[Wikipedia-l] Wikipedia and anti-Semitism

Tue Dec 10 16:38:29 UTC 2002

Erik Moeller wrote:
> 4) Ed has repeatedly used his administrative powers to protect the page in
> an attempt to prevent edit conflicts. At first, I had no problem with that,
> but now he is getting involved in the debate and locking the page from further
> edits to protect his version at the same time.

That sounds like a bad idea, and I'm sure Ed will not do this.

> 5) Ed holds the position that, even if nobody disagrees with the fact that
> Wagner was an anti-Semite, it should be attributed, even if the attribution is
> something as fishy as "is universally regarded as".

Well, that seems like a good way to compromise.  It doesn't soft-pedal
anything, but it gets us out of the business of making a potentially
controversial judgment.

I don't know must about Wagner's anti-semitism (though I don't doubt
it), so I don't know if anyone disputes it.  Would Wagner have disputed
it?

> Furthermore, I consider Ed's use of his administrative privileges to protect
> articles he is involved in an abuse of said privileges. He should only use
> them in the way he initially did, as a "time out" to direct discussions in
> case of conflicts to the talk page, but he should not even do that if he states
> a position in the matter.

I agree that it's not good to use administrative powers "in the heat
of battle".

Do you want sysop access, Erik?  You should have it.

--Jimbo