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Re: Wikipedia: Conlang articles in danger

From:And Rosta <a.rosta@...>
Date:Tuesday, July 26, 2005, 0:37
Jan:
> I might as well give you the full list of articles currently under > attack: > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Votes_for_deletion/Aingelj%C3%A3> > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Votes_for_deletion/Breathanach> > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Votes_for_deletion/Brithenig> > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Votes_for_deletion/DiLingo> > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Votes_for_deletion/Fyksland> > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Votes_for_deletion/Verdurian > language> > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Votes_for_deletion/Wenedyk>
I read the Brithenig discussion, & the arrogance & ignorance of some of the pro-deletion contributors made me so angry that it made me want to wash my hands of the wikipedia project (in the sense of it receiving my goodwill & wholly passive support), if the structure of the project is such that articles can be vulnerable to the intervention of people like these. One of the joys of the internet is that it is free from the deadening effects of adherence to cultural norms, received wisdoms, orthodoxies and so forth. I had supposed that wikipedia was constructed in a similar spirit, but with the added element of the public volunteering their expertise for the project, so as to ensure that the content of articles is correct, true and fair. But if the project is supposed to also be an arbiter of what is 'important' -- well, I considered that to the job of the wikipedia *user*; I want the decision about what is important to be made by me, when choosing which articles to read, not made by the prejudices of particular wikipedia activists, nor even by the aggregated prejudices of the rest of society. To sum up, the very fact that wikipedia can entertain the sort of crap spouted by the deletionists makes me think that the wikipedia project is bled of much of its value, and hence that battles over the inclusion of this or that conlang are not worth fighting. --And.

Replies

Henrik Theiling <theiling@...>Meta: Wikipedia
Benct Philip Jonsson <bpj@...>
Jörg Rhiemeier <joerg_rhiemeier@...>