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== ANONYMOUS EDITING– THE CULT OF IRRESPONSIBILITY ==   

== ANONYMOUS EDITING– THE CULT OF IRRESPONSIBILITY ==   

Anonymous commentary, particularly that involving political criticism or satire, has a rather long and storied tradition in English-speaking nations.  Contrast this with the encyclopedist tradition in 18th Century Britain and France, taking in contributions from well known and credited experts in their respective fields to produce the first western general knowledge encyclopedias in the modern era.  In constructing its online “encyclopedia”, however, Wikipedia draws upon a far more recent tradition dating from the 1980s– Usenet message boards populated mostly by anonymous users.

Anonymous commentary, particularly involving political criticism or satire, has a long and celebrated tradition in English-speaking nations.  Contrast this with the encyclopedist tradition in 18th Century Britain and France, taking in contributions from well known and credited experts in their respective fields to produce the first western general knowledge encyclopedias in the modern era.  In constructing its online “encyclopedia”, however, Wikipedia draws upon a far more recent tradition dating from the 1980s– Usenet message boards populated mostly by anonymous users.

Anonymous editing is the most sacred cow on WP, other than “NPOV” and instant editing.  Per [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia%3AHarassment&diff=244251128&oldid=244244263 official policy], the “outing” of personal information about a WP user (defined as “legal name, date of birth, social security number, home or workplace address, telephone number, email address, or other contact information, ''regardless of whether or not the information is actually correct''”) is absolutely verboten and a blockable offense.  There is also no exception for posting