Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 03:05, 9 May 2006

I ain't gonna work on Jimbo's farm no more

I was disgusted, but not terribly surprised, to see that six members of the Arbitration Committee -- Dmcdevit, Fred Bauder, JamesF/James D. Forrester, Sean Barrett/The Epopt, Charles Matthews and Jayjg -- condone hate speech and hateful epithets directed at the mentally disabled, and consider condemnation of that hate speech to be unacceptable behavior on Misplaced Pages -- behavior, in fact, so unacceptable that they say they find it a compelling reason to punish me.

I was a bit more surprised when an earlier form of this letter (differing only in describing the status of the pending arbitration, aside from this paragraph) was banned without explantion from the Misplaced Pages mailing list where such topics could supposedly be discussed. But I was appalled when discussions on that list, regarding a named editor, turned to open derision of the editor's supposed emotional/mental impairments, and that one Arbitration Committee member participated in the abuse.

As someone who has been involved for more than thirty years, professionally and nonprofessionally, in attempting to protect and to advance the rights of the mentally disabled, and as someone who for many years has served, and continues to serve as a guardian for such disabled members of my community. I find the use of such epithets grossly offensive; they are clearly inconsistent with Misplaced Pages's supposed commitment to civility. They form no part of civil discourse in any circumstances. They are particularly deserving of condemnation because they are directed toward, in very real terms attack, and have the greatest tendency to injure, a class of people who are less able, sometimes unable, to defend themselves, to resist the impact, or to respond on equal terms.

It should be no secret, no obscure facet of social fabric, that the mentally disabled, particularly the mentally retarded, are at greater risk than almost any other segment of a society. More likely to be the victims of physical attacks. More likely to be neglected by governments, particularly when their needs are greatest. In the relatively rare instances when they have substantial assets, they are more likely to have their assets stolen, particularly at the hands of those actors on whom a government has conferred power over them. They are more likely to be degraded and exploited by industries which purport to protect them and to serve their interests. More like to be the victims of sexual assaults, particularly of organized, group sexual assaults.

The casual use of such hateful epithets does not only harm the individuals it targets. It causes pain, often great pain to many others. It regularly inflicts pain on those with brothers and sisters, with parents, with children, with friends, with acquaintances, even with clients, who are abused and dehumanized by such behavior. It regularly inflicts pain on so many of those who deal, day by day, with lesser mental and emotional impairments, whether they choose to acknowledge those impairments, publicly or privately, or not.

I am quite proud that a self-styled community which apparently condones such behavior and condemns opposition to it finds me such a danger to it and its values that it is preparing to forcibly separate me from it. Nothing I have contributed to this curious place makes me more proud, and I doubt anything else could.

Monicasdude

Not licensed, no rights released

I congratulate you on your ability to dramatise (and spam). However, I would encourage you to stop using 'Not licensed, no rights released' at the end of anything you post. You agree to license anything you place on Misplaced Pages under the GFDL. If you don't accept it, don't contribute. Such a statement is meaningless. Although if you continue to insist that you do not license your contributions under the GFDL, we may be forced to not allow you to contribute at all. Of course, that may be your intention, to go out in flames and get yourself banned; I would argue it's a silly form of Wikisuicide-by-cop to do so. Matthew Brown (Morven) (T:C) 22:20, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

I must second that congratulations. To spin this entire sequence of events as an attack on the disabled is truly ludicrous and demeans those you so adamantly claim to defend. Also, as has been stated before, please stop removing warnings from your talk page -- Morven is completely correct, you cannot make any post here and claim that it is not licensed under the GFDL. Any post you make anywhere on Misplaced Pages clearly states that you agree to release it as such and this includes pages in the user space. .:.Jareth.:. 03:05, 9 May 2006 (UTC)