[WikiEN-l] Usernames: sense of proportion

Fri May 7 18:44:12 UTC 2004

Please keep in mind that it is only the name which is banned, not the user,
who is free to select a new name and move on.

Fred

> From: <dpbsmith at verizon.net>
> Reply-To: English Wikipedia <wikien-l at Wikipedia.org>
> Date: Fri, 7 May 2004 13:12:39 -0500
> To: <wikien-l at Wikipedia.org>
> Subject: [WikiEN-l] Usernames: sense of proportion
> 
> Seems me to be stretching a point _considerably_ to object to someone's
> username on the basis of it containing the substring "troll".
> 
> Even if we grant a) that usernames that are obviously likely to give gross
> offense need to be dealt with, and b) that serious trolling behavior gives
> gross offense to Wikipedians, it does NOT follow that c) usernames containing
> the substring "troll" are grossly offensive to Wikipedians.
> 
> Continuing to belabor this point: someone whose username contains the word
> "troll," who does not, in fact, troll, is not a problem. Someone whose
> username does not contain the word troll, who does, in fact, troll, is a
> problem.
> 
> It's fair enough to assume that someone with a trollish username might be
> trying to send a signal, and should expect his/her activities to receive more
> attention than they might otherwise... but...
> 
> Let's act on the basis of what people do, not what their usernames are.
> 
> I beg to remain
> Yr. humble & obdt. servant
> 
> The Comptroller
> 
> 
> 
> 
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