[WikiEN-l] How much?

Wed Jan 14 16:54:22 UTC 2004

Peter Jaros wrote:
> It seems like a diagram, rather than a picture, would be much more 
> informative, which is obviously the point.  And if we offend fewer 
> people, so much the better.

I think Peter points the way towards a principle that can resolve
most, though perhaps not all, of the dilemmas we will face in this
area.

The goal of our articles is to be informative, not offensive.  It
turns out that in most cases (penis, for example) the ways of
presenting the content that are offensive are also lacking in terms of
informativeness.  A photo "in the style of" pornography takes away
from our mission of informativeness, while a photo "in the style of" a
medical text comports with that mission.

Consider how NPOV can help us to resolve this.  Person A says "I think
that including this photo is offensive".  Person B says "I think that
omitting it is censorship, and offensive".  

This is not an irreconcilable conflict *in the majority of cases*.  A
little creative thought may often turn up a way for both parties to be
satisfied.  Of course, if either side is just hell-bent on refusing to
co-operate, not much can be done.  But usually, a little WikiLove can
go a long way...