty ones, and move on. - Crockspot 14:40, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

MONGO does not seem to have a very thick skin for perceived slights, so it's double standards to ridicule Thomas for not having one. It's known as having feelings and being human. Tyrenius 06:51, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

Depends on the slight. Backstabbing is a big slight.--MONGO 17:19, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

Question for JungleCat

Are you suggesting that my edits constitute lying?--Thomas Basboll 06:18, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

I think what he's objecting to is your attempt to use Misplaced Pages as a soapbox to promote theories which are not substantiated by any credible source. Post-Modernism has its limits -- just because we may not all perceive things in the same way does not mean that there is no such thing as the facts, and frankly, there is zero reputable support for the claims you peddle, and here at Misplaced Pages, it's credible sources that we rely upon, not deconstructionist syllogism.  MortonDevonshire  Yo  · 06:38, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

Can you provide an example or two of me peddling an unsupportable claim?--Thomas Basboll 06:41, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

Some thoughts on Mongo's response

First, I was struck by and, of course, appreciate the apology. Your wording did come across as an attempt to intimidate and you were told that that's how it came across at the time. For some reason, however, you have waited until now to apologize. You have had no shortage of opportunities (an AN/I, an informal mediation, an awareness of this RfC in the making) to avoid taking the community's time with an RfC. All you had to do was apologize, plainly and simply, in the hours immediately after the remark was made.

Even now, you don't say you will stop the behaviour for which you are apologizing. Indeed, you justify it further, by suggesting that on the whole and in the long run it's better to treat people like me as you do than to risk treating real conspiracy theorists with respect. That environment is not an appealing place for people like me to work in, as I'm sure you can understand.

I happened to start in one corner of WP. The alternative explanations for the WTC collapse were a topic I found interesting, and where WP's differences from other media itself seemed to be interesting. It's what got me started. Your behaviour ensured that I didn't have the time and, importantly, the desire to expand my contributions. I was not welcomed. To propose that I could always contribute elsewhere (i.e., on articles you and I don't feel strongly about) is, for all intents and purposes, to propose I go away. There's a principle at stake here. Any group of articles, frequented by a committed group of editors, will offer conditions under which your argument would apply. People who hold unpopular POVs can be asked to contribute to pages that they are less interested in. That is as good as asking them to "stop editing" ("around here" if you will).

You say I want to introduce "conspiracy rhetoric" and cite a place where I suggest incorporating "facts" that are until now only available in conspiracy theory articles. You then offer a now familiar argument:

Many who trust the known evidence feel highly insulted when others, armed only with their predisposed belief that the known evidence may be or is incorrect, attempt to insert their predisposed beliefs into these articles...and try and cite questionable authorities who lack the credentials or the facts to back up their claims.

But you have never shown that the insult you felt from my presence had this basis. That is, you have never shown that I have attempted to insert predisposed beliefs or cite questionable authorities. Like I say above, the problem with your approach is, in part, that you treat me like that simply by association. And so everyone who thinks like me, and watches you and I work, quickly loses the desire to participate in the project. That is an important reason not to treat people like that even where you are right about their aims.

I would therefore like to hear your view on the policy issues I raise. You say I "appear to be a POV pusher" that it "looks like" I want to use WP as a soapbox. You then say you "don't know for certain that is the case". Now, policy states that the term "POV pushing" is considered incivil and should be applied only in "unambiguous cases". Similarly, you justify you actions by noting that your struggle is aimed at NPOV violations, but you repeatedly call these violations "vandalism", again, directly in violation of the relevant guidelines. Why?

WP is about to lose an editor because of a stubborn insistence on the right to treat fools like fools, even while admitting that the editor in question may be no fool. The difference between this case and the (I imagine) many other cases before it, is that the editor has decided to articulate his reason for leaving in elaborate detail. What you do with that is a matter for the WP community of the future to deal with. It is because I believe in the idea of WP that I bother. Like I say, I find the project interesting. Right now, however, it isn't living up to its ideals.

