Misplaced Pages talk:Activist

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This page was nominated for deletion on 7 November 2010. The result of the discussion was keep.

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Arbitration list

Can anyone explain what the purpose of this list is, and what the criteria for inclusion are? AndyTheGrump (talk) 15:36, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

For me it's like a reference room to activist behaviors; however, consensus seems to be that directly citing cases here would not benefit Misplaced Pages. It provides the objective basis to form un-cited opinions. If wiki had a legal process, then an Administrative Judge Opinion might be in order to review these and write an essay; however, no such process exists yet. It's up to us fair minded folks here. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 15:41, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

Easier to understand with examples

Could you maybe show some tactical, intereresting examples on the Wiki of this activity actually going down? Concrete examples make an article come alive.TCO (talk) 02:14, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

I did have links to ArbCom case decisions in which group activism was alleged. Another editor removed the links, however, a few weeks ago and no one else weighed-in on whether they thought the links should be restored or not. Another editor above suggested adding links to RfCs which also might show evidence of group activism. If you agree that such links are helpful, they could be restored and/or added. Cla68 (talk) 04:42, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

I was teasing! It's a better article with the info added, but the way group dynamics and editing work on Wiki, I would leave it off. The guilty parties can't complain as easily if you don't identify them. ;) TCO (talk) 16:06, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

I don't see any problem with the long list that used to be here. However, without specifically citing examples from within each case, which is obviously not a good idea, I'm not sure how much value that list would add. ScottyBerg (talk) 16:27, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

The Arbcom list and links were great. Maybe a expandable list. A short pith example from each would be beneficial. Activism is a growing issue. Will be difficult to sort out the NPOV, this article may help. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 18:40, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

Nah, that would open a hornet's nest. Once a case has been adjudicated it's best to let matters lie, rather than to stir things up and reopen old wounds. ScottyBerg (talk) 18:55, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

Whether all of those cases actually involved group activism is open to question. That's why I simply listed them all and left it open to the reader to decide, after reading this essay and then reading the evidence pages and decisions in those cases, whether group activism was actually present or not. One of the purposes of this essay is to influence editors to use critical thinking when observing the behavior of groups of editors in controversial topic areas. Cla68 (talk) 23:10, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

Write it off wiki?TCO (talk) 15:27, 20 December 2010 (UTC)

Image

I wonder if anyone would object to switching to a more generic or antiquarian lead image, perhaps something like this. I think it would be preferable to using any current controversy, like anti-nukes. This would be in line with not singling out any particular cause. ScottyBerg (talk) 19:07, 20 December 2010 (UTC)

Moved from the essay

I can't understand parts of this, so I'm moving it here until it's clarified. SlimVirgin 17:48, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

Frequently activists are spotted by their continuous treatment of negative information in relation to their POV and the verified truth within the reliable sources presented. They may make a false positive claim to include, when in fact there is none to be source substantiated (i.e. excessive belief). Or, they may make a false negative claim to exclude when supporting content exists in a reliable source; however, the activist's excessive skepticism is the real issue for exclusion. Additionally, they may uncivilly reject or advance content by ignoring rules to benefit their common interests over the neutral goal of Misplaced Pages, especially for reasons beyond grounding in Misplaced Pages's principles. Activists may self-identify or, they may be assume this identity from a group, accepting the group's identity with a common interest. How activists handle their behaviors and roles, is key to their survival.

What don't you understand? Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 17:52, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

It's oddly written. For example, what does this say? "They may make a false positive claim to include, when in fact there is none to be source substantiated (i.e. excessive belief)." SlimVirgin 17:55, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

It's the diagnostic method elaboration of POV pushing. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 17:58, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

I don't know what that means either. As written the sentence doesn't have a clear meaning; the rest of the paragraph has similar issues. SlimVirgin 18:02, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

(Aside "meaning management" is my favorite branding topic. ) If you can't identify specific issues, how can I help you solve them? The passage is an attempt to diagnose and identify (spot) Misplaced Pages activist with specific reference to truth table analysis. I agree it could be said better. The line you identified is a method to spot what Wikipedians call POV pushing. What does "POV pushing" mean to you, how do you spot it? Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 18:09, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

I think parts of this have been written by someone whose first language is not English. I haven't looked to see who it is; if it's you, I apologize. The problem is that it's genuinely difficult to understand what's being said. The first sentence doesn't seem to say much. The second sentence really isn't comprehensible: "They may make a false positive claim to include, when in fact there is none to be source substantiated (i.e. excessive belief)." And so on.

I think we all know what POV pushing is, and this isn't really the place to explain it anyway.

If we're writing an essay to advise people about writing and research, it must itself be clearly written. Sorry. SlimVirgin 18:22, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

Ok. Help me make it clearer for relvence to spot activists. I started the section. My first language is urban American. What do you mean by "genuinely difficult" or "say much" or "isn't comprehensible" can you be clearer? Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 18:33, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

I would copy edit it if I knew what it was trying to say. First sentence: "Frequently activists are spotted by their continuous treatment of negative information in relation to their POV and the verified truth within the reliable sources presented." What is that saying? SlimVirgin 18:38, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

Again, the intent is to diagnose disruptive activism. A key approach in diagnosis is to tests the negatives. I suspect the issue is with "negative information in relation to their POV". That means a suspected activist negation of information, may done in relation to their POV (with original research) and ignore the sources. Somehow, they judge including the information to be negative to their POV and personal interest, rather than negative to what a sources say and wikipedia's best interests (which I assume is the preferred negation method). The "continuous" word was an attempt to simply say, assume good faith, only repeated denial of sources and Misplaced Pages principle is cause for activist concern. Everyone makes simple mistakes; however, continuing the issues after errors have been identified, is cause for concern as an activist. I would like to elaborate the section. Maybe I should write a longer piece, somewhere else first? Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 19:05, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

You could try a longer piece in your userspace if you like. I'd be willing to help you copy edit that section, but we'd need to take it sentence by sentence, with you explaining what each one meant in a way I could understand, so that I could summarize it. SlimVirgin 19:08, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

Ok ... I'll let you know, when I have something for comment. My writing can be cryptic. Thanks. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 19:17, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

Compromise section

I also moved this because seeking compromise is definitely not a mark of activist editing. The writing is also problematic.

A favorite tools is insistence on compromise. This works because it seems fair and reasonable — as long as you don't think too carefully about it. Misplaced Pages policies cannot be overruled by compromise or talk page consensus, and if an article violates those policies it needs to be rectified. Editors should not compromise on policy, and insistence on following policies is not Wikilawyering.
Game theory dictates some of the choices of activists. If the end result is to be a compromise, some will stake out the most extreme position possible, trusting that the compromise will thus tilt toward their position. In encyclopedic terms there's no reason to expect that the best solution has to be precisely in the middle. Think of the famous Randy in Boise: a compromise with Randy stating that only half of the soldiers in the Peloponnesian War were sword-wielding skeletons wouldn't be a service to Misplaced Pages users. Instead of compromise seek principled agreement based on Misplaced Pages's policies and guidelines.

SlimVirgin 17:55, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

Please go ahead and fix the writing (which has deteriorated over time, as is the way of Misplaced Pages). But insistence on compromise is definitely a characteristic of activist editors. You may be falling into a logical misstep: while insistence on compromise is a hallmark of activist editing, not everyone who insists on compromise is an activist. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 18:32, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

I fixed the parts of the writing I could understand, and moved the rest here. As for the compromise issue, the essay says activist editors will usually avoid seeking compromise, so adding that section contradicts the rest. In my experience it's the activists who usually dislike compromise, because they want their articles to be "on message". SlimVirgin 18:36, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

Claiming "compromise" can be a component of "activist" editing. I think this paragraph makes a good point:

"A favorite tools is insistence on compromise. This works because it seems fair and reasonable — as long as you don't think too carefully about it. Misplaced Pages policies cannot be overruled by compromise or talk page consensus, and if an article violates those policies it needs to be rectified. Editors should not compromise on policy, and insistence on following policies is not Wikilawyering."

The above could be written better but I think it makes a good point. As for it being in contradiction with what is said about "compromise" elsewhere in the article, probably we have to break down the concept of "compromise" further to develop a distinction between "good" compromise and "bad" compromise. I would hazard a guess that we should never sacrifice the articulation and conveyance of information on the alter of "compromise." Nor should we be compromising core Wiki principles except when for instance a case can be made for Ignoring All Rules. Bus stop (talk) 19:35, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

Bear in mind that this page isn't about whether compromise can be good or bad. And it's not about how compromise relates to the policies. It's about how to spot activist editing.

A very clear hallmark of activist editing is an unwillingness to accept compromise, regardless of the policies. That doesn't mean that everyone who does this is an activist editor, of course. But to write that " favorite tools is insistence on compromise" is completely false. Seeking compromise is usually a sign of good editing, bearing in mind the need to stick to the policies (the subject of another page). SlimVirgin 19:53, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

I think the second paragraph is also very apt. I would leave out reference to "game theory." In fact I would leave out reference to "Randy in Boise" even though I think it is very funny and illustrates the point well. But I agree that:

"If the end result is to be a compromise, some will stake out the most extreme position possible, trusting that the compromise will thus tilt toward their position. In encyclopedic terms there's no reason to expect that the best solution has to be precisely in the middle."

What this is saying is that it is an "activist" characteristic to not be aiming to get the most accurate information into the article but to strategize editorially. "Compromise" is an inherently problematic concept, I think, in writing an encyclopedia—even though this is an intensively collaborative project. The need for "compromise" should be a red flag—calling for a major reevaluation of the impasse that editors find themselves at. In my opinion a likely solution is more rather than less information at that point. Bus stop (talk) 19:59, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

Misplaced Pages is built on consensus and compromise (within the policies). We can't suddenly claim that's a sign of activist editing. SlimVirgin 20:10, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

Sure we can, because it's often observed in practice. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 20:12, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

I don't want to ask for examples, because it would mean posting contentious diffs. All I can do is repeat that in six years of editing, I've never associated that with activist editing. And it would seem that others agree, because the opposite point is made in the essay:

Editors operating in good faith will try to cooperate, collaborate, and compromise with almost all other editors. Rather than removing reliably sourced information, good faith editors will work with others to resolve the dispute and try to retain some substance of the text at issue. Activists, on the other hand, usually refuse. During any content dispute with activists, tag-team edit warring and long, convoluted wiki-lawyering on the article talk page become the norm.

SlimVirgin 20:26, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

You say, "the opposite point is made in the essay." These aren't "opposite" points. I agree that we don't want to "ask for examples". "Compromise" should not be necessary because points at variance with one another can often be accommodated by allotting space to all reliably sourced viewpoints. I think "activist" editing is often characterized by an aim to exclude information. "Compromise" can be a "bad" thing when it serves as a sanctimonious excuse for excluding reliably sourced information. The remedy to this type of "bad" compromising is the inclusion of more information, reliably sourced of course. This can be thought of as an "accommodating" approach. It is the remedy to the misuse of the concept of "compromise" by "activists." Bus stop (talk) 20:50, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

Activism can also take the form of insistence on including irrelevant information, or placing excessive weight on small-minority views. What about Randy from Boise's insistence on compromise by including at least some reference to sword-wielding skeletons? Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 21:14, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

That can be a problem with (poor) compromise, but the question here is whether it's a sign of activism. SlimVirgin 21:25, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

In my experience, yes. (As suggested above I, er, would prefer not to name names...) Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 21:28, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

Simplifying: The problem is generally with "my way or the highway" proposed "compromises". Real compromises occur when each "side" gives up something - when one side says they will give up essentially nothing, there is a problem, Houston. (self-spam) see essay WP:Advocacy articles for part of my opinion on this. Collect (talk) 21:31, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

See argument to moderation. The "Examples" section is particularly instructive. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 21:36, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

It is possible that argument to moderation exists sometimes in Misplaced Pages. The Misplaced Pages model, however, requires that attempts at compromise be made when editors disagree with each other. That means, I suppose, that argument to moderation is possible, but I've never seen that actually happen. I agree with SV that, based on my observations, a refusal to compromise is a sign of activist editing. An expectation by editors of efforts to compromise is not really a signal of problematic activism in an article. Cla68 (talk) 00:53, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

And based on my observations it does happen. We seem to be at an impasse. What say you? Shall we -- compromise? Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 01:37, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

We are not "compromising", even though this is an intensively collaborative project. What we are doing is "accommodating" one another. We are doing so while operating in conformance with nonnegotiable principles, such as the requirement calling for reliable sources. The problem is seeing an "either/or" situation when there is ample room for more than one perspective to be expressed. But any perspective expressed much have adequate support in sources. Material included can have implications that contradict what other included material implies. Also, it is not our responsibility to reconcile seemingly contradictory implications unless of course a source attempts to address that reconciliation. Bus stop (talk) 04:11, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

Vicious circle. What you think is a reliable source I say is an unreliable source. The metric provided by Misplaced Pages for determining which of us is correct is vague enough to allow for endless argument. In practice, what happens is that certain editors declare certain sources to be reliable or unreliable by fiat because the way reliability is judged in the real world is through personal appraisal of experts which is an activity explicitly forbidden at Misplaced Pages. Sources which conform to the reliable ones are then permitted for inclusion while sources which do not conform are excluded on the basis of unreliability. And that's how we get things done on Misplaced Pages. The alternative is allowing every possible boneheaded idea its day in the sun. jps (talk) 07:39, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

Arguments over what constitutes reliable sourcing is another sign of activist editing. For example, if a group of editors refuses to allow an editorial from a major newspaper or a book published by an independent publisher because they don't agree with the opinion in those sources, then activism is indicated. As far as Misplaced Pages is concerned, we don't care if an idea or opinion is right or not. If a PhD and Randy in Boise are the only two editors involved in a content dispute, and both are advocating the presentation of contradicting ideas backed-up by reliable sources, then both ideas will have to be mentioned in the article after an agreement is reached between the two. If one is willing to compromise and the other isn't, then the one not willing to compromise appears to be promoting a single POV. That is activism. The one trying to compromise is trying to edit in accordance with WP's policies and is in the right. Cla68 (talk) 09:59, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

"Arguments over what constitutes reliable sourcing is another sign of activist editing."

We need to be careful that we don't conflate legitimate editing conflicts with inappropriate activism. Arguing over reliable sources is also a sign of conscientious editing. Is everyone who participates at WP:RSN an activist? Editorials are often questioned as a source of facts, and "independently published" books may not meet WP:V. Instead of questioning sources, promoting the use of unreliable sources may be a more common sign of activism. Will Beback talk 11:04, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

(ec) One example I had of this was around the Jesus articles, where a group of editors repeatedly removed that certain academics doubted that Jesus had ever existed. The argument was that these academics were plain wrong, and weren't specialist enough; even a philosopher of religion was deemed not specialist and UNDUE was cited to keep him out. The sources had to be biblical scholars to be deemed acceptable. Regarding a biblical scholar who does hold that view, he was dismissed on the grounds that he wasn't respected enough, and photographs of him not looking his best were posted on talk and in one of the articles in an effort to ridicule him.

