[WikiEN-l] the wik user

Sat May 15 02:19:15 UTC 2004

subject:the wik user
instances of support for the user's misbehavior were requested:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=User_talk:Wik&diff=3439565&oldid=3436380
this edit adds the comment:
>I'll be needing some help on [[Augusto Pinochet]]. [[User:172|172]] 21:57, 
>3 May 2004 (UTC)

i arrived at wikipedia a few weeks ago, and have not conflicted with this 
user, and so my evaluation may be considered more uncolored:
early upon arriving here, i perused the special database features, and found 
the page for highest number of edits.  i thought the top users were quite 
impressive, until learning about the bots.  i noted the wik user was not a 
bot, and thought, well this is an impressive editor then.  i checked the 
user page, and there found wales's very mild attempt at talking the user 
down, and thus began to learn that the edit count was due to the anti-social 
edit-warring, and that this user was legendary for this.  i have reviewed 
the edit history extensively, and have found this reputation to be valid.

additionally, edit comments are almost entirely non-existant, with 
occasional outbursts of abuse and taunts.  i don't recall a single usable 
edit comment.  the edit 
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Recent_deaths&diff=3349912&oldid=3348774 
reverts an unnecessary but harmless stylistic edit by the musicitizen user, 
and bears the taunt
>what do you think you're doing now?
as its comment.  it refers to the wik user's earlier series of unprovoked 
and unanswered abusive comments accompanying reversions of the same user on 
another matter, and conveys that further edits will be discouraged with 
reversions.  the result of a simple query of edits per this user and the 
comment string "rv" is demonstrative.

additionally, a few comments contain unyielding hypocrisy, such as "avoid 
redirect; the solution to this is to ban MusiCitizen if he refuses even to 
comment on the matter", and one comment suggests the cantus user "mind the 
three revert limit".

this makes pages a mine field.  users have obtained this user as a personal 
troll for an edit which is adverse, and presumably more will in the future.

the current "wik2" arbitration committee is careening toward a result which 
is disjointed from the evidence presented: although the user is held to be 
abusive and problematic, the only immovable conclusion is to not cause 
offense or prevent editing, for fear of causing a departure.  the comment
>You will not get me to play along with trolls and POV pushers. If you 
>succeed in getting me banned or prohibiting me from reverting which I'd 
>consider equivalent, then I'll simply be off.
is not a threat to be appeased; it is a refusal to admit the very issue at 
hand, i.e. the user's trolling and pov pushing; it is evidence that an 
appeal of personality is believed to be an effective stalling tactic; and it 
is evidence of incorrigibility.  additionally, it provides evidence that an 
effective ban, ever elusive, may obtain in this case.

action is required additionally due to the efficacy of this user's edit 
warring: although edit warriors generally stalemate each other, this user 
prevails via simple volume, and has driven off most editors from articles 
which have been claimed as personal preserves; this has established a pov 
for each of these articles which cannot be dislodged.  presumably the recent 
departures are not the last, and yet more editors will be driven off from 
the entire project through this method.

note: the user is not merely a pure combonation of troll, vandal, edit 
warrior, and pov warrior.  the category is instead "mixed".  there is a 
class of edit of the sort associated with constructive users, i.e. 
typographical, facts, article series, informations.  this is similar to the 
mode of the anthony user after being warned for trolling.  thus the effort 
will have to lose the appropriate with the profligately anti-social, the 
baby with the bath water.

i conclude that this user may eventually plague me, and may make wikipedia 
unusable.  due to the long-term futility of disciplinary measures in the 
general case due to ip technical workarounds, i recommend a code solution 
which reduces the fragility of the wiki contents.

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