Best, --Thomas Basboll 07:12, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

Read WP:VAND...see "Sneaky vandalism"

• "Vandalism which is harder to spot. This can include adding plausible misinformation to articles, (e.g minor alteration of dates), hiding vandalism (e.g. by making two bad edits and only reverting one), or reverting legitimate edits with the intent of hindering the improvement of pages."

Indeed, this removal (which you cited in your comments as well) was definitely sneaky vandalism...plausible misinformation. It was also libel. As mentioned by me in my response and by Aude, if you only edit a very few articles and you routinely try to increase the coverage of speculative material in them, then the appearance is (for what shold be obvious reasons) that you are soapboxing or a POV pusher. It is just that simple. I also do think you are very thin skinned, and if you don't mind me saying, I suggest you not misuse Rfc in some attempt to out your main competition. I believe this Rfc is without merit, but I do respect your right to file it, even though I find it not likely to do anything to alter my beliefs about what your motivation on wikipedia are, or convince me that my beliefs of what your motivations are, are incorrect. I can't see that any further discussion on this matter from me will be of benefit to either of us.--MONGO 18:52, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

On Single Purpose Accounts

After reading Aude's view, I was suprised at the content (and status) of the page on single purpose accounts. First, it is neither a policy nor a guideline but an essay. Second, it is primarily intended to prevent people to go beyond "gentle scrutiny" into straightforward suspicion, which Aude seems to be suggesting I deserve (or may as well expect). Most single purpose accounts, it seems, are perfectly respectable, and being an SPA is not in itself counter to the community's standards. As I said above, in my thoughts on Mongo response, I pretty much got bogged down in my attempts to improve the WTC articles. This was precisely because my edits were unfairly (at least according to the essay Aude cites) treated with suspicion from day one. It also greatly reduced my desire to make more general contributions until I figured out what this project is really all about. That's something I'm learning now.--Thomas Basboll 09:46, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

Oh my Thomas, do not worry. It's simple: 3 months from now, after you'll have contributed to hundreds of other articles you will bring this RfC again and everything will be different then, your arguments will have different meaning then, of course. You'll find your place here, in this not-at-all authoritarianistic society. <sarcasm off> If I may, I'd recommend you watching this interview with John Dean by Keith Olbermann. SalvNaut 16:41, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

In his sarcasm, SalvNaut has accidentally hit on an important point. It wouldn't hurt to spread your wings a little and branch out. Use the "random article" button if you just can't think of another topic to edit. There is almost always some improvement that can be made to any article. I know of a handful of editors who have thousands of edits to a small handful of articles. When I have the occasional disagreement with them, and I look at their contribution history, I can't help but privately question their motives and neutrality. Editors may not state it, but they do get left with a negative impression. One has to question whether it is either healthy for the editor or in the interests of the Project for an editor to be so obsessed with making specific edits to specific articles, to the exclusion of any other contribution. You seem like a right civil and friendly fellow. I certainly wouldn't want you to be R-U-N-N-O-F-T of Misplaced Pages. I think you'll find that if you spread yourself around a little, you'll find a lot more joy to appreciate around WP, and other editors will be less likely to come to snap judgements about you. - Crockspot 16:55, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

Many of your points are fair. They could probably constitute on "A guide to healthy editing". However, personally I would feel uncomfortable with suggesting what to do to a person I know very little of. If, let's say, Stephen Hawking was hiding under a nickname and was editing only Black hole article, and was adding reasonable, sourced, but unpopular statements, should he be seen suspicious? Hmmmm. It is a difficult question, indeed. SalvNaut 17:14, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

Fair point. I am sure some would see Hawking's edits as suspicious. What "should" happen and what "does" happen are not always in sync, due to simple human nature. Then there are the wishes of Lord Rove that some of us are bound by blood oath to follow... oh crap, did I say that out loud? - Crockspot 18:03, 20 April 2007 (UTC)