[Foundation-l] Blackout at Italian Wikipedia

Sat Oct 8 11:21:04 UTC 2011

On Sat, Oct 8, 2011 at 12:44 PM, Federico Leva (Nemo)
<nemowiki at gmail.com> wrote:
> Ray Saintonge, 08/10/2011 11:11:
>> I'm happy that the Italian language Wikipedia is back in business, and I
>> hope that in the future projects will find better ways to protest than
>> suicide strategies.  The key point is that Wikipedias are based on
>> languages, not countries. For Italian there is a high correlation
>> between language and country, but that does not mean that there are no
>> readers in neighboring countries nor in the larger Italian diaspora.
>> Other major languages are official in several important countries, and
>> it would not do to shut one of them down in response to a bad proposed
>> law in only one country.
>
> I'm quite surprised that you reiterate this argument, Ray. There are
> many reasons why the blackout can be considered an excessive reaction,
> but I don't understand this. Following the same argument, you could say
> that Lybia workers can't go on strike if this affects foreigners ability
> to have oil or gas. But perhaps I didn't understand you; I don't quite
> get the discussion about the alleged "right to strike vs. right to be
> informed" thing.
>
> The Italian language Wikipedia couldn't work without its contributors
> living in Italy. Period. Are you challenging this?
>
>> Protesting bad laws should be a responsibility that belongs at the
>> chapter level, under the assumption that it is the chapter that is most
>> familiar with the laws of its country, and what can be done with the
>> least harm to those around them.
>
> This is the normal scenario, but doesn't prove than an exceptional one
> may arise (as in this case).
>

If I may so crass as to rephrase both arguments without adding any of
of my own... Preventing people from producing content in their own
language is still preventing them from producing content.

We need to find a modality of affecting an effect directed at forces that
mean to diminish our manners of producing content in the ways we are
accustomed... To better enable us to keep producing the content.

This previous action may have been a wake up call.. But long term, we
need something more tenable as a tool for change. Trying to find a thing
I really need to add to this, and coming up short...

-- 
--
Jussi-Ville Heiskanen, ~ [[User:Cimon Avaro]]