[WikiEN-l] One argument I do not find compelling

Mon Apr 18 11:45:28 UTC 2005

On 4/18/05, Tony Sidaway <minorityreport at bluebottle.com> wrote:
> geni said:
> [...]
> >> Push it up the chain and change Wikipedia to suit *some* users, and
> >> you simply distribute an individual problem to lots of other
> >> individuals, and degrade the usefulness of Wikipedia as a whole.
> >
> > Yuo appear to have forgotten one of the key points of this project.
> > this is to try and make information availible to everyone.
> 
> I do not propose any a priori restrictions on access; unlike you I do not
> propose that we appease the extreme religious right of the USA and one or
> two less salubrious countries by applying content restrictions motivated
> by grundyism rather than the wish to improve the encyclopedia.
> The GFDL already guarantees that content availability is maximized. Those
> who want a bowdlerized version can adjust their browsers or produce a
> bowdlerized mirror.
> 

I think that anyone who has been following this series of threads is
now quite familiar with Tony's view on this topic. I can't see that
anything constructive is accomplished by further attempts to persuade
him.

Perhaps Tony is 100% correct, and is simply standing firm in the
truth. Perhaps he is stubborn, and will not change his view. Or
perhaps he is more interested in argument than in constructive
conversation, Whether it's one of these, or something else, I suggest
that continuing to engage him on this topic is pointless.

Just my personal opinion. Others may find it useful to adapt a similar opinion.

-Rich Holton

[[W:en:User:Rholton]]