This is a clear sign of activist editing—that sources normally regarded as reliable aren't good enough unless the editors in question agree with them, because the aim is to keep the view out of the article; or at least to ensure that it sounds wrong-headed. Compromise is anathema if it allows the view to be expressed as a viable way of looking at the issue. SlimVirgin 11:20, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

I'm sure we're both right. Sources are a bone of contention between activists and non-activists, between pro and anti sides, and even between editors acting in good faith. What separates activists from non-activists may not be the side they take on sources, but the passion and doggedness with which they make their case. Will Beback talk 11:30, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

Yes, I agree there. I suppose what we're trying to do here is distill the essence of activism. I can think of activist editors who've gone to great lengths to try to include material. But over the last six years I think most of the activism I've seen has involved exclusion; the aim is to make sure people don't read material that's considered deadly to the POV in question. Thinking back to the activist editors you've dealt with—has it not been the case that most of their efforts have been to keep stuff out (either keep it out entirely, or at least remove it from what they see as the main article)? SlimVirgin 12:20, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

True. I recall many instances in which activists have argued against good sources. I can also recall somewhat fewer instances of them arguing for poor sources. But note that activist can also represent the majority view and oppose valid minority POVs requiring inclusion. In those cases the activist may be pushing against seemingly reliable sources that are in the minority. I agree that source-fighting can be a sign of activism, but as a diagnostic tool I'm not sure we've described it properly. Will Beback talk 12:42, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

Can you think of a way to tweak it to make it more accurate, without losing the flavour? The danger with including too much (i.e. it can look like this and that, but also not-this and not-that) is that we risk losing the essence, so that all editing will sound like activist editing. We need ways of spotting the category—and I think we mostly know it when we see it, even if there are ambiguous cases around the edges—without making it so extensive it's meaningless. SlimVirgin 12:51, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

There's an elephant in the room here. Eventually I may mention it. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 16:27, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

Not sure what you mean, but I do agree that some version of the compromise section needs to be restored. Also I think the "editing to advance fringe points of view" section needs beefing up/restoration. I've felt for some time that this essay is troublesome because one person's "activist editing" is another person's "good editing." If we are going to have this essay, we need to make if far more balanced than it is at the present time. ScottyBerg (talk) 18:26, 4 January 2011 (UTC)

DO tell us what the elephant is. ++Lar: t/c 23:34, 4 January 2011 (UTC)

Citation tags

LOL at the citation tags. I guess bad faith is the issue to be cited. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 02:48, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

I'm not quite sure the right way to ask for supporting evidence to show that these are, in fact, "favorite tactics". Are there any examples from the ArbCom cases? Will Beback talk 02:50, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

ArbCom probably would not decide on a content issue like this, unless there were an overly abusive pattern. It's a matter of faith. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 03:04, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

If not based on evidence from ArbCom cases involving activist groups, then on what basis are we making these assertions? Will Beback talk 03:52, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

I would assume WP:ESSAYS into a NPOV of course. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 04:01, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

I'm not following. Is the idea that we can write whatever we want with no connection to reality? Is there any reason I shouldn't delete the tagged lines? Will Beback talk 04:06, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

An essay, as stated in the template at the top of the page, is a general statement of opinion. The danger with citing specific examples of what may be editor misconduct is that it may make the essay appear to be an attempt at dispute resolution, which is inappropriate. Cla68 (talk) 04:25, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

The tags are absurd, which is appropriate because this whole essay is farcical. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 05:29, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

I don't see this essay as farcical. I am not even sure that I see this essay primarily as an essay. There are so many people providing so many different kinds of input that I would describe as being akin to a workshop. I find this page interesting. It addresses an important problem. The problem is distinguishing between activist editing and non-activist editing. And an associated problem concerns how to prevent the abuse of policy—all policies start out with wholesome intentions, but the activist turns those policies to other purposes. Bus stop (talk) 06:22, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

SBHB: It's telling that you find this essay "farcial". So what's the elephant? ++Lar: t/c 07:51, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

A favorite tactic for activists, is to propose to speedy delete new articles in which they disagree, failing to give the article a chance to develop.
Activists may attempt to create new articles, which border on content or POV forks, in an attempts to advance their position.

One problem here is that these statements are almost mirror images. Activists try to get rid of article and activists try to create articles. Another problem is that if we don't ground these assertions in reality then we're just blowing smoke.

Activists may attempt to write essays to demonize their opponents.
Activists typically argue against essays.
A favorite technique of activists is to add neutral, verifiable content to relevant articles, because it makes them look like good editors.

While I understand that folks don't want to cite specific cases because doing so could dredge up old conflicts, I don't see how an essay like this can be written without anchoring it to actual instances of inappropriate activism by groups. There are plenty of ArbCom cases that have involved activism but which are now old and settled. Misplaced Pages:Requests for arbitration/Free Republic, for example. I'm not sure if any of the participants of that case are even still active. Will Beback talk 08:31, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

The essay is deliberately written to include a broad range of activities - it is not an exercise in "dispute resolution" in itself, and it is intended to offer generally sound advice no matter which "side" is the activist side on any issue. ArbCom has, in fact, made findings related to perceived groups of editors in a field, and stated This is particularly harmful when such editors act in concert to systematically advocate editorial decisions considered favorable to their shared views in a manner that contravenes the application of Misplaced Pages policy or obstructs consensus-building. which is fairly clear for anything out of ArbCom. Collect (talk) 11:34, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

That's good material to add. I'm all for grounding this page in solid quotes and citations from authoritative sources. Will Beback talk 11:44, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

The problem with this essay won't be solved by citations. It's essentially a prolonged justification for injecting fringe viewpoints into the project. Any effort to turn this into a useful and balanced essay has been ripped out. I agree that it's a farce. ScottyBerg (talk) 13:35, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Essays on WP are, sui generis, matters of opinion. "Citations" will not "improve" any essay, not does a lack of citations make an essay valueless. The purpose, as I see it, is to make an essay which points out the real hazards of any group of editors, however well-intentioned and saintly, act in concert, real or perceived, on any group of articles. Digressions into effectively saying "right thought is to be rewarded, wrong thought is to be punished" is not within the theological sphere (or any sphere) of Wikipediology. Collect (talk) 13:57, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

If that's the case (sui generis matters of opinion), you should reinstate the fringe activists section that you ripped out. The rest of the essay is clearly directed at efforts to blunt fringe opinions, so it is imbalanced and really has no credibility. ScottyBerg (talk) 14:06, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

As I "ripped out" nothing - only reworded a strange section to make it compliant with the rest of the essay which does not try to assert that any one side is "right" or "wrong", I fail to see any problem. If you feel the essay should praise "right activism" and oppose "wrong activism" I fear you might properly write your own essay :). Collect (talk) 15:37, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Come on now. The "elephant in the room," to use an expression someone utilized here, is that this essay emerged from the Climate Change Arbitration, created by a topic banned editor, and represents the grievances that stem from text being removed on the grounds of being fringe and undue weight. As originally written and proposed for deletion, it was clearly directed at editors seeking to remove fringe points of view. It was retained on the proviso that it could be improved. I tried; you thwarted that. I and other editors have toned down its explicit original message, but not to the extent that a section is not warranted on activism to advance fringe points of view. Yes, advancing fringe points of view is "wrong" in the view of Wiki policy. Right now it is leans in the opposite direction, and, with some softening, attacks activism to advance mainstream positions, because people defending articles from fringe positions do indeed use UNDUE. In fact, I would suggest that this article, if not made more balanced, is itself a form of activism and can be used to advance activism. My only concern is that I'm wasting my time on something that is inherently lacking in credibility and serves no purpose. ScottyBerg (talk) 15:55, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

And, if you will recall, I had essentially nothing to do with the CC fighting. My only concern is that this essay be worded as neutrally as possible, and so I would ask you extend good faith towards such edits. My edits at no point have "taken sides" on any issue in this essay, and that you assert that your strange attemnpt to assert that "right activism is good" and "wrong activism is evil" is "thwarting" anything at all is weird. Activism from any side at all is a problem. Clear? Collect (talk) 16:01, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

At no point have I ever said that "right activism is good" nor identified you as a CC editor. The purpose of the "fringe activism" section that you chopped out was to identify the techniques used by that kind of activist, and at no point does it say that "right activism is good." That's just false. If you're going to mischaracterize my statements and editing, there's no point of further discussion. ScottyBerg (talk) 16:15, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

The gist of the section which I carefully and neutrally reworded was that "fringe promoting activists are evil (roughly)." The nature of acts by any activists tend to fall into the same categories whether they are protecting the truth, or promoting lies and fallacies. This essay ought to condemn all such tactics on any side by any group of editors with common beliefs and goals. I daresay it is difficult to be any more neutral in wording than that! Collect (talk) 16:33, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

It is not the purpose of this essay to "condemn" activism, but to identify activism. You didn't "reword" the section, you removed it.. The point of what you removed was to show the techniques used by activists to advance fringe point of view. It's not enough to say that "both types of activism are bad." The paragraph as you reworded it is a bald statement of no value whatsoever in identifying activism. ScottyBerg (talk) 16:44, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

You are also quite mistaken when you say that the nature of activism is the same regardless of what kind it is. UNDUE is a good example where its use by fringe activists is different from what is used by non-fringe activists. One must also keep in mind that all the "techniques" stated in this article can be, and mainly are, used in good faith by nonactivists. That is one of my major problems with this essay. However, again, I'm not sure sweating over this essay is a good use of time. ScottyBerg (talk) 16:48, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

This essay is particularly about the use of a group of editors with a common interest or goal. That is something specifically singled out by ArbCom as being a real problem. Neither ArbCom nor this essay need make any judgement about whther one side is right or wrong at all. And pray tell why should "non-activists" act in apparent concert on a general topic to the extent that coordination is suspected? Collect (talk) 17:28, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Yes, that's what I just said. this essay need not make a judgment about activism, but that is what you did in the text that you inserted after you axed out the section on fringe activism. There was indeed judgmental text, but it has been removed (editors "infesting" a page, for instance). That's not the problem. ScottyBerg (talk) 17:37, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Note latest copyedit addressing what I surmise is your concern. This is not an essay for fighting out the "SPOV" battles for sure. Collect (talk) 17:44, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

They're a step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done for this essay to do more good than harm. ScottyBerg (talk) 20:11, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

If we are going to identify activist activity, then we must describe how it can be disruptive. The "mirror image" presents as NPOV. (smile) Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 14:12, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

I think what we should be saying is that any rule can be used in a damaging way. I don't think I have ever seen that perspective expressed. Policy is supposed to serve a good purpose. It is supposed to guide the activities that result in a good-quality end-product. But policy itself is subject to subversion. It is turned to other purposes than those for which it was created. If we were to define the activist it is the person who is disregarding of the original purpose for which a policy was created, and only (or primarily) mindful of a "message" that is personal in nature. Personal messages are not categorically ruled out for inclusion in Misplaced Pages—but they probably require the tempering that results from their juxtaposition to material that communicates a countervailing "message". This article (essay) should make clear that "policy" is not a tool for endlessly creative application—there are limits to the advisable functionality of policy. Those limits are important. Even an eminently wholesome policy such as wp:blp is subject to abuse. In fact it may be more subject to abuse than more quotidian and utilitarian policies. Due to the high ideals embodied in wp:blp, the potential for abuse may actually be enhanced—relative to that of policy that is inherently more mundane. But I think every Wiki policy has its limits, which are just as important as its ideals and intentions. I think "activist" is a good term. An activist is diametrically opposed to a rule-abiding Wikipedian. Bus stop (talk) 15:31, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Good point!Zulu Papa 5 * (talk)

Collect apparently dislikes the tags due to some category problem . So I've swapped one for "dubious" instead, which seems better than air-brushing away the problem. Mind you, the rest of this really needs tags too William M. Connolley (talk) 18:41, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Not just I -- it is generally contrary to policy to have templates in non-mainspace which create listings in a category in mainspace. We don't use such templates in userspace either. And since essays are not encyclopedia articles, the use of tags is not really of much use. Do you feel the essay is not neutral about some specific topic? Collect (talk) 19:47, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

I disagree re the tags being not much use (the only problem with them is that they falsely imply that the rest of it is not dubious). As for not neutral: where have you been? There is so much wrong with this article, that I'm not about to try to list it all. Try reading wot Boris has already written William M. Connolley (talk) 21:16, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

To Scotty, a number of editors have participated in writing this essay and I can't speak for their motivations, but speaking for myself, what I've added is not a direct response to the CC arbitration case. The parts of this essay that I drafted are based on five years of editing Misplaced Pages, observing or paricipating to various degrees in a number of arbitration cases or other dispute resolution actions, or otherwise based on behavior that I've witnessed or been told about during Misplaced Pages's history. That is one of the reasons why I originally added a long list of arbitration case decisions. Cla68 (talk) 20:35, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

The case was two months underway at the time when you commenced it, and it resulted in your topic ban. For you to say that you weren't influenced by your CC experiences and that case is incredible. ScottyBerg (talk) 20:42, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Scotty, can you point out in my statement above where I said, "I wasn't influenced by my CC experiences"? What I said was, "a number of editors have participated in writing this essay and I can't speak for their motivations, but speaking for myself, what I've added is not a direct response to the CC arbitration case. The parts of this essay that I drafted are based on five years of editing Misplaced Pages, observing or paricipating to various degrees in a number of arbitration cases or other dispute resolution actions, or otherwise based on behavior that I've witnessed or been told about during Misplaced Pages's history. That is one of the reasons why I originally added a long list of arbitration case decisions." Please don't say that I said things that I didn't say. Again, a number of editors have added significant portions of text to this essay. I don't think it's helpful to try to single any of them out except perhaps to thank them for their inputs, and defiinitely not helpful to try to personalize the discussion over this essay's content. Cla68 (talk) 20:50, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

You said "what I've added is not a direct response to the CC arbitration case." Sorry, I don't buy that. This essay struck me and some other editors (in the XfD) as just that. I think it's a logical deduction. You were topic banned for a minimum of six months for battlefield conduct in those articles, and there seems to be a direct correlation between much of what you are saying here and the experiences of you and other editors in that CC case. As I said in the XfD, my feeling is that this essay should be identified as the personal reflections of a particular editor involved prominently in the CC case, and not as some kind of arm's length dissertation when it clearly is not. Also I think that the comments in the XfD (e.g., Wikidemon), need to be read carefully and taken into consideration.ScottyBerg (talk) 21:18, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Scotty, if you have a personal problem with me, you should be taking it up with me on my talk page. The talk page of this essay should be a discussion of the content, not the contributors. Most of the editors on this talk page have been following that rule. I'll take this discussion to your talk page since this appears to be a personal dispute. Cla68 (talk) 22:26, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Cla68, could you indicate which non-climate change disputes were the inspiration for this essay? Will Beback talk 22:10, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

I've said before, I won't mention any specific examples, because this essay is not an attempt at dispute resolution. Several other editors have also contributed significant content to this essay so I'm sure they probably also have personal experiences in editing Misplaced Pages that they are drawing on. See the thread below that SlimVirgin just started as an example of what I'm talking about. Cla68 (talk) 22:26, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

You can mention them in the talk page. If CC articles are not your main inspiration for this, then you are not barred from describing what other ones were. I think it would be helpful to know what is the factual basis of this essay. You can certainly describe what article you or someone else created in the "documentation" section. I'm sure there's more than one side to that story. ScottyBerg (talk) 22:53, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

If the cases are from the past then this wouldn't be part of dispute resolution. I think that studying specific cases would improve this essay. Otherwise it's a bit like arguing over what fruit tastes like without mentioning any specific fruit. Will Beback talk 22:58, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Yes, it would be very helpful if there was a reality check on some of the statements in this essay. Wouldn't it be funny if some of the bald assertions being made here are based upon real-life situations in which good-faith and not "activist" editing was taking place? ScottyBerg (talk) 23:04, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Essay purpose

(Fork from above) .... This essay probably serves better for the reader to identity how their behavior may be considered as "activist" and how they can regulate their own behavior. Applying this essay to others, just opens a whole can of worms of bad faith. Best for the reader to address their behaviors. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 16:51, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

You may not be aware of how "essays" like this are used on Misplaced Pages. They aren't for introspection - they're for accusation. In arguments with editors we wish to charge with activism this will become a blue-linked, all-caps smear: WP:ACTIVIST. Will Beback talk 19:16, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Possibly; however, that could be a misuse and abuse. I expected WP:ESSAYS supports WP:GUIDES and then WP:POLICIES in the realm of Wiki politics. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 19:21, 5 January 2011 (UTC).

