Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 18:49, 6 December 2005

This page documents an English Misplaced Pages policy.It describes a widely accepted standard that editors should normally follow, though exceptions may apply. Changes made to it should reflect consensus.

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Don't do it

Do not make personal attacks anywhere in Misplaced Pages. Comment on content, not on the contributor. Personal attacks damage the community and deter users. Nobody likes abuse.

Consequences

Many Wikipedians remove personal attacks on third parties on sight, and although this isn't policy it's often seen as an appropriate reaction to extreme personal abuse. Users have been banned for repeatedly engaging in personal attacks. Abusive edit summaries are particularly ill-regarded.

Ramifications

Remember that disputes on talk pages are accessible to everyone on the Internet. The way in which you conduct yourself on Misplaced Pages reflects on Misplaced Pages and on you. Stay cool.

Being reasonable

Different contributors may not agree on an article. Members of opposing communities reasonably wish to express their views. Synthesising these views into a single article creates a better, more NPOV article for everyone. Remember to accept that we are all part of the same community as we are all Wikipedians.

So, don't do it!

Examples

Specific examples of personal attack include but are not limited to:

• Accusatory comments such as "Bob is a troll", or "Jane is a bad editor".
• Negative personal comments and "I'm better than you" attacks, such as "You have no life."
• Racial, sexual, homophobic, religious or ethnic epithets directed against another contributor. Religious epithets are not allowed even if the contributor is a member of a purported cult.
• Using someone's political affiliations as a means of dismissing or discrediting their views - regardless of whether said political affilitions are mainstream or extreme.
• Profanity directed against another contributor.
• Threats of legal action
• Death threats.
• Threats or actions which expose other Misplaced Pages editors to political, religious or other persecution by government, their employer or any others. Violations of this sort may result in a block for an extended period of time which may be applied immediately by any sysop upon discovery. Sysops applying such sanctions should confidentially notify the members of the Misplaced Pages:Arbitration Committee and Jimbo Wales of what they have done and why.

Alternatives

Instead, try:

• Discuss the facts and how to express them, not the attributes of the other party. This does not mean that you have to agree with the other person, but just agree to disagree.
• Never suggest a view is invalid simply because of who its proponent is.
• Explore issues in a less public forum like e-mail if a debate threatens to become personal.
• Read Misplaced Pages:Resolving disputes.

Remedies

If you are personally attacked, you should ask the attacker to stop and note this policy. If he or she continues, consider following the dispute resolution process. You might also consider removing particularly clear-cut personal attacks per the guideline WP:RPA; however, you should be very careful not to define "personally attack" too broadly, or to do this too frequently. From a recent arbitration committee finding-of-fact:

The remove personal attacks guideline (and the application thereof) is controversial. It has often been abused by malefactors, and may not have community consensus. It should, at most, be interpreted strictly and used sparingly.

If you find yourself using this remedy frequently, you should reconsider your definition of "personal attack." When in doubt, follow the dispute resolution process instead.

In extreme cases, an attacker may be blocked, though the proposal to allow this failed and the practice is almost always controversial.

A misguided notion: "Kicking them while they are down"

Note: There are certain Misplaced Pages users who are unpopular, perhaps because of foolish or boorish behavior in the past. Such users may have been subject to disciplinary actions by the Arbitration Committee. It is only human to imagine that such users might be fair game for personal attacks. This notion is misguided.

Community spirit

It is your responsibility to foster and maintain a positive online community in Misplaced Pages. Personal attacks against any user - regardless of his/her past behavior - is contrary to this spirit.

Suggested policy changes

See Talk page

2. Part 2

• Misplaced Pages policies
• Misplaced Pages dispute resolution