[WikiEN-l] Mr-Natural-Health says he is a Nazi. What can we make of this?

Mon Dec 8 09:47:55 UTC 2003

Robert wrote:

>Mr-Natural-Health made the statement that he is a Nazi; he
>said this to me on my User page because I am am Jewish.
>This is very hateful. He is even sending private hate mail
>to people he disagrees with. For instance:
>====
>To: "RK"
>  Subject: RK, the Arse! 
>  From:  "Mr-Natural-Health" <johnhgohde at yahoo.com>
>  To: "RK"
>  Date: Sun, 7 Dec 2003 19:24:06 +0000 (UTC)
>
>  You are an Arse! Just thought that you might want to
>know. :)
>====
>It is not just me; in a very short time many in the
>Wikipedia community have come to the conclusion that
>Mr-Natural-Health is a threat. Please see for yourself by
>reading the comments on his User page; every time someone
>tries to discuss things with him, he belittles and insults
>them, and then attacks them.
>
These kinds of statements are clearly a breach of etiquette, and have no 
relationship to the medical issues that form the substantive part of the 
debate.  At the same time I can understand that he is in a situation 
where he feels beset by a pack of dogs, and that can be an irrational 
driving force to his words.  The reaction to his writing has been 
combattive from the beginning, with no attempt whatsoever to find a 
common ground.  Several of his opponents start from the closed-minded 
presumption that he is absolutely wrong.

>Mr-Natural-health has repeatedly stated that he plans on
>coming back to Wikipedia with other ISP under false names,
>and that he will not let anyone alter his edits.  This is
>explicit admission of vandalism.
>
The fact is that he has not been banned.  Exploring that avenue is pure 
speculation, even if he does make that threat.

>In any case, the edits he makes include gross falsehoods,
>distortions, fabrications, and paranoia.  I am distubred by
>the way that Ec and a few others are defending this
>disturbed individual and his "work". I had planned to stay
>off Wiki-En for good, but in this case seeing this man
>defended, instead of banned, was too much.
>
I make no apologies for defending his work.  Just because a handful of 
us are defending a minority position should not be cause for being 
disturbed.  You have elsewhere objected to what you called ad hominem 
arguments, and you are right to complain when MrNH calls your sanity 
into question, or calls himself a Nazi as a means of attacking your 
Jewishness by innuendo.  But what are "gross falsehoods, distortions, 
fabrications, and paranoia" but ad hominem arguments.  Setting up 
peer-reviewed double-blind experiments as the only standard for 
accepting medical practices is far too rigid an outlook on medicine. 
 Other things do work, though imperfectly documented.Giving credence to 
alternative medicine should not be seen as supporting quackery. 
 Outright fraud does exist, but the defrauders are a ninority that get 
an overblown share of the publicity.  Most alternative practitioners 
like most mainstream doctors ply their trade with complete honesty and 
are consistent with their own beliefs  

>A few contributors to Wiki-En forum seem devoid of common
>sense; it would be a shame if their lack of sense allowed
>Wikipedia to be damaged by allowing wackos free reign.
>
Isn't "wacko" also an ad hominem term?

Ec