Um -- your crystal ball is working overtime? The way this article is written, it is unlikely to be misused - especially with the specific comment that the reader must make sure it is not he who is the activist! Collect (talk) 19:41, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

When there's a snappy redirect there's no need to actually read the essay. If I understand correctly, one of the main writers of this essay was topic banned for activism. Do you think he wrote this as a description of his own behavior? Will Beback talk 20:07, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

I have absolutely no care if Hitler wrote a WP essay - the essay stands or falls on its content, not on who wrote it. Collect (talk) 20:12, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Godwin! Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 20:14, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Collect, you wrote above that "Essays on WP are, sui generis, matters of opinion." If they are merely opinions then the identity of the writers is very important. However I don't think this page was intended to simply express an opinion. Rather it seeks to explain a type of problematic behavior. If it is based on verifiable information and is written neutrally, then it is no longer just an essay and it no longer matters who wrote it. That's why I think that this page would be improved by reference to actual cases which the community (or the ArbCom) agree have involved activism or advocacy. Will Beback talk 23:04, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

(EC) @WB: You're gradually wandering toward the neighborhood of the elephant... Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 20:14, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Will and SBHB, a number of editors have participated in writing this essay. I'm not aware that any of them were "topic banned for activism". If that's the elephant you think is in this room, then I think you're thinking of an imaginary elephant. Cla68 (talk) 20:26, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

A number of the editors participating here were topic banned for "battlefield conduct". Aside from the propriety of creating a fresh battlefield, there's the question of whether battlefield conduct is typical of activists. Since some editors here are familiar with that type of conduct, perhaps we should add a section on it. Will Beback talk 21:05, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

I for one wish wp:battle had elaboration and better guidance, to prevent its (misuse?) topic banning application. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 21:14, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Warning

3.1) Editors topic-banned by the Committee under this remedy are prohibited from (i) editing articles about Climate Change broadly construed and their talk pages; (ii) editing biographies of living people associated with Climate Change broadly construed and their talk pages; (iii) participating in any process broadly construed on Misplaced Pages particularly affecting these articles; and (iv) initiating or participating in any discussion substantially relating to these articles anywhere on Misplaced Pages, even if the discussion also involves another issue or issues. — Preceding unsigned comment added by ZuluPapa5 (talk • contribs)

¿Que? Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 21:45, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

It's a quote from Misplaced Pages:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Climate change#Scope of topic bans Will Beback talk 21:57, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Yes, but why is it here? Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 22:16, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

It was feeling lonely? AndyTheGrump (talk) 20:31, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

Well well, see what activists will do to themselves to get attention. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 20:34, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

Yes, these 'anti-activist' activists have been busy around here, haven't they ;-) AndyTheGrump (talk) 20:38, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

(e.c.)Quote arbcom rulings with "warning" as the section header? I guess we could mention that in the essay too! jps (talk) 20:40, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

It's called Misplaced Pages shadow work ... from Freud. Fighting with others, about projections of demons and dragons we can't see about ourselves. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 20:43, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

Can you please write a section about this? It would really help this essay shine! jps (talk) 20:44, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

Well, it's a course is the pseudoscience Ph.D. I am working on, so I guess so. Let me check my references. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 20:46, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

Shadow (psychology)? Definitely needs a section in the essay. Our article quotes Jung: "the course of sexual intercourse...exhibits a certain formal regularity. Its signposts and milestones are various archetypal symbols' marking its stages; and of these 'the first stage leads to the experience of the SHADOW". Obviously of great significance. :-O AndyTheGrump (talk) 20:51, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

Writing

Re: the section I've added about quality of writing:

Boris, you're missing the point with this edit. I'm talking about the production of articles that are often a dog's breakfast, yet when you look at the history, they're well-attended (often obsessively attended) by editors who definitely know better, and who if they were writing about an issue they cared less about would notice they were producing bad work. But when it presses their ideological buttons they either don't care or don't see that the page is a mess. SlimVirgin 22:25, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

I think you have an unrealistic view of the general quality of writing on Misplaced Pages. Not to mention that many activists are excellent writers; indeed, one would expect that an activist would have honed their communication skills. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 22:35, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

When experienced editors spend a lot of time on an article, I'd normally expect to see something reasonably comprehensive with a decent structure. I'm not talking about brilliant writing, just something acceptable. When activist editing has taken over, you rarely see that, because no one wants to spend time on issues that don't matter to them ideologically. So grammar, spelling, sentence structure, flow, comprehensiveness, all go out the window.

Yes, we see that in a lot of articles. But with "activist articles," if I can put it that way, what's striking is the stark contrast between the quality of the article and the article's history, where you see a lot of names who definitely know how to produce better work. That, to me, is one of the red flags. SlimVirgin 22:44, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

I think you have an unrealistic view of the general quality of writing on Misplaced Pages. Even amongst experienced editors. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 22:45, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

I think that poor writing is a product of edit warring as much as anything. While that may include articles with activists, it's secondary. ScottyBerg (talk) 22:48, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

No matter whether it's a secondary effect of something else, a fairly useful rule of thumb (stress: rule of thumb) is that the greater attention an article receives from activists, the worse the writing is likely to get. SlimVirgin 22:51, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

You keep saying this but it does not square with my experience. I've long observed that poor writing is what you get when you have a bunch of people working on things with no one "in charge". Given that, you might well say that poor writing is a marker that people are following the Wiki model. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 22:54, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Good and bad writing appears across Misplaced Pages. I'd conjecture that a problem activists is that they are typically concerned with making sure that certain points are covered (or excluded) in an article and don't care as much about the article as a whole. Will Beback talk 22:55, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

"Good and bad writing appears across Misplaced Pages." Precisely. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 22:57, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Why ignore the second part of what he wrote? SlimVirgin 22:57, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Because it's unrelated to the first part. A look at non sequitur (logic) may be profitable in this discussion, even moreso accident (fallacy). Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 23:08, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

No, it wouldn't be profitable, because it has nothing to do with what Will wrote. SlimVirgin 23:16, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

My comment was not necessarily directed at what Will wrote. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 23:20, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

My point is that simply saying "bad editing is a sign of activism" is too general to be useful. If there are specific kinds of bad editing that are found in articles owned by activists then that's helpful to include. Will Beback talk 23:21, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

My point is that simply saying "bad editing is a sign of activism" is too general to be useful. That's what I've been trying to get across in my edits; it looks like that viewpoint may finally be considered permissible. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 01:07, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

But no one has said that. SlimVirgin 01:16, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

(multiple ec) I'm just not seeing that. I am beginning to understand the point someone made about citations. If I knew of a specific example of how bad writing was a sign of activism, I'd have a better understanding of the example. Right now it makes very little sense to me. I'd also like to see some specific examples of behavior recommended in the "documentation" section. I'm sure that, if that ever happened, there was more than one side of that story. I'm sure it did happen, as it is supposedly based on someone's experiences/observations. ScottyBerg (talk) 22:59, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

I appreciated the point, and it is noble, all two often when perusing articles, I get the sense the resulting collaborative writing may reflect a war zone, with difficult to remove casualties. Quality requires a unity of purpose. That said, the addition could be improved. Many articles require a fresh start. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 23:17, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Surely we can have one example of an article whose writing is poor because of activism? If not, I think this section needs to go. It's just too dubious. ScottyBerg (talk) 23:21, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

In my opinion, there should be no examples of poor writing cited, unless from a reliable secondary source or from an ArbCom decision or something like that, because otherwise it will look like the essay is directing criticism at individual editors by name. If you mean to give an example for this discussion, that's still something I'm personally not comfortable with. Cla68 (talk) 23:23, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Even better, as someone suggested, is to include in this essay only statements that can be substantiated by Arbcom decisions, in which the community has decided that certain conduct was unacceptable. ScottyBerg (talk) 23:26, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Agree, reliable sourced Criticism of Misplaced Pages are fair. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 23:28, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Mirror

It's unfortunate that the same kind of editing and talk-page responses are starting to show up here as on the articles we're writing about.

This is an essay representing a valid point of view. We may not agree with all of it, and it may not apply across the board, but it's a point of view that experienced editors at the AfD said they wanted to see represented, because it rang bells with them.

I agree that essays that suggest policy violations should be fixed or removed, but this doesn't do that. I also agree that we should ensure this page reflects a rounded perspective (without contradicting itself). That can be done by good-faith editors finding ways to accommodate each other's experiences. It can't be done by engaging in yet more activist editing. SlimVirgin 23:36, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

"It's unfortunate that the same kind of editing and talk-page responses are starting to show up here as on the articles we're writing about." Since not a single specific example has been cited, even on this talk page, even when requested, this is as hard to verify as any of the unsubstantiated assertions in this essay. ScottyBerg (talk) 23:53, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Examples will bog us down in recriminations. What's needed is for editors with a lot of experience of editing Misplaced Pages to put their heads together to come up with a description of how to spot where content is being dictated by group ideology, rather than by the disinterested editorial judgment of individuals acting independently of each other. What we don't need is for the issues to be acted out. SlimVirgin 00:02, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

I felt that way originally. But as this discussion has evolved, as the examples have become more dubious, as good material has been censored, I've come around to the conclusion that what's needed are verifiable examples, not proof by assertion. ScottyBerg (talk) 00:04, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

Mean like Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Council/Guide/Task forces? Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 00:06, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

I agree with SlimVirgin. There has to be a way to operationalize the observations and experiences of the editors who helped write, voted in the AfD for keep, or who otherwise agree with some or all of the content of this essay. Personally, I feel that WP's policies on sourcing, NPOV, etc are clear enough to tackle the problem of activist editing. WP just needs an administrative structure willing and able to enforce those policies. Cla68 (talk) 00:13, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

I believe if "activists" were as easy as socks to identify (smile, not that easy), they would be pounded on. Best to try and describe the issue first, before moving up the enforcement chain. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 00:20, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

I think that it's a serious mistake to "operationalize" (whatever that means) the views and experiences of just the editors who voted to keep this in the AfD and otherwise agree with it, ignoring the concerns raised in that AfD and on this page. Many of the concerns in the AfD were by keep voters (see Wikidemon for instance). ScottyBerg (talk) 00:38, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

Experts

Activists may claim to be authorities or experts on a subject and vastly contribute to articles.

Examples? Will Beback talk 01:01, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

Well ... I should keep examples out of this; however, I can elaborate an esoteric principle on authoritarianism and Misplaced Pages's somewhat democratic authoring principles ... if you would like? Simply said, Experts are fine until they hurt someone. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 15:15, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

Moved from the article

Two problematic passages, which would benefit from being rewritten:

Activists may claim to be authorities or experts on a subject and vastly contribute to articles. However, over reliance on their opinions can lead to a lack of fact checking on specialized subjects. This can violate Misplaced Pages's NPOV aims if they maintain a conflict of interest, particularly if they edit for financial gains. An activist may actually be a professional political operative or advocate in a public issues. They may commandeer or sanitize articles. They have been known to squat in articles to waiting to revert to maintain a systematic bias. If an activist group engages in a systematic effort, an IP scan can help identify an organizational link.

And

Either zeal in deletion of articles which do not conform to the favoured views of the "activist group," (or groups) or corresponding zeal in insistence on keeping (or creating) articles conforming to their views, may also indicate that such a group (or groups) exists.

I'll rewrite the latter now, and place it in a new section. SlimVirgin 01:33, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

Actually, strike that. I tried to rewrite it, but don't know what it's trying to say with the current "on the one hand, this; on the other hand, that" format. SlimVirgin 01:38, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

Editing this essay sometimes makes me laugh out loud. Really, it does. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 01:42, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

How did that comment help, Boris? SlimVirgin 02:06, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

I think it highlights the rather absurd direction this essay and discussion have taken (compared to more stable and sensible expositions of the same idea, such as Misplaced Pages:Advocacy). I'm not sure what value this essay adds, except as a formal proof of Sayre's Law. MastCell 04:33, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

When compared to real world issues, debate over the content of this essay probably does invite comparison to Sayre's Law. When it comes to the internal culture of Misplaced Pages, however, the discussion over how to stock Misplaced Pages's articles with information is a subject of often intense debate. As I've said elsewhere, "It's all about the content." Misplaced Pages's freely-contributed content model, it's high-powered Google juice, and disorganized administrative structure, all seem to combine to create a sometimes chaotic editing environment, especially in controversial topics. Many editors, often activists, want the articles to present the unvarnished truth as they see it. In my opinion and, evidently, in the opinion of a few others, Misplaced Pages's policies, such as NPOV and RS, promote a presentation of information that is often a little more ambiguous. Cla68 (talk) 04:56, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

Interesting thought. Perhaps we should note that an emphasis on ambiguity sometimes serves the activist's agenda as well? Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 05:01, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

We, as far as Misplaced Pages goes, don't care if Intelligent Design (ID) or evolution are the "truth." We don't care if ID activists succeed or not in getting ID put into the curriculum of any public school systems. We just report what the (reliable) sources are saying. If ID activists or anti-ID activists try to use Misplaced Pages to promote their cause, and do so by not following WP's rules, we should care about that. Cla68 (talk) 05:05, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

Indeed. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 05:07, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

I think you're trying to say that pro-ID activists want to introduce ambiguity into the creation debate. That's a different matter from what we're doing here in Misplaced Pages. All we do is report what the sources are saying. If the reliable sources introduce amibiguity into the topic, then we reflect that. If they don't, then we don't. In controversial topics, of course, there is usually some ambiguity in the sources. Cla68 (talk) 05:12, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

Absolutely. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 05:13, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

Edit conflict x ∞ I guess I have two concerns. First of all, fighting over the wording of this essay doesn't seem to be a productive way to address concerns over how we cover controversial topics. Secondly, the essay has become a laundry list of often contradictory "tells", as in "Activists can be identified by their tendency to do X, except when they do the complete opposite of X." We might as well replace the essay with the words "I know activism when I see it" and a picture of Potter Stewart. MastCell 05:11, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

That gets to the fundamental problem, which is that some (though certainly not all) of the "tells" could be signs of valid editing. That's the concern that I have had with this essay from the beginning. To give this essay any degree of intellectual honesty it has to be hedged, lest it be overtly harmful by actually promoting, not curbing, activism. ScottyBerg (talk) 16:26, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

BINGO! You found the elephant. Which prize do you want? Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 16:40, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

Elephant Bus stop (talk) 16:51, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

There are a herd of elephants in the room, actually. ScottyBerg (talk) 16:55, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

Yes, the introduction of contradictory material has been interesting to observe. In my experience, if editors disagreed with the premise of an essay, they usually wrote their own as a rebuttal. Cla68 (talk) 05:16, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

In this case, I don't think anyone disagrees with the premise that activism is a problem. It seems like the dispute is about how to define the problem, and I'm not sure that multiplying essays can address that issue. MastCell 05:31, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

MastCell, from a legal view is all boils down to Intent to construct or intent to destruct Misplaced Pages. Can you see that? Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 14:17, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

I think this article should mention the policy of Ignore All Rules. The guidelines that policy sets up can be circumvented by human ingenuity. The beauty of Ignore All Rules is that the editor wishing to rely on that policy to justify an editorial action has to really work hard and convince others of the soundness of his/her trailblazing. Policies other than Ignore All Rules become stale with time and editors find ways to ~~use~~ abuse them. Activism utilizes standard policy to justify its actions. It might seem like a reckless thing to do but I think that this is the sort of essay in which Ignore All Rules should be suggested. In my opinion Ignore All Rules is not one of the policies that activists exploit. In my opinion activist editing does not wish to call attention to itself. Activists don't want too much scrutiny. On the other hand I think non-activist editors are much more open to dialogue. Just some thoughts. Bus stop (talk) 05:17, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

I don't know. I haven't seen IAR used in hotly contested articles, as it would immediately be shot down by people on the other side. Since it's rarely used, I don't think it's absence would mean much of anything. ScottyBerg (talk) 16:23, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

I think we don't have to advocate the use of IAR. We should just mention it. It could be mentioned in the context of rules (policy) being used to support types of editing that those rules were never intended to support. It is true that IAR is rarely invoked. But it is an important policy. In fact it is the one policy that serves as an antidote to the misuse of other policies. IAR requires that you substantiate your claims for a given editorial action by a thorough explication of all your reasoning supporting that action. In IAR there is no hiding behind policy, therefore there is no possibility of misusing policy. In essence, we are "reinventing the wheel" when we invoke IAR. Sounds crazy—but this essay, in my opinion, is about how editors fail to remain within a conservative interpretation of basic policy. We sometimes get carried away with our own sense of righteousness (or whatever) and begin invoking policy to support editorial actions that the policies were never intended to support. Bus stop (talk) 16:42, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

I don't know. It seems to open a can of worms. Just my initial impression. ScottyBerg (talk) 16:57, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

OK. Just a thought. We don't have to mention IAR. But I think the essay is about the abuse of basic policy. An overview might be in order, either here on the Talk page or in the essay itself. We should be taking taking a general view of what the essay is about. We don't have to be tackling each variety of policy misuse piecemeal. Bus stop (talk) 17:02, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

Activist classifications

A start. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 15:51, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

Sources? Will Beback talk 23:11, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

LOL at the new one's ... now where are the recommended solutions? Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 21:00, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

Activist Classification ... please edit to develop content

0. The Misplaced Pages:Model Wikipedian: These activists are promoted by Wikipedians and Misplaced Pages to serve its mission .

