[WikiEN-l] cool it

Mon May 30 23:27:03 UTC 2005

I am no one to throw stones, so let's just say that I know perfectly well 
what it is like to lose my temper and to be unable to fight the urge to use 
harsh, even insulting language.  Fortunately, when this happens there are 
usually plenty of people who tell me to stop, or even to apologize.

Can we please stop using the phrase "rogue admin," especially in the 
subject space for the e-mail.

This isn't about the fact that I think SlimVirgin is a dedicated editor who 
has added much to Wikipedia.  We can discuss questions of improper action, 
or possible reasons for it, here or more appropriately at the Admin 
bulletin board, incident report page, whatever.  But it doesn't matter who 
you are talking about.  This phrase "rogue admin" is inflammatory, 
unnecessarily insulting, and has no place at Wikipedia.  If we as a 
community or some body representing the community decides that a sysop 
should be de-sysopped, okay, we de-sysop the person.  But until that 
happens, they are an administrator.  Period.  If you don't like what that 
administrator has done, fine, but focus on the action.  And certainly don't 
go around calling someone a rogue administrator -- this insults the whole 
community because the person using this phrase is abrogating the authority 
to decide who is or is not a legitimate administrator.  You may not like 
what they did, you may not like them personally, but as long as they are 
administrators, call them that, or don't call them anything at all.

And for all those who do not like the phrase "rogue admin" or who do not 
think X deserves to be called rogue admin, please change the subject 
heading of your e-mail.  Will it screw up the thread?  Don't worry, anyone 
going through the archived list-serve will figure it out.

Steve

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