[WikiEN-l] ArbCom - too attached to 'equal treatment'?

Mon Mar 7 20:34:29 UTC 2005

Theresa wrote:
>But as Sarah said "These were minor things, but they were annoying"
>
>
>Let's keep things in perspective. Should we really change the way the
>AC works to avoid annoying minor gripes.

Sarah's nature (at least here) is to self-effacing and gentle.  However 
"minor" she characterizes her experience, I think it is the perfect example 
of the kind of thing that should be avoided as best possible.

I understand that many members of the ArbCom have serious problems with the 
various proposals floating around.  So I ask a question to the ArbCom: 
forget about those proposals.  Just looking at Sarah's experience, can you 
propose any reforms, either to the ArbCom m.o., or to the dispute 
resolution process as a whole, that would make it very unlikely for an 
editor in good standing to go through something like this in the future?

There are so many proposals because people have slightly differing notions 
of what is wrong.  I hope the ArbCom will take this sense that something is 
wrong seriously, even if the proposals thus far fall short.  Maybe if 
instead of proposing solutions based on general notions of what is wrong, 
we focus on one or two actual cases and ask how things could have gone 
better, we will come up with some workable solutions.

Steve

Steven L. Rubenstein
Associate Professor
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Bentley Annex
Ohio University
Athens, Ohio 45701