Comments here
There is no such thing as a model Wikipedian. Bus stop (talk) 19:15, 6 January 2011 (UTC) The model Wikipedian is a thought experiment. There are Misplaced Pages policies, referring to the model Misplaced Pages, it is simply a fictional user. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk)

1. The individual with a strong POV: Generally harmless, conflicts are resolved with NPOV material and source verification to present and create content balanced point of view. Disinterested editors are effective.

Comments here
This designation is highly subjective and I am skeptical of it. Bus stop (talk) 19:15, 6 January 2011 (UTC) That's why we are allowed essays, this character has many essays. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 21:44, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

2. The POV thought leader in a topic: These highly experienced users have a substantial Misplaced Pages following and a reputation. They make edits to defend their reputation. Resolving conflicts will involve a substantial effort. Diplomatic dispute resolution is inevitable.

Comments here
Same—subjective. I'd be skeptical of such a designation. Bus stop (talk) 19:15, 6 January 2011 (UTC) In the essays.

3. The outside affiliated, paid or unpaid: These users outside interests are causing Misplaced Pages conflicts. When declared, if they are paid, then is it simple conflicts of interest, and disinterested editors can help. If they have a reputation to uphold among their peers, and they bring this into disrupt Misplaced Pages, then conflict may be harder to resolve. They may not see how they present a conflict to Misplaced Pages's interest. Resolution can be found by building diffs of the editors' conflicted history and presenting in dispute resolution.

Comments here
I rarely encounter this. Bus stop (talk) 19:15, 6 January 2011 (UTC) Probably encounter more than you realize it. !Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 21:44, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

4. The single purpose account: The is an obvious case, and these editors must be encouraged to broaden their Misplaced Pages interests and activities.

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I think single purpose accounts try to hide this fact, generally. Besides—we all have our own interests and proclivities. That alone doesn't disqualify us. Bus stop (talk) 19:15, 6 January 2011 (UTC) Again, it's in the existing essays. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 21:44, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

5. Marauding hoardes: a cavalcade of sockpuppets that do the bidding for one master.

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6 Randy from Boise: and his skeleton armies.

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7. Libertarians: and people ideologically married to the proposition that expertise should be distributed away from institutions, academic imprimatur, or normal review processes and instead delegated to private individuals (see Randy from Boise above).

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8. The BLP obsessed: The few, the proud, and the brave who believe that WP:BLP is all that matters on Misplaced Pages, thus inciting other activists to kill the subjects of biographies just so these goons will get off their backs.

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9. Administrative automatons: Those infatuated with Misplaced Pages policies, guidelines, and procedures, itching to use the various punitive measures to harass bad users that perennially show up on the noticeboards, hoping to get higher status in the Misplaced Pages social-network game.

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Activism is a good thing

Almost all editors here are activists. Promoting knowledge is activism. Working as an administrator without pay is activism. Giving money for the project is also activism. Quite obviously, you only want activists of wikipedia but do not want activists for other causes. This is not going to work. A typical good content contributor is an activist of his favorite subjects, whatever they might be (animals, games, scientific theories, etc.). "A genuinely disinterested editor" tend to contribute nothing unless he is paid, or in fact, he is interested in something, such as development of wikipedia. Please do not fight with activists. Embrace and politely direct them. Fight with vandals, harassers and those who create nothing but disruption. Remove all activists, and this project is dead. Biophys (talk) 18:18, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

I'd phrase it differently. The people on the other side of an editorial dispute are activists/cabal members/whatever. The people on the same side are neutral editors seeking to improve the encyclopedia. ScottyBerg (talk) 20:49, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

BINGO!! Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 20:55, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

Activism is the worst thing. It is not a "good thing". Activism is always subtle. It is never blatant, though it may be called "blatant" by those opposing it. Bus stop (talk) 21:00, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

Consider a university graduate who spent two years of his life to Teach For America prior to his non-teaching professional carrier. This is activism. Is it bad? Is it really different from someone spending his time to promote knowledge in wikipedia? I do not think so. Also consider activism by someone like Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi... Biophys (talk) 21:41, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

An activist takes a nonstandard position and makes it standard. That is not teaching, and that is not the promoting of knowledge. In my opinion that is pulling the wool over the eyes of an unsuspecting public. "Pulling the wool over the eyes" means to "deceive" or "hoodwink" according to this source. Bus stop (talk) 21:54, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

No, not necessarily. An activist may also be advancing a standard position. As I understand the point of this essay, it is about techniques, not the content of positions. However, I think that ~~these two editors~~ this editor make interesting points. ScottyBerg (talk) 22:02, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

Let me correct my above post. An activist takes positions. A non-activist does not. Misplaced Pages should not be taking positions. Bus stop (talk) 22:18, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

Activism is a wonderful thing. I'm strongly in favor of those who give their time and effort (even if remunerated) to making the world a better place. But that activism should not intrude into shaping Misplaced Pages articles. On this project, activism is in direct conflict with neutrality. The only activism that should go on here is pro-encyclopedia activism. Will Beback talk 23:10, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

Contributing to this project is a part of the effort to make the world a better place. Hence they are coming. Consider an activist who strictly follows all wikipedia policies and does promotes knowledge. Would that be fine? If so, let's demand to respect our policies, instead of looking at personal views of contributors. We are not thought police to decide who is "activist" and who is not. Biophys (talk) 04:09, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

What we're talking about are people who are acting like activists on Misplaced Pages. What they do outside of Misplaced Pages is (mostly) irrelevant. Will Beback talk 04:39, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Policies need to be interpreted. We are "thought police" whether we like it or not. I think the term "activist" is being used in this essay in reference to an editor who wishes to turn a small part of Misplaced Pages into a voice for a particular message that may not be in accordance with what sources have to say on the same topic. Bus stop (talk) 04:48, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Thoughts don't matter, only actions. Of course, thoughts lead to actions. But we can only address, and only need to address, the actions. I think this discussion is getting too philosophical to be helpful. Will Beback talk 04:52, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

I'd like to agree with Will Beback: yes, that is how everything should be. But unfortunately, people are regularly sanctioned for the "battleground mentality" (agree with Bus stop). This essay is just another step to divide this project contributors based on their mentality: those who allegedly have strong views ("activists" or WP:TIGERs) and those who allegedly do not. But there is a better taxonomy: (a) aggressive SPAs who contribute little but disruption (those should be blocked without mercy) and (b) real content contributors. The latter should be banned only for the most serious offenses, such as harassment, outing, placing intentionally false information, or legal threats (but they almost never do it). It is important to realize that every good content contributor is irreplaceable. I saw some of them banned or leaving the project, and no one was replaced by others. Biophys (talk) 16:06, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

These issues can be easily addressed by transforming the essay into something the reader may benefit when dealing with their own identified issues, in an attempt to help them unify Misplaced Pages. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 16:22, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

(unindent) While I appreciate what Biosys and Hodja are saying, the rules of Misplaced Pages simply don't permit activism on the "pages" of the project. If they did, it would be even more chaotic than it is today. Remember that for every activist there is a counter-activist. While their comments are useful, they really are a bit off-topic, as the question is how to make this essay useful and not harmful, and also whether the effort being expended here is worth the time. ScottyBerg (talk) 16:43, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Honestly? I simply think this essay is not really helpful because it promotes confrontation, just like this essay, and should be moved to a userspace. Sorry. Biophys (talk) 20:07, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

I agree with you. However it has been up for deletion without success, so the only recourse is to try to make it less harmful.ScottyBerg (talk) 20:41, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

This whole experience is laugh-out-loud hilarious. Given all the reverting by the essay's owners trying to keep it on-message, my irony meter has pegged its scale and burst into flames. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 01:43, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

I too thought this is funny, but someone was just blocked for a week, in part for making wrong edit summary while editing this essay . Hence I would rather leave.Biophys (talk) 05:17, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

No, I think that whole situation was only very tangentially related to this essay. ScottyBerg (talk) 15:20, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

Thanks all -- the aim is to make this a non-polemic neutral essay. This page is designed for discussions to improve the essay. Collect (talk) 06:38, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

Impossible. This essay promotes certain type of conduct (fight with groups of editors perceived as "activists"). Anyone who follows this essay recommendations will be inevitably blocked, topic-banned or worse. That is what probably had happened with the first author of this essay, although I am not familiar with details.Biophys (talk) 23:20, 9 January 2011 (UTC)

I am glad that you know what is impossible. That means you have nothing to offer to improve the essay. I, on the other hand, simply wish to make it as fine as essay as possible. As this page is for improving the essay, if you can not improve it, you can be mute if you wish :). Collect (talk) 23:25, 9 January 2011 (UTC)

It tells in preface: "a lone editor who is a glutton for punishment". Yes, I would not argue with that. But he intends to punish others, and this is his real problem and unforunately not only his problem. Biophys (talk) 23:40, 9 January 2011 (UTC)

Yes, and that principle applies to more than just activists. A lone editor acting against consensus can be very damaging to the project. ScottyBerg (talk) 16:32, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

Please compare this essay with Misplaced Pages:Assume bad faith. In fact, the essay may go against WP:AGF because it suggest to label a part of editors as bad faith editors.Biophys (talk) 21:00, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

This concerns me too, that's why it would be best to write for a self-identified editors benefit, rather than point to another label of division. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 21:07, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

That's a good point about AGF, and that's why there's so much concern about the premise and assumptions of this essay. ScottyBerg (talk) 21:14, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

Consider someone who wrote ten articles about cats. I am sure he likes cats, and he holds "strong views" about cats. Is it bad? No, this is great, because he would not do anything in wikipedia unless he liked cats. Should he be labeled as an "activist of cats", with a negative connotation? No, absolutely not. If we do that, we threaten very foundation of this project. Same with any other subjects, whatever they might be, including pacifism, religion or communism. Biophys (talk) 16:20, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

Misplaced Pages activist group alert

Misplaced Pages:Ambassadors ......thank goodness, for the guided learning. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 16:41, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

What a pile of poop

This 'essay' amounts to little more than a conspiracy theory: "when people try to change my edits, they are plotting against me"... Sad. AndyTheGrump (talk) 03:38, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

To put it another way, the article ascribes bad faith to what well may be good-faith, non-activist editing. Since an effort to delete this article has failed, can you suggest some changes that might result in this article doing more good than harm? ScottyBerg (talk) 18:48, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

Not really, no. It is founded on a fundamentally false premise - that there are 'neutral' contributors, and 'activist' ones, and that they operate in fundamentally different ways. Everyone has strong opinions about something, which will make them an 'activist' over that issue. The correct way to deal with people you consider to have a strong POV is to discuss issues of content, not make sweeping assumptions about their motivations. To do otherwise is itself 'activism' - trying to impose your own views of 'neutrality' and exclude those who you see as not conforming. AndyTheGrump (talk) 19:39, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

Yes, I think you're right. I also suspect that trying to "fix" this essay is a waste of time, given its fundamental problem that you've stated quite well. ScottyBerg (talk) 19:43, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

You can look at the essay in two ways. Some think it's actively harmful. My view is that it's so ham-fisted that it's (unintentionally) funny and paints its authors in a very poor light. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 19:45, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

I think it's actively harmful AND unintentionally funny, almost a self-parody in spots. In fact, one could write a humorous essay using this one as inspiration. I don't know if such a thing would be kosher on-wiki, however. ScottyBerg (talk) 19:50, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

Put it up for AFD again? Maybe people are sick of trying to improve it and it might die this time William M. Connolley (talk) 19:55, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

Be careful, lest "frequent nominations for AfD" become part of this essay. ScottyBerg (talk) 20:10, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

Let's attempt a rewrite. I don't have much time, but I'll try to make some minor edits right now. Count Iblis (talk) 00:49, 9 January 2011 (UTC)

I agree with the sentiments expressed in this section: the essay is a disaster. Consider "Rather than removing reliably sourced information, good-faith editors will work with others to resolve the dispute and try to retain some substance of the text at issue." (that's in the section pointing how if someone removes your text citing UNDUE, then that person is an WP:ACTIVIST and not a good-faith editor). This misguided nonsense might (just) be acceptable in user space because it would then be the opinion of an editor, and there is a lot of tolerance for such things. However, in Misplaced Pages space, the essay is toxic as it could easily mislead naive readers into believing that there is support to regard UNDUE, SYN, BLP and V as mere tools of an activist. I also agree that another AFD is probably not advisable atm, so a rewrite is required. Johnuniq (talk) 01:24, 9 January 2011 (UTC)

This essay is founded on the same principles as WP:BATTLE ... don't like the essay, stop the battle ground behavior then. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 02:03, 9 January 2011 (UTC)
Are you recommending that editors should not follow the UNDUE, SYN, BLP and V policies? Instead, if another editor really wants the material despite the policies, then some accommodation should be made? Johnuniq (talk) 07:43, 9 January 2011 (UTC)
No to first sentence, yes to second. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk)

...if another editor really wants the material despite the policies, then some accommodation should be made?

Is this a serious assertion? Is the idea that activists should be accommodated? That seems contrary to community and ArbCom consensus. Will Beback talk 23:32, 9 January 2011 (UTC)

Is there a consensus that some people should be arbitrarily labelled 'activists' and treated differently accordingly? If so, who is responsible for this categorisation? Perhaps we should give their user names a special symbol to indicate affiliation. A hammer-and-sickle? A swastika? A pink triangle? A yellow Star of David? AndyTheGrump (talk) 23:37, 9 January 2011 (UTC)

Activism or advocacy are not tolerated by the community. Activism is practiced by activists. When they are not engaging in activism, they are no longer activists. Likewise, POV pushing is practiced by POV pushers, edit warring is practiced by edit warriors, etc. The behavior is the problem, not the persons. Maybe the essay could be improved by moving it to "WP:Activism". Will Beback talk 23:43, 9 January 2011 (UTC)

Thank you for not answering the question. Who decides who is an 'activist'? Maybe the essay could be improved by people not trying to push their own conspiracy theories as 'community policy'. AndyTheGrump (talk) 23:47, 9 January 2011 (UTC)

Is it necessary for any such determination to be made? We don't determine that a person is an edit warrior, we simply determine that they have engaged in edit warring. That's why I suggest moving the page to a title that addresses behavior. As for community policy, there are long-standing policies against using Misplaced Pages as a soapbox or a battlefield, both of which are aspects of activism. Will Beback talk 23:54, 9 January 2011 (UTC)

Exactly. Misplaced Pages has no need for articles on 'activism' or 'activists' because everyones' contributions should be judged on their merits, and not on stereotypes imposed by others. This essay is arguing the opposite, and as such is contrary to the established norms and practices. AndyTheGrump (talk) 00:11, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

IOW, the ArbCom findings are meaningless about behaviour of blocs? Collect (talk) 00:13, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

ArbCom can make decisions about 'blocs' after appropriate investigations and procedures. This article is advocating deciding for yourself who is an 'activist'. AndyTheGrump (talk) 00:16, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

IOW, the general findings of ArbCom now cease to exist as a valid basis for creation of an essay because the essay does not deal with individual cases already settled? Outre. Collect (talk) 00:36, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

No. And please stop misrepresenting what I've written with 'IOW'. If ArbCom decide that a bloc has been involved, they can act accordingly. It isn't our job to prejudge this by assuming that editors are acting as a bloc from the start. AndyTheGrump (talk) 00:41, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

As a general practice, the ArbCom does not initiate RfArs. It is members of the community who set the standards of behavior, and who complain when editors don't follow those. The ArbCom, or the community, may make a determination that standards have been violated. Will Beback talk 00:44, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

Yes. It is the behaviour of editors that should be the issue. Not a preconception that those who disagree with you are part of an 'advocate' conspiracy. AndyTheGrump (talk) 00:54, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

I would tell it differently. This essay suggests that "a lone editor who is a glutton for punishment" should oppose one or several groups of users. Doing so is against WP:Consensus. It suggests creation of articles to provoke the perceived "activists". Doing so is WP:POINT. In fact, a potential reader would be better served by following WP:Do not feed the trolls. Biophys (talk) 14:08, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

It violates neither. In fact, WP is founded on the willingness of any editor to confront the tailors of the emperor's clothes. By the way, it is quite odd that many of those opposed to this essay are, in fact, possibly companions in an ArbCom decision - which is possibly a coincidence. Collect (talk) 14:20, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

As contrasted with the stellar behavior of the author of the essay. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 14:37, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

Of course I realize that you want to fix serious problems, but you can not. A group of several SPAs will eat this "lone editor" alive. Of course this not is a coincidence. I simply know what I am talking about. Biophys (talk) 14:26, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

"You can not" is inane - the purpose of doing anything on WP is, if anything, to "fix problems." The alternative is to believe in WP:Be an ostrich. Collect (talk) 14:30, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

There is a lot of things one can not do in wikipedia. The key point: are you going to actually fix problems or create them? I too tried to fix problems, but end up creating them. At the same time, I respect people who are stil trying. Good luck!Biophys (talk) 16:35, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

Thanks for trying, without Misplaced Pages authorities it is difficult to get a fair deal. The difference between help and harm is an ever shifting line. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 18:22, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

"...it is quite odd that many of those opposed to this essay are, in fact, possibly companions in an ArbCom decision - which is possibly a coincidence." And that is possibly the best example so far for why I see this 'essay' as nothing but a conspiracy theory. Don't ever actually offer 'proof' of the existence of activist groups, but assume that they are there, and then analyse anything that occurs on the basis that it contains further evidence that these groups exist. This is getting close to tinfoil-hat territory. AndyTheGrump (talk) 14:41, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

It was not I who made that observation at AN/I - and trying to shout "conspiracy" is silly. My goal is a neutral non-polemic essay. Period. And if you wish to say ArbCom is wearing "tinfoil hats", then do so. Preferably to its members. Face to face. Collect (talk) 14:45, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

If I wished to say that, I would. I didn't. As usual, you twist what others write to suit your preconceived notions. AndyTheGrump (talk) 15:19, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

Grammatically your use of "don't" is in the "imperative mood" and appears (as is always the case with imperatives) directed at the person you are talking to. The subsequent sentence is then also directed at the same person - but since you insist you did not do so, then I must clearly misunderstand what appeared clearly written. Collect (talk) 16:04, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

Andy, don't let Collect know that his misrepresentation is getting to you -- it will motivate him to bore in that much harder. Best thing is to try and shrug it off. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 16:22, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

If we're interested in bizarre coincidences, try looking at the first entry in Collect's block log William M. Connolley (talk) 16:41, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

Borderline WP:PA. How can that help here? Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 17:59, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

I don't know. How does Collect's endless deliberate misreading of other peoples' words (here and elsewhere) help? AndyTheGrump (talk) 19:29, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

Well Feigned incomprehension used to be consider uncivil; however it is a question of difficult to improve intent. For some its an annoyingly natural approach (i.e. they may be unaware) to test an Counterfactual conditional. Until, someone calls them out on it. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 19:45, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

Let me assure you that my incomprehension of the above statement is in no way feigned. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 19:48, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

Would is be intentional incomprehension? Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 19:54, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

Would is be bad grammar? AndyTheGrump (talk) 19:56, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

Enough!

It does not take a genius to realize that Cla68 wrote most of this essay in the backdrop of the Climate change case, nor does it take one to realize that many of you commenting above were practically at each other's throats six months ago. Give it a rest please! It's entirely unnecessary and not at all helpful to this. NW (Talk) 04:13, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

NW, some of the most recent and strenuous objections, and extensive editing, of this essay has come from editors who had no connection to the CC case. ScottyBerg (talk) 15:54, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

What are you suggesting? 'Improve' the essay, or bury it under the patio, and pretend we'd never seen it? ;-) (and BTW, I wasn't involved in the climate change case, I'm glad to say). AndyTheGrump (talk) 04:20, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

I find nothing in this essay that does not add to the content of Misplaced Pages's official pages. If we are honest, all of us are activists at/or in some area of Misplaced Pages, so having this page is a helpful reminder of that reality.--Novus Orator 04:22, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

I'm saying just leave it. Read if it you want, but don't edit it, don't fight over it, don't comment over every little thing. NW (Talk) 04:23, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

I think most of the criticism of this essay is derived from editors feeling guilty about their activist behavior. Give it a rest, we are all activists in some way!--Novus Orator 04:25, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

If only the essay said so... Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 04:29, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

...and in the middle of the night, the sound of a shovel scraping through the topsoil could be heard. Then the sound of something heavy being dragged across the patio. Next a dull 'wumph!' as it fell to the bottom of the hole. For the next few minutes one could hear the soil being scooped back in. Then the paving slab being pushed back into place. Footsteps, then silence. Come the dawn, there was little evidence of anything untoward, the birds were singing in the trees, and all was right with the world... AndyTheGrump (talk) 04:31, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

NW, the parts of this essay which were added by me were not based on one single incident, but on my experiences and observations since I started editing Misplaced Pages in January 2006. I've said this several times. I think it would work better if editors with contrary opinions to the ones originally expressed in this essay by me and several other editors would write their own, separate essay then add a banner at the top of each linking them to each other with a statement such as "For a dissenting perspective, see..." That approach would hopefully stop the edit warring that has occurred in this essay, which, by the way, I have not participated in. Cla68 (talk) 04:32, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

Good suggestion. If people feel guilty, at least they can get it out somewheres' else...--Novus Orator 04:34, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

If this, and the new essays you suggest creating, were all userfied then that would make sense. I suggest you start the process. Will Beback talk 05:08, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

Or, we could consider stop feeling guilty for being activists and merely realize that activism is a necessary part of the editing process.-- Novus Orator 05:12, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

You could start a user essay of your own telling editors how to be better activists, if that's what you think would help the project. Will Beback talk 05:27, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

I guess my sarcasm wasn't clear in that comment.-- Novus Orator 05:29, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

(edit conflict)Given that the essay is in project space I have trouble reconciling Cla68's proposal with WP:OWN (note also the numerous comments by Keep voters at MfD stating that the essay needed revision). The best course would be to move the essay back to user space where he will have the clear right to exclude "contrary opinions." Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 05:10, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

Again, please don't provide me with an opinion which I don't have. I'm not saying that anyone owns this essay. The original opinions expressed in it were provided by several different editors. Recently, several other editors have removed much of the original text and added contradictory text. In other words, they have removed text they didn't agree with and replaced it with opinions that they evidently do believe in. I believe a more helpful approach would be for the editors with contrary opinions to write their own essay, then readers would be able to decide which opinion they believe has more merit. I believe doing so would be a "win-win" approach for everyone and remove the battleground which some of you all have gotten yourselves into, as noted by NuclearWarfare at the top of this thread. Cla68 (talk) 05:24, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

What contrary oponion? That activism doesn't exist on Misplaced Pages? Funny, but I think that line is a little old...The essay currently admits that activism is something that all editors practice in a certain area. This helps the community be aware of what causes certain editing patterns on contentious subjects.-- Novus Orator 05:15, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

...and shortly after sunset a scratching sound could be heard, followed by the louder scrape of a paving slab being pushed aside. The earth stirred, a grisly grey hand reached out, decaying skin and fingernails falling aside as it reached out into the night. Slowly the once-dead corpse of the essay-zombie rose from the hole, clambered out onto the patio, and shuffled down the garden path, once more to spread malice and confusion over the sleeping residents of Wikiville... AndyTheGrump (talk) 05:41, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

Perhaps the idea of letting reasonable editors make this as neutral and non-polemic as possible finally makes sense? Kindly note that I wrote a lot here trying to do so. Collect (talk) 09:11, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

A neutral and non-polemic essay wouldn't start off by making ridiculous generalisations about how 'activists' can be detected at work in Misplaced Pages, and then go on to list almost every form of behaviour as 'evidence' for this, with the sole exception of actually agreeing with the reader's point of view. Though the decaying corpse of the essay still seems to be ambulatory, I'm not convinced that the right combination of garlic, sunlight, and a stake through its heart won't finally put it to rest and let us once more wander the leafy realms of Wikiville without fear of molestation. This however will require one more effort. Is it time again to invoke the mighty gods of AfD? I'm inclined to think so... AndyTheGrump (talk) 14:47, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

This is a good essay—not for what it is, but for what it can be. It's greatness (perhaps too strong a word) is in its potential. It is tackling a very important and a very serious problem. The problem the essay attempts to tackle is not an easily addressed problem. Unlike many other essays (not meaning to dismiss the value of other essays—some are very valuable) this essay has as its target a very core problem. I like the essay. The fault I find with it is that it gets bogged down in the specifics. In my opinion this essay could succeed if it took a much more general approach to the problem: the problem, in general, is that editors abuse policy—instead of applying policy conservatively, editors (activist editors) interpret policy to mean all sorts of things it was never intended to mean. They thereby use policy to justify unjustifiable edits. The possible permutations of this phenomenon are virtually endless. Human ingenuity can always outsmart these sorts of policy. What this particular essay has the possibility of doing is pointing out that upholding policy is the responsibility of Wikipedians, and that outsmarting policy is to be frowned upon by the community at large. I don't think that message is really sent out elsewhere. Bus stop (talk) 15:14, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

But we already have WP:ADVOCACY, which does what you describe. The basic premise of this essay is that anyone who resists advocacy using proper interpretation of policy is a Bad Person®™. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 15:17, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

Can you please tell me how, "The basic premise of this essay is that anyone who resists advocacy using proper interpretation of policy is a Bad Person"? Bus stop (talk) 15:42, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

This is not the response I was hoping for. I'm not going to sanction any of you, but seriously, take a step back for at least a couple of days and see what you are getting yourselves into. NW (Talk) 18:38, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

Perhaps you didn't get the response you were hoping for because we prefer to decide for ourselves how we respond. And as for 'sanctions', are you now proposing that talk pages should be patrolled by self-appointed guardians of content, with any 'infractions' being used to remove adverse commentary? I think you should maybe step back a bit yourself. AndyTheGrump (talk) 18:47, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

Oh, stop being so grumpy William M. Connolley (talk) 21:16, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

I Grump, therefore I am. (can anyone translate that to Latin?) AndyTheGrump (talk) 21:23, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

According to Misplaced Pages: "Grumpy initially disapproves of Snow White's presence in the dwarfs' home, but later warns her of the threat posed by the Queen and rushes to her aid upon realizing that she is in danger, leading the charge himself. He has the biggest nose of the dwarfs, and is frequently seen with one eye shut." So now you know who you're dealing with, WMC.Anythingyouwant (talk) 05:30, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

Meaning?

What is

The POVs the activists are arguing in favor of, are frequently notable - appearing in reliable sources. In the context of the topic of the Wiki-article in question, it may even be an irrelevant opinion

intended to mean? William M. Connolley (talk) 16:36, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

Sound like ZP5's writing style. ZP5, can you explain? Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 16:39, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

I am in favor of meaning management (i.e. branding on a hero's journey) but can't claim this one now. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 16:43, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

OK, I've done my best to make it clearer. That section now says something coherent, which is a step up from what it used to be William M. Connolley (talk) 21:02, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

Meaning? #2

If no-one knows what it means it might be worth rephrasing it to at least mean something. Meanwhile, what about:

They hound and bait editors with a battleground mentality

Does this mean 'They hound and bait (editors with a battleground mentality) or They (with a battleground mentality) hound and bait editors?

I've clarificationised it. Hopefully in the right way; if I got it the wrong way round please do correct me William M. Connolley (talk) 20:56, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

Oh, and Collect reverted my "fanatics" back to "zealots". I preferred "fanatics", any other opinions? How about "militant", "diehard" or "extremist"? Or "Young turk"? William M. Connolley (talk) 17:24, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

How about "shape-shifting lizards"? AndyTheGrump (talk) 17:26, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

"Jejune sycophants". jps (talk) 18:11, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

Zombies, flesh-eating or otherwise? William M. Connolley (talk) 18:15, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

I think we should call them irreverence-spewing lions' den habitues of the archetypal variety. That might kill two birds with one Strontium-90 poison pill. Bus stop (talk) 18:34, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

How about "those who connive with the Infidel to make the crusades fail of their holy purpose"? Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 18:43, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

Retract that PA this instant! William M. Connolley (talk) 20:53, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

Either "zealous fanatics" or "fanatical zealots" would be acceptable compromises, and not at all over-the-top. MastCell 21:06, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

Ok, so this article is only about people who are both "zealous" and "fanatical"? If I'm only one at a time, am I ok? ;-) AndyTheGrump (talk) 21:09, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

Where synonyms are concerned, making jokes seems hardly worth the effort some would put in. Collect (talk) 21:14, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

Such extreme language is a sign of bad writing, which of course is a sign of activist infestation. ;) ScottyBerg (talk) 21:25, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

I take it that the simple word "zealotry" is "extreme" in your point of view? I had thought it distinguished the problematic groups from normal consensus building efforts. What word would you use to make that difference clear? Collect (talk) 22:09, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

From Wiktionary:

zealot (plural zealots)

1. one who is zealous, one who is full of zeal for his own specific beliefs or objectives, usually in the negative sense of being too passionate; a fanatic

2. a member of a radical, warlike, ardently patriotic group of Jews in Judea, particularly prominent from a.d. 69 to 81, advocating the violent overthrow of Roman rule and vigorously resisting the efforts of the Romans and their supporters to heathenize the Jews.

3. a member of an anti-aristocratic political group in Thessalonica from 1342 until 1350.

Generally "fanatic" is considered "excessively zealous" that is, a fanatic is more than a zealot. Opdycke, and recent usage at . Collect (talk) 22:30, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

That's a shade of difference. I think the two are considered synonyms in common usage. Zealot is too overheated. An activist may simply be an editor who believes in something and is indifferent to Wiki policies. May not be a zealot. I think that hurts the essay's credibility, such as it is. ScottyBerg (talk) 23:23, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

Brilliant indicators...all taken from real life experiences

Some of the brilliant indicators listed below, all taken from real life experiences on Misplaced Pages, may open your mind.

It'd be great if the "indicators" and other examples were actually taken from real experiences. However requests to verify these assertions have been rejected. We should either start adding footnotes to show which experiences we're noting, or stop asserting that this is based on real events. Will Beback talk 23:20, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide. No escape from reality... AndyTheGrump (talk) 04:20, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

Yes, that's another issue. I don't think that edits like this are improving the article. Will Beback talk 04:53, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

It might help if we could decide how exactly this essay should be different from WP:ADVOCACY. To me, I see it as just being humorously inflammatory. Perhaps we should slap the {{humor}} tag on it? Just a suggestion. jps (talk) 15:05, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

Unfortunately, some people seem to have taken it seriously. Or perhaps they just have a sense of humour too subtle for me... AndyTheGrump (talk) 15:16, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

Sorry, I hadn't realized we'd gone for the humor route. In that case, let's add more funny pictures. Will Beback talk 11:25, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

How about just not trying to mess it up by turning it inside out? I get that certain editors don't "like" this essay (perhaps because it hits too close to their M.O. ??). Too bad. ++Lar: t/c 18:44, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

"Certain editors"? This talk page seems to be devolving into a barroom brawl. I don't think throwing more punches will help. Getting back to the point of this thread, I don't think this essay can be improved in any meaningful way unless editors are willing to use actual cases as the basis for their observations. Will Beback talk 00:07, 14 January 2011 (UTC)

It is perfectly clear that certain editors don't like this essay (no scare quotes are needed) because they have said so explicitly. They have also said why, so there is no need to snide guesses William M. Connolley (talk) 18:50, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

I think my reason's closer to the mark than the ones posited by you and yours. But that's just one guy's opinion, up against a horde of... well, I don't know what its a horde of, but someone has a term for it. I think I'll skip using that one though, charming as some may find it... ++Lar: t/c 23:41, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

How about not 'owning' the essay? That's right, some editors don't like essays that turn WP:AGF (and common sense) inside out, and react acoordingly. Too bad... AndyTheGrump (talk) 18:53, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

I agree it would be best to slap a "humor" tag on this article. Seriously. Presumably there are "activists" at Misplaced Pages who do not band together into marauding gangs, who do not push their POVs, who obey all policies and guidelines, and who simply want to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change by getting out neutral information about issues important to them. Per Wings, what's wrong with that?Anythingyouwant (talk) 19:07, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

I don't know about you all, but I'm beginning to love this essay. I see it as turning into a real thing of beauty owned by no one and countenanced by the Flying Spaghetti Monster Itself! jps (talk) 20:28, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

In the off-chance that this essay is salvageable, I've re-added the list of all ArbCom cases that included findings of advocacy by multiple users. Multiple users because this essay originally addressed activism by groups of editors, as opposed to single editors, which is covered in WP:ADVOCACY. If there are sanctions placed by the community with clear reference to group activism then we could add those too. I hope that having a definitive list will help ground this essay in "real life experiences". Will Beback talk 01:31, 14 January 2011 (UTC)

New image

~~This article is in hell.~~ The new image is significantly increasing the article's provocation. I am afraid to touch it. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 14:22, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

What article are you talking about? This is a talkpage for an essay. jps (talk) 15:02, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

Could you please try to avoid battlefield language like "This article is in hell". Try to stay calm and edit in a collegial atmosphere William M. Connolley (talk) 15:12, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

And which image do you mean? This one ? I think the point here is that one persons freedom fighter is another persons terrorist William M. Connolley (talk) 15:16, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

Er, I think we should make it clear that 'activist' doesn't always mean 'terrorist' (though some people seem to be unable to make the distinction - but perhaps I'd better not drag up issues that got me dragged up before the WikiBeak). AndyTheGrump (talk) 15:20, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

I was thinking that "activist == freedom fighter" might fly. Hence the image of "good" activism. We do all agree that some activism is good, don't we? William M. Connolley (talk) 17:15, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

That depends on the objectives of the activism. If I agree with them, then of course it's good. Otherwise it is an obvious plot to destroy the very fabric of society, make the sky fall in, and release the Myriad Demons of Beelzebub. AndyTheGrump (talk) 17:23, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

The selected images are key to the essays tone. Push it over the top and the essay will lose its value. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk)

Images are not tone. Please try to get your commentary straight. jps (talk) 16:11, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

I don't think any image should be included to illustrate "activism". Bus stop (talk) 17:22, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

A while back I suggested an antiquarian image, such as this. ScottyBerg (talk) 17:27, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

EC - See Tone_(literature), images are about as significant as exaggeration. The freedom fighter image is powerfully appropriate for a freely serving volunteer in the face of Misplaced Pages societal rules. I like that one. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 17:28, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

File:Member of the FFI.jpg? William M. Connolley (talk) 17:38, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

Yes, I like that one. Looks very much like a "lone editor who is a glutton for punishment". Biophys (talk) 05:47, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

Well ... if someone doctored it with a Misplaced Pages activist slogan. Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 18:00, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

"Ignore all rules, might makes right."'' Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 18:06, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

On second thought, I've tried this edit. Bus stop (talk) 03:20, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

We should probably apply the principle used at WP:GIANTDICK: change the picture to something amusing every now and then William M. Connolley (talk) 08:31, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

But not actually a picture of a, um,... Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 14:39, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

I want to see where that image should go! A giant amazon? Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 20:37, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

Stop this idiocy

For peace-loving-ground eyes only Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 14:28, 13 January 2011 (UTC)
Time to improve the essay, not to make this an example to be archived as an example of how to misbehave! OPuerility should no longer have a place in Misplaced Pages. Collect (talk) 11:28, 13 January 2011 (UTC) (spelling cofrected as a result of comment "'even if you couold spell it correctly" below) Collect (talk) 13:11, 13 January 2011 (UTC) Time for you to show a little less battlefield conduct, I think. Calling people puerile idiots, even if you could spell it correctly, is really rather unhelpful. If you can't edit here in a calm manner, edit somewhere else William M. Connolley (talk) 11:37, 13 January 2011 (UTC) And your snark-filled edit summary helps? I called no one a "puerile idiot" at all. And using sic-ism does not help make your point one whit. Collect (talk) 12:01, 13 January 2011 (UTC) Are you trying to raise the tension here or defuse it? Calling the behaviour here "idiocy" and saying "Puerility should no longer have a place" is just calling people puerile idiots, but skating close to the edge of the rules to avoid being blocked. It is battleground behaviour on yuor part and deeply unhelpful at any time, but particularly so if you're trying to calm the situation. Also, "Puerility should no longer have a place in Misplaced Pages" is very difficult to understand. Read literally, it says that puerility used to have a place but no longer does. Is that what you intended? William M. Connolley (talk) 12:33, 13 January 2011 (UTC) Note: if anyone is wondering about my apparently incomprehensible comment about spelling, it no longer makes sense because C has silently corrected himself, in violation of the TPG William M. Connolley (talk) 12:33, 13 January 2011 (UTC) You made a big deal that I could not spell when I used an "O" instead of a "P." Correcting clear tpyos is not a violation of anything. I am correcting the correction so that WMC can not cavil any more. I think he is now pwned. :) Collect (talk) 12:58, 13 January 2011 (UTC) Editing talk page comments so that subsequent comments make no sense if definitely against the rules. And you've done it yet again William M. Connolley (talk) 13:05, 13 January 2011 (UTC) And your comment "even if you could spell it correctly" is what sort of comment? Collect (talk) 13:09, 13 January 2011 (UTC) Note that the comment is now appended to the egregious spelling error which indicated that I can not even spell "puerility" correctly. Collect (talk) 13:11, 13 January 2011 (UTC) If you want to make ~~silly~~ puerile pwned comments you'll have to learn not to shout it is uncool William M. Connolley (talk) 13:47, 13 January 2011 (UTC) The bolding was of your comment in order for others to judge its intrinsic value on this essay talk page. Thank you most kindly. Collect (talk) 14:09, 13 January 2011 (UTC) Aren't you pleasant, Collect? jps (talk) 14:23, 13 January 2011 (UTC) Misplaced Pages:Puerility should no longer have a place in Misplaced Pages is just itching to be started, I think. jps (talk) 13:25, 13 January 2011 (UTC) I disagree. Misplaced Pages:Puerility should no longer have a place in Misplaced Pages should never have a place in Misplaced Pages. ;-) AndyTheGrump (talk) 14:31, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

For peace-loving-ground eyes only Zulu Papa 5 * (talk) 14:28, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

Time to improve the essay, not to make this an example to be archived as an example of how to misbehave! OPuerility should no longer have a place in Misplaced Pages. Collect (talk) 11:28, 13 January 2011 (UTC) (spelling cofrected as a result of comment "'even if you couold spell it correctly" below) Collect (talk) 13:11, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

Time for you to show a little less battlefield conduct, I think. Calling people puerile idiots, even if you could spell it correctly, is really rather unhelpful. If you can't edit here in a calm manner, edit somewhere else William M. Connolley (talk) 11:37, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

And your snark-filled edit summary helps? I called no one a "puerile idiot" at all. And using sic-ism does not help make your point one whit. Collect (talk) 12:01, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

Are you trying to raise the tension here or defuse it? Calling the behaviour here "idiocy" and saying "Puerility should no longer have a place" is just calling people puerile idiots, but skating close to the edge of the rules to avoid being blocked. It is battleground behaviour on yuor part and deeply unhelpful at any time, but particularly so if you're trying to calm the situation. Also, "Puerility should no longer have a place in Misplaced Pages" is very difficult to understand. Read literally, it says that puerility used to have a place but no longer does. Is that what you intended? William M. Connolley (talk) 12:33, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

Note: if anyone is wondering about my apparently incomprehensible comment about spelling, it no longer makes sense because C has silently corrected himself, in violation of the TPG William M. Connolley (talk) 12:33, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

You made a big deal that I could not spell when I used an "O" instead of a "P." Correcting clear tpyos is not a violation of anything. I am correcting the correction so that WMC can not cavil any more. I think he is now pwned. :) Collect (talk) 12:58, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

Editing talk page comments so that subsequent comments make no sense if definitely against the rules. And you've done it yet again William M. Connolley (talk) 13:05, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

And your comment "even if you could spell it correctly" is what sort of comment? Collect (talk) 13:09, 13 January 2011 (UTC) Note that the comment is now appended to the egregious spelling error which indicated that I can not even spell "puerility" correctly. Collect (talk) 13:11, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

If you want to make ~~silly~~ puerile pwned comments you'll have to learn not to shout it is uncool William M. Connolley (talk) 13:47, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

The bolding was of your comment in order for others to judge its intrinsic value on this essay talk page. Thank you most kindly. Collect (talk) 14:09, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

Aren't you pleasant, Collect? jps (talk) 14:23, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

Misplaced Pages:Puerility should no longer have a place in Misplaced Pages is just itching to be started, I think. jps (talk) 13:25, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

I disagree. Misplaced Pages:Puerility should no longer have a place in Misplaced Pages should never have a place in Misplaced Pages. ;-) AndyTheGrump (talk) 14:31, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

Shutting this down

This essay and this talk page have completely devolved into utter uselessness. Nothing in these recent talk page discussions look like they have any promise of ultimately helping the encyclopedia. I'm full protecting both this page and the essay for 48 hours. Please take this time to think about what you have written over the past week and decide whether you want to continue editing this essay in the projectspace and if you do, how you can improve your discourse.

Comments about my action can be posted at User talk:NuclearWarfare should you so desire. NW (Talk) 03:29, 14 January 2011 (UTC)

It might be actually a good idea to write an essay about tag teams of "advocates" or an extended version of The Plague. The villains are obviously the people who were sanctioned by Arbcom (please see the list). However, I have a problem with the title of this essay. I do not know about other cases, but all people in a couple of my "favorite" cases were only activists of wikipedia. None of us was a member of Animal Liberation Front, acted on behalf of a political party, or was an activist of any other sort. Hence my concern on this talk page above. I'd like to help, but this is hardly possible, unless we change the title. Biophys (talk) 04:20, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

Read a version from before the rampant weirdness began, and you will see that is the direction it was headed in. Some who apparently wished to see it "gone" made edits seeking to make it incomprehnsible and incoherent even where the essay had valid points to make. Collect (talk) 13:07, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

It looks like there has been nothing but destructive, activist editing that turned what was once a very useful essay into a farce. This version described quite well what goes on at, for example, Hugo Chavez, Catholic Church and multiple articles involving activism in the medical realm—all involving the use of marginal sources to the exclusion of higher quality sources, and tag-teaming. I suggest a revert to that version, and then some contemplation of motives here. Climate change and others are not the only area of Misplaced Pages. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 13:28, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

Clearly all political and religion areas have seen this behavior (including, but not limited to, Scientology, Transcendental Meditation, Prem Rawat, and all political BLPs (during silly season mainly)), science-related articles (including pseudoscience, broadly construed, and BLPs related in any way thereto), political irredentism articles, or any articles which could remotely be construed as having irredentist editors, Eastern Europe articles, and, of course, the infamous "Climate Change" article contretemps and associated BLPs. Did I miss anything notable? Collect (talk) 14:08, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

I think it would be easier to say, well, all of Wiki. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 14:17, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

Well not quite all of Wiki :). I do think that my addition of the link to the ArbCom archived discussions would help for folks who would like to see exactly how bad the "collaborative editing" problem has been in some areas in the past. And I have not found too many accusations in the ornitohology articles ... Collect (talk) 14:22, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

If you still want to make this essay useful, it probably should be reverted to an old version before the weirdness began. Right now it does not serve any good purpose. I am not denying that activist editing can be a problem if the people are indeed activists of an outside organization, like CAMERA or Scientology movement. Biophys (talk) 00:40, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

Or those who accept the scientific consensus on climate change? Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 01:55, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

I'd say some of the problem began in mid-December. This version is from early December, and perhaps it's worth reverting to that. Will Beback talk 00:57, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

That version describes the basics of what I've seen in multiple areas involving entirely differents kinds of articles, which amount to 1) removal of text cited to high quality mainstream sources, 2) replacement with text cited to marginal or partisan sources or sources not appropriate for a BLP, 3) tag-teaming, and 4) taking the talk page off-topic with obfuscation, IDIDNTHEARTHAT, refusal to answer direct question or engage policy, et al. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 02:47, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

The problem is that the earlier version of this essay was a thinly-veiled continuation of Cla68's WP:BATTLEGROUND behavior in the Climate Change case, as many others have noted. If Cla68 or anyone else wants to protect the essay against the perspectives of those who disagree with it in any way, it should be in user space instead of project space. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 03:30, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

I don't think so, and that statement is lacking an AGF-ometer. Cla gets around more areas of the Misplaced Pages than Climate Change. I certainly discussed this essay here on talk very early on with him in terms of the breadth of topic areas that it applies to, and I pay almost no attention to the toxic Climate Change articles. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 03:32, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

"that statement is lacking an AGF-ometer". Sadly, so is the essay. I only got involved in editing Misplaced Pages after the Climate Change affair, and I've not really tried to figure out who did what, why, when, where, or how. I suspect had I been around at the time I'd have pitched in too, but I didn't, and on that basis I think I can say that it appears to me, as someone not actually involved in that particular custard-pie fight, that this essay is predicated on an inversion of WP:AGF, and the assumption that any attempt to modify articles in ways one doesn't approve of is evidence of conspiracy. I may be wrong, but I think this dooms the essay to be a POV-pushing exercise from the start. I have been honest (if not downright rude) in my appraisal, not because I have issues with contributors, but because I think Misplaced Pages deserves better. If the conspiratorial model of Misplaced Pages that this article presents actually existed, I doubt very much it would be celebrating its 10th anniversary, or receiving the media attention it is. Somehow, in spite of the contradictions, it seems to have worked well enough without this divisive essay, so why fix something that ain't broke? AndyTheGrump (talk) 03:52, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

If you "only got involved in editing Misplaced Pages after the Climate Change affair", perhaps you'll see things more realistically after you've gotten around other areas of Misplaced Pages. Describing behavioral issues that occur is not a failure to AGF; if it were, we wouldn't have pages like WP:TEND, WP:DISRUPT, WP:3RR and all manner of pages to deal with what goes on here. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 03:57, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

I think I've been involved in enough controversial issues by now to get an idea of the general way things work. (check my edit history if you like). My objective is not to suggest that POV-pushing doesn't go on, but to suggest that 'assuming conspiracy' isn't an appropriate way to deal with this. AGF isn't an argument to bury one's head in the sand, instead it is actually a well tested method of dealing with those who act against it - it forces them to deal with content rather than engaging in faction-fighting. Yes, you need rules to deal with specific actions. You don't need instructions on how to predict them in advance, or how to get your retaliation in first. AndyTheGrump (talk) 04:07, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

I guess we don't need WP:DISRUPT either, then. Funny thing that: it's a guideline. Hard to understand why so many editors have their knickers in a twist over a mere essay. (Checked; didn't find much.) SandyGeorgia (Talk) 05:17, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

Perhaps we should start over again from a blank page? Will Beback talk 04:03, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

The best suggestion I've heard so far. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 04:11, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

Instead of a few of you battling so hard over the content of this essay, why don't you write another essay containing your ideas that are different from the ones originally expressed in this essay, then link them both together? Cla68 (talk) 04:37, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

If it's a user essay then folks can write whatever they like. But if it's in project space then it should represent some kind of consensus of more than one editor. Cla68 is always welcome to userfy his early drafts, for example. Will Beback talk 08:57, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

Revert to AFD

I've reverted to the version that was presented to AfD, and which seemed to persuade people the essay was worth keeping. That's the only version we know has consensus of some kind, and so that's the version we should carefully work on, gaining prior consensus on talk for substantive changes. SlimVirgin 05:13, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

Good choice. I hope folks working here will remember that Misplaced Pages exists beyond Climate Change, and is a target of all sorts of activist editing-- something that WP:DISRUPT doesn't pretend to ignore. And it's an essay for gosh sakes-- those who don't like it don't have to read it. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 05:19, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

How do you know whether you like it if you don't read it? Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 13:45, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

Lead sentence

The essay on advocacy has a good lead sentence that defines the term: "Advocacy is the use of Misplaced Pages to promote personal beliefs or agendas at the expense of Misplaced Pages's goals and core content policies, including verifiability and the neutral point of view."

In contrast, the lead sentence of this essay doesn't define anything, and instead casts suspicion on everyone who is attracted to Misplaced Pages by its high internet traffic ranking: "Perhaps because of its high Internet traffic ranking, Misplaced Pages appears to attract a number of ideological, religious, philosophical, political, and other activists." This essay needs a lead sentence that defines what "activist" means for purposes of the rest of the essay. Does it mean someone who engages in advocacy as defined by the essay on advocacy? Or not? Is an activist any Misplaced Pages editor who we think ought to be stigmatized, or is there a less subjective standard?Anythingyouwant (talk) 06:52, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

At this point I'll agree with most anything that moves the essay's definition of activist away from "anyone who disagrees with me, especially anyone who acknowledges that WP:WEIGHT is policy." Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 01:19, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

When first created, the essay was about groups of activists rather than individual activists. The new intro makes it explicitly about single activists. That's a significant change in scope. Would anyone object if I modify it to reflect the previous intent of the essay? Will Beback talk 01:24, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

I think the meaning of activist tends to get lost in a definition that relies on a multitude of activists. I think it should be pointed out separately that it is not unheard of for like-minded activists to band together, thereby magnifying the damage that can be done. Bus stop (talk) 01:44, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

If the scope's going to be limited to groups (and I have no opinion about that one way or the other), then the title ought to have an "s" at the end, or be changed to "groups of activists". In any event I hope the definition I inserted at the beginning can remain.Anythingyouwant (talk) 01:47, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

It would just mean changing it to "For purposes of this essay, activists are editors who repeatedly violate Misplaced Pages's neutral point-of-view (NPOV) policy."

I'm not sure that's a good definition, though. One can violate NPOV without being an activist. Will Beback talk 01:50, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

How?Anythingyouwant (talk) 01:53, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Learning to write using the NPOV is not easy, and I'd guess that many if not most new editors unintentionally violate it. for example, if I see a news story about a DUI arrest of a notable figure, and come to Misplaced Pages to add three paragraphs about it, I've violated the UNDUE section of WP:NPOV. I might even insist on including and get into an edit war about it. That doesn't mean that I'm a activist, just that I don't understand why minor events receive only minor attention. I could give a hundred other examples. It's too easy to violate NPOV, and violations are too common, for that to be the primary definition of "activist". Will Beback talk 02:08, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

So we could just insert the word "intentional" into the first sentence?Anythingyouwant (talk) 02:28, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

How do we discern the intent of an editor? Will Beback talk 02:31, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

I suppose by the techniques they use, what they say, and their level of experience. But if you don't want to try to discern intent, then there's no reason for this essay to make the intentional/unintentional distinction.Anythingyouwant (talk) 02:45, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

What if we "comment on content, not on the contributor" as the old saw goes? That is, describe the characteristics of activist editing instead of engaging in amateur psychoanalysis by trying to divine intent. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 03:00, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

I think that, at the risk of tautology, we could say that activists are editors who use Misplaced Pages to promote their activism. Will Beback talk 03:14, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

I oppose that because of the tautology. Moreover, I do not understand why you removed the lead sentence. No one has stated any objection to the notion that an "activist" is someone who violates NPOV, and the only concern is whether we should focus on a sub-class of those people (e.g. the ones who do it intentionally or who exhibit certain traits).Anythingyouwant (talk) 03:18, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Let's work up a meaningful definition that doesn't end up calling 3/4 of Misplaced Pages editors "activists".

Stepping back, is the defining characteristic of activists that they violate NPOV? Or is it that they use Misplaced Pages to promote a cause?

More existentially, how is this essay going to be different from WP:ADVOCACY and WP:Tag team? Will Beback talk 03:31, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

My concern is that by having no definition, 100% of Wikipedians can be assailed as "activists". Also, beware the false dichotomy. We could say that an activist is someone who violates NPOV to promote a cause. Everyone is at Misplaced Pages for some cause or other. As for the existential question, I'm unaware why the advocacy and tag team essays aren't sufficient, but if this essay remains then it should do as little harm as possible.Anythingyouwant (talk) 03:39, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Let me throw this sort of wording out there:

"An activist has an underlying "theme" to their editing that has some unsavory flavor to it. Their editing returns time and again to certain types of articles. Activist editing is a personality trait which places a private vision above objective editing. The activist mindset refuses to accept the ideal of evenhandedness that is called for in scholarly writing."

The above are some of the points I would touch upon. Bus stop (talk) 03:26, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

This essay should have nothing to do with TAG TEAM. Nor should it overlap with ADVOCACY. This essay should address a more subtle problem. An activist has a philosophy. That philosophy is broad. The activist is passionate and has a "vision". The activist is more irrational than the person who merely "advocates" for something. Advocacy can be defined; activism eludes definition. I am not suggesting we include all that in the article. But this is what I had in mind when I suggested wording such as I suggested above, for the lead. Bus stop (talk) 03:42, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

By the way, this essay does not have to be perfect. "Activist" is an abstract idea. As long as the editors of the essay have an idea in mind of what the word means, they should just go along and write the essay. As the saying goes—if the shoe fits, wear it. The subject of this essay should be something that editors can reflect on. No one is being identified, so as long as the commentary is nonspecific, I don't think we have to worry too much about labeling all Wikipedians activists! Bus stop (talk) 03:45, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

People who edit in NPOV fashion at a particular set of articles that interests them, or that they have expertise about, is perfectly okay, and should be welcomed instead of battled.Anythingyouwant (talk) 03:30, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

For crying out loud, how long are people going to carry on suggesting that 'NPOV' exists, except as a concept for debate? It doesn't. It can't. If you were a Virginia tobacco-plantation owner in 1860, 'NPOV' on slavery might well be centred around whether your slaves would work harder if you whipped them daily, or merely once a week. Nobody is neutral because we aren't living in a 'neutral' environment. Instead we live in an environment where everything is contested, and nothing is static. By and large, those who claim 'neutrality' are actually instead claiming their own right to determine what it is 'neutral'. AndyTheGrump (talk) 03:40, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

May I suggest looking at Misplaced Pages:Activist#Arbitration list for examples of advocacy by groups as determined by the ArbCom? Will Beback talk 03:51, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Why not simply wikilink the word "activists" in the first sentence to the Misplaced Pages article that defines that word? I believe this is the manner in which this essay originally defined what an activist was. Cla68 (talk) 04:12, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

For the same reason that the Advocacy essay begins by adopting a specific definition for purposes of that essay. After all, there's nothing wrong at Misplaced Pages with advocating for neutrality, verifiability, and the like. So the Advocacy essay makes clear at the outset it's not talking about that kind if advocacy. By the same token, intentional action to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change may include trying to educate the public about neutral and well-sourced facts. Is that sort of activism in our crosshairs?Anythingyouwant (talk) 04:22, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

What are we looking to say in this essay that isn't already covered in WP:ADVOCACY or related essays? Will Beback talk 05:11, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

I think Cla68's suggestion to begin with a (linked) definition of activism is a good one and have implemented it. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 04:23, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

This essay will never get written. There is more disagreement than agreement. This should be written by one person. Bus stop (talk) 04:26, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Userfying it might be wise.Anythingyouwant (talk) 04:29, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

There are shades of meaning to "activist". Martin Luther King does not represent the activist that this article is primarily about. The type of activist that I think this article is written about has no scruples about bending the truth. That is not a characteristic commonly attributed to Martin Luther King. By the way, I just removed the picture of Martin Luther King from the top of the article. Bus stop (talk) 04:38, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

So by using this image are you implying that anti-nuclear protesters "have no scruples about bending the truth"? Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 04:43, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Provided whoever writes it stays within Misplaced Pages policy (broadly interpreted), anybody can write an essay on his or her user page. Likewise, if an essay is written in public Misplaced Pages space, anyone should be free to edit it, subject to such edits conforming to Misplaced Pages policy (interpreted according to norms). That is how Misplaced Pages works. Much of the difficulty with this essay seems to be due to particular editors insisting that (a) they have a right to write an essay about 'activists', and (b) they have the right to exclude viewpoints that are contrary to theirs. In most circumstances, I'd say this was unexceptional for Misplaced Pages articles, essays etc, but when the essay in question is itself about 'neutrality', the attempt to control content to maintain a particular POV seems ironic to say the least. AndyTheGrump (talk) 04:39, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

(edit conflict) I don't like the idea of anti-nuclear folks being singled out. I've replaced that image with the one from the activism article. It has people with bullhorns, which fits the essay's theme of aggressively promoting a message. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 04:41, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

I thought the anti-nuclear picture was better because the people in the picture were facing into the essay which, IMO, is more aesthetically pleasing than the subject of the image facing to the outside of the page. Cla68 (talk) 04:47, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

An editor has now put up the image of "Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy speaking to a crowd of African Americans and whites through a megaphone outside the Justice Department; sign for Congress of Racial Equality is prominently displayed." This is a poor choice of image, relative to the previous image, which was the "Anti-nuke rally in Harrisburg, at the Capitol." The difference between the two is that one is a starkly clear instance of activism and the other is a subtle and less clear instance of activism. This essay is unlike the advocacy essay because this essay is about a more subtle phenomena. Bus stop (talk) 04:48, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

How about this picture? Cla68 (talk) 04:50, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Yes, because it is unclear who is right and who is wrong. The hallmark of activism, in the sense of this essay, is that it is difficult to define. Bus stop (talk) 04:53, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Personally, I think this captures the phenomenon admirably, although I don't know about the licensing issue. MastCell 05:06, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

They are too relaxed. They look like they are having a picnic. Bus stop (talk) 05:19, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

(edit conflict) I don't understand that if we're linking to Misplaced Pages's article on activism as Cla68 suggests, it's somehow wrong to use the image from that article. That is not logically consistent. The picture of the war protesters is a poor choice for the same reason as the picture of the nuclear protesters is a poor choice -- it singles out one side of a contemporary issue. Better to use a historical image. Note the picture of the war protesters doesn't fit the space as well and doesn't satisfy Cla68's criterion, but it's going to be hard to find an image that satisfies every criterion. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 05:09, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

We don't need any image. Will Beback talk 05:29, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Short Brigade Harvester Boris—you point out that it is a "contemporary" image. Contemporary images would tend to be preferable. We are less clear as to who is right and who is wrong as concerns contemporary issues. Bus stop (talk) 05:14, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

I think you may be a little optimistic, Bus Stop. Historians still engage in often-heated debate regarding who was in the right during the English Civil War. Come to that, I've heard anthropologists debat whether the neolithic revolution was a good thing (personally, I'd say it is too soon to tell...) AndyTheGrump (talk) 05:19, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

The civil rights movement is almost 100% supported in the present day. Bus stop (talk) 05:22, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

The picture of Kennedy does depict activism in action. My only objection to it was for aesthetic reasons. MastCell's suggestion, I thought, was a good alternative if the image is pulic domain. Cla68 (talk) 05:31, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

On second thought, the Kennedy picture shows a lone activist. Since the essay is about group activism, then a picture showing a group of people advocating something would be better. Cla68 (talk) 05:33, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

The picture of Kennedy involves the civil rights issue. It is a poor choice because the contemporary view is that everyone supports such ideals as integration. No one in present-day America agues for racial segregation. Americans unanimously support the Voting Rights Act. The Jim Crow Laws are universally condemned. The activism we are writing about in this essay is subtle. Bus stop (talk) 05:41, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

True. It is subtle now because the issues present-day activists are promoting have yet to become mainstream. Would the Civil Rights movement have been accepted as NPOV if Misplaced Pages had existed in the 1960s? I doubt it. AndyTheGrump (talk) 05:48, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

The RFK image is the best possible image this article could use, because it emphasizes that even the most righteous type of activism is inappropriate at Misplaced Pages. Or do we want a sliding scale? Only the kind of activism that's despised by a majority of ArbCom should be punished at Misplaced Pages? And it's very silly to have a title that's singular (activist) if the subject is plural. Anythingyouwant (talk) 06:17, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Righteous is irrelevant. I didn't use the word righteous or imply righteousness. Clarity is the issue. Activists are never clearly activists. We are always talking about below-the-radar activism in this essay. Bus stop (talk) 14:52, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Why do we need any picture? Will Beback talk 08:28, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

As RFK would say, why not?Anythingyouwant (talk) 09:34, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

A) Because we can't agree on one. B) This is an essay, not an illustrated story. C) We haven't even agreed yet on what this essay is about. Will Beback talk 09:47, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Apparent premise of essay

This essay appears based on what the ArbCom has repeatedly found - that groups of editors (by whatver name one wishes to call them) may become so tightly involved with a particular point of view on a topic (long list of cases at ArbCom) that they fail to observe core WP principles and policies.

That among these are NPOV, AGF and NPA, and, within material relating in any way to living persons, BLP.

This essay supposes that a person who subscribes to those core principles and policies runs into a topic where such a group exists, and indicates, briefly, how one ascertains that the topic does have such a group involved.

The single word "activist" may not be the best word - I think "zealot" in the common definition of the word fits well, but certainly "monomaniac" is silly. Perhaps "ardent editors sharing a common point of view on a topic" is sufficient.

The essay also asks the reader to make sure it is not they who has the "point of view" or fails to adhere to WP policies and principles. Collect (talk) 11:49, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

That's a good summary. Will Beback talk 12:40, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

You left WP:V off of the core policies. Perhaps referring to such editors in the terminology used by ArbCom will be useful, although that brings us back to Climate Change, when the kinds of behaviors described on this page are not all about Climate Change. It is about "collective behavior of blocs of editors" on topics where "editorial debates become strongly associated with real-world polarizations and when they become dominated by groups of editors lined up along philosophical lines due to shared beliefs or personal backgrounds" who "systematically advocate editorial decisions considered favorable to their shared views in a manner that contravenes the application of Misplaced Pages policy or obstructs consensus-building". Such blocs of editors are identified precisely in the "contravenes the application of Wikpedia policy or obstructs consensus-building" description; they never use policy in their discussions or edits, and Wiki-lawyer their whacky interpretations to the point of exhausting good-faith editors, who are frequently chased off of such topics (has that been mentioned? IDIDNTHEARTHAT is frequently an issue, as is forum-shopping).

IMO, "activist" is the correct title, because in my experience across a broad range of very different kinds of articles, they usually are (both on and off-Wiki), but I don't think it's helpful to hold up progress on this essay over either the title or images. Build it and they will come: if you focus on content first, clarity on the rest will emerge over time. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 13:34, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

This essay already is being used (by User:SandyGeorgia at this diff) to try to trump and reverse policy on WP:Harassment per these three edits at a WP:ANI. (Feel free to explain what the last one even means.) This is particularly absurd since I just noticed this section of the article Misplaced Pages:Activist#Hostility, which is what I have to put up with in this harassment case. CarolMooreDC (talk) 15:54, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Consensus

Please leave the AfD version in place, and gain consensus for each change that goes beyond fixing typos and grammar. We can do that easily enough without a huge amount of discussion. People should create a section for the proposed change, then others can comment RfC-style. It seems absurd to have to impose this, but given that several editors are trying to reduce the page to nonsense, it seems necessary.

Bear in mind that this is an essay, and people are given a degree of leeway in essays, so long as they're not advocating policy violations. SlimVirgin 14:07, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Agree-- for example, forget about the images for now, for gosh sakes. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 14:30, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

WP:OWN much? This is typical of the hypocrisy that pervades this essay from beginning to end: it complains of people keeping articles "on message," but when others try to add their views to the essay there is a massive meat-axe revert to remove every single change since the "on message" version. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 14:51, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

I agree, and I would add that there is a consensus in recent weeks that this essay requires changes, and that there is no consensus for freezing it in shape at the "AfD version" or endorsing some absurd proviso that BRD is not applicable to this essay. What is also being ignored here is that there was substantial sentiment even among the "keep" voters that this essay required change, perhaps even, as one suggested, cutting it by two-thirds. ScottyBerg (talk) 15:02, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

This is just an essay. No one is being singled out as an activist. "Activist" is an abstract concept in this essay. There is a cliche that, "if the shoe fits, wear it." This is about a type of mindset that is anathema to the project. And that is all that it is about. In the final analysis "activism" can't be defined. But it nevertheless should be frowned upon. We are not writing policy here, but rather expressing a thought. It is an essay. The referred-to frowned-upon behavior is potentially applicable to every editor. That is the mindset with which we should be writing this essay. We should consider that we are as much speaking to ourselves as to any particular editors out there. Bus stop (talk) 15:05, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Boris and Scotty, propose changes in good faith and people will take on board what you have to say. Will and I disagree about certain parts of it, for example, but I'm certain that between us we could come up with a version we could both go along with. I've been trying to write a version off-wiki that takes different views into account, and I can see it's not easy.

What's really unhelpful is the playing around. That's the thing that entrenches positions and gets everyone fed up. Make sensible suggestions for change (actually write out here what you'd like to add), do it in good faith, and people will listen. SlimVirgin 15:13, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

The article had to be reverted to something before the weirdness, and the AFD version was the most neutral choice. A little AGF and talk page discussion of content will go a long way here (as everywhere). SandyGeorgia (Talk) 15:22, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Yes, a little talk page discussion would have been nice when SlimVirgin truncated my "activism to advance fringe points of view" section, which no one had object to up to that point. That was done without discussion and with the edit summary "trying to tidy some of the writing." That wasn't just "tidying the writing" but making a substantial editorial change. I think the "playing around" and "weirdness" began with that and similar edits. That's why I think SBHB is on point when he talks about OWN behavior. ScottyBerg (talk) 15:29, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Scotty, when I reverted to the AfD version, bear in mind that I reverted the edits I'd made since then too, including a section I'd added. Whatever you think of that version, it's the one lots of uninvolved people looked at, so it gives us a place to start. If there's something you'd like to change or add, please propose it in a new section here and let's talk about it. SlimVirgin 15:36, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

My comments above are made without examining individual edits (except to note that an image issue appeared in edit summaries). When a page has been subjected to the kinds of editing that went on here, I look at the talk page to see who's discussing before editing. That's the way forward. I'm not going to take the time to look at individual edits when I don't see talk page discussion of those edits, when a major task is underway. That's the way I do it: YMMV. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 15:37, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Come on now. This is an absurd discussion. An editor unilaterally and without discussion reverts to a particular version, and then says "if you want to make changes in the version to which I've unilaterally reverted," please be sure to go to the talk page. That really smacks of OWN behavior. Someone, I think it was NW, suggested reverting to a different version. If consensus is going to rule here, one needs to reach it before the wholesale reversion that was made. This kind of behavior is going to prolong conflict, not avert it and reach agreement. ScottyBerg (talk) 15:43, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Yes, the "do as I say, not as I do" approach is galling. And a textbook example of activism. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 15:46, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

There was consensus that some kind of revert was needed, and the chosen version was a good and neutral one, based on good reasoning. I don't often agree with SV, but I do here. I again suggest that involved editors here stop focusing on SV or Climate Change, as this issue goes far beyond Climate Change, and affects the integrity of many Misplaced Pages articles. Other than watching that FAs stay at standard, I have no use for the debacles that occur on Climate Change; we all have different reasons for wanting this essay to be well written, and mine are that I have seen ACTIVISTs at work on numerous medical articles and BLPs, with evidence of off-Wiki involvement, completely unrelated to Climate Change, where I do not get involved. Please-- stay focused on the bigger picture and set aside individual differences. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 15:48, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

(EC) By the way, I just wanted to point out that the "activism to advance fringe points of view" section was not in the version that was just reverted. Instead, an entirely different concept of the essay was advanced through a series of edits. Again, it is arguable whether the latest version was good or not. However, I think that that needs to be determined by consensus, not by one or two editors acting unilaterally to change the direction of the essay another 180 degrees. That kind of use of brute force just won't work. ScottyBerg (talk) 15:50, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Then stop personalizing the issues to one editor or one topic, and start discussing content on talk. And while you're at it, think of Catholic Church, the entire suite of autism-related articles, and the entire suite of POV Venezuela-related articles. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 15:52, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

No one is doing anything of the kind (except perhaps you, by raising the issue of the CC articles, which I didn't mention). Please don't misrepresent my position. That is indeed an activist technique. ScottyBerg (talk) 15:55, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Look in the mirror :) IDIDNTHEARTHAT? Please try to remember that Misplaced Pages is not All About SlimVirgin or All About Climate Change. And at least she's discussing on talk, based on experience with a broad range of articles. How much experience with contentious activist editing do you have? SandyGeorgia (Talk) 16:04, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

In my view, some of the best contributions to this talk page have been by editors who were not involved in any previous disputes, such as AndytheGump. They've provided a reality check, and describing their contributions as "weirdness" is both false and unfair. The issue here is whether consensus applies to all editors involved in this article, and whether unilateral actions are going to help bring about a useful essay or just contribute to more heat. I think that this very discussion proves that such tactics just don't work. ScottyBerg (talk) 16:22, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

I did not attribute the "weirdness" to any specific editor; as I stated, when editing behavior like we've seen here affects an article, I don't focus on who added or deleted what from the article-- I look at who's discussing now, ignoring the past. I don't think it would be accurate or fair to put AndyTheGrump above anyone else here. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 16:28, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

I'm not seeing inappropriate "editing behavior." I'm seeing editors making bold edits in accordance with policy. True, there has not always been talk page discussion, but as I indicated above, that was true before the edits that you describe as "weirdness." There was a stable version for some months. Those editors did not begin making unilateral changes. That began with the edits that removed the "activism to promote fringe points of view" section and similar edits. To me, the editing behavior that is problematic is what we are looking at right now: a wholesale reversion for which there is no consensus. ScottyBerg (talk) 16:38, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

We seem to be mired in IDIDNTHEARTHAT, so I'm moving on now. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 16:45, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Please clarify, because you're not making any sense. You've made several combative references to the Climate Change articles, which I haven't mentioned. You did. Now you make reference to "IDIDNTHEARTHAT," when it's inapplicable. Either clarify, site diffs, or stop the nonsense. ScottyBerg (talk) 16:50, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Clue: where did I say you mentioned Climate Change? I checked your contribs and see a relatively uninvolved editor, anywhere. I have no idea what your particular interest is here, nor does it matter. Point I was making is that this essay is not all about SV or Climate Change. Time to move one now ;) SandyGeorgia (Talk) 16:52, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

That's another non sequitur, and it's becoming disruptive. ScottyBerg (talk) 17:03, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Essay should mention Organized POV warriors

This essay fails to mention real world incidents or even link to Criticism_of_Wikipedia#Exposure_to_political_operatives_and_advocates. That article lists alleged efforts to influence wikipedia by members of the U.S. House of Representatives; Marxists; Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America; Sarah Palin supporters; French politicos; federal employees; or Cyprus/Iranian editors (hard to figure out).

That article needs updating about several 2010 mainstream articles about pro-Israel-organized wikipedia editing. This essay needs to be cut down on the generalities that are being used to excuse over-riding wikipedia policies (see my complaint here) and focus more on specific incidents and specific remedies that do not violate Misplaced Pages policies.

I believe more community input is needed on this essay, given abuse I've just witnessed of it and I will encourage that. CarolMooreDC (talk) 16:13, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Those are all good samples, beyond Climate Change (and no, we don't need to update to focus on one given area-- it's general), as is this as further evidence that the issues extend to many areas of the Misplaced Pages. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 16:25, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Please clarify your response which doesn't make sense. CarolMooreDC (talk) 16:35, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Which part doesn't make sense? SandyGeorgia (Talk) 16:53, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

"all good examples" - of what?
"and no, we don't need to update to focus on one given area-- it's general' - update what? what area? what's general?
"as further evidence that the issues extend to many areas of the Misplaced Pages." which means what and is relevant to what of the two things above that need clarification? CarolMooreDC (talk) 16:57, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Have you read this talk page? SandyGeorgia (Talk) 17:16, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Vague comments with possible multiple references can be confusing to even the most well read editor. Simple clarifications are always useful. :-) CarolMooreDC (talk) 17:21, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Reading a talk page before you comment is also polite. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 17:22, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Relevant edit

I changed the lead to read: A criticism of Misplaced Pages is that such activists can affect Misplaced Pages's reliability. with relevant wikilinks. If someone finds it necessary to revert this, we can discuss it here. CarolMooreDC (talk) 17:37, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

I guess that answers my question about whether you've read the talk page. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 17:39, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

I also think clarification would be useful. This seems to be a modest and reasonable addition. If it isn't please say so in clear language. Thanks. ScottyBerg (talk) 18:13, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Caption

The caption currently says "Don't use Misplaced Pages articles to promote your cause". Any objection if we add "unless your cause is to provide a summary of all human knowledge in the form of an online encyclopedia"? Think that would help focus this essay. It's true that people who merely want to help build a neutral and reliable encyclopedia may sometimes adopt inappropriate means to achieve that legitimate end, but are they among the people that this essay is targeting? It doesn't seem like it. This essay seems more targeted toward people who have a cause that conflicts with the mission of Misplaced Pages.Anythingyouwant (talk) 18:02, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

That seems to be a step backwards, into farce territory again. Perhaps expand it with positive information about productive editing, rather than sarcasm-- something policy-based. Personally, I think the caption is fine but still think it's premature to focus on images rather than article content, and in battleground topics, we often see the battle focusing on images and the lead. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 18:06, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Well, there's a reason why it's impossible to write a Misplaced Pages article without first selecting a title. Such things help to steer and guide the enterprise. More generally, anyone can always be shown to be promoting a cause (e.g. the cause of writing an essay to combat activism), and we need to remove innocuous causes from the crosshairs. But I see there's a suggestion that I'm engaging in battleground editing, so I'll be quiet before it escalates to an assertion of activism. :-)Anythingyouwant (talk) 18:12, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

That was not my intent. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 18:13, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Could you and/or SV please explain what this essay is supposed to do that is not already covered or almost covered by other essays like advocacy, tag-teaming, et cetera? If one follows every one of Misplaced Pages's rules and guidelines, can one still run afoul of this essay?Anythingyouwant (talk) 18:23, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

No other essay currently works with the ArbCom findings about collaborative editing of blocs of editors sharing specific points of view. Read the premise section above. Collect (talk) 18:59, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

(edit conflict, long post that says the same thing Collect just said in one sentence.) I only re-engaged here when I noticed the edit warring, but 1) the problem is not in "follow every one of Misplaced Pages's rules and guidelines" as much as wikilawyering a fringe view of them, and 2) from my own (real) experience, I distinguish between advocacy and activism (others may differ). I came to Wiki originally as an "advocate" for accurate and reliably sourced information about Tourette syndrome (the article at the beginning of 2006 when I came to Misplaced Pages), but I'm not an "activist", I edit within policy, and am not part of a "collective bloc of editors" who are circumventing policy. I think we can all be classified as "advocates" in some sense, but our Advocacy essay--as it relates to Misplaced Pages editing vs real world-- defines advocates as those who edit with "personal beliefs or agendas at the expense of Misplaced Pages's goals and core content policies", which is different than my personal definition above. So, to me the distinction between the two essays has to do with the difference between dealing with individual Misplaced Pages "advocates" and blocs of editors acting collectively as "activists" with an agenda that circumvents policy to present a fringe view based on real world personal alliances. Dealing with blocs of editors is very different than dealing with an individual with a POV that circumvents policy-- i.e.; MUCH harder. Look at the battleground that were our vaccination articles related to autism for years, with activism promoted by (per reliable sources) "nincompoop" celebrities like Jenny McCarthy (not my words, source's words); there were legions of activists influencing Misplaced Pages, against boatloads of reliable sources and no evidence whatsoever of the link between MMR vaccine and autism. Individual POV editors can make life miserable, but blocs of editors can dominate an entire topic area for years, and they can even prevail in dispute resolution, where more involved activists are likely to show up, so that these cases typically have to end up at ArbCom after lots of useless and messy dispute resolution. We can more easily deal with an individual advocate via typical DR. That's the distinction I draw, but I haven't read the Advocacy essay closely so I could be wrong. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 19:18, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Thanks Collect and Sandy for those replies. Collect, if reliance on certain ArbCom decisions is what can make this essay most useful, then those decisions ought to be alluded to somewhere earlier in the essay than they are now (ArbCom isn't mentioned until a bunch of cases are listed at the end). Also, may we add specifically near the start of the lead that "For purposes of this essay, activists are part of a collective bloc of editors that is circumventing policy"? That would resolve my concern that this essay could be used against people who are following policy. Incidentally, this essay briefly mentions that an admin may be one of the activists, but gives no special advice as to what to do in that case. Also, it would be nice to have a section specifically about what other essays may or may not offer on this subject.Anythingyouwant (talk) 19:36, 18 January 2011 (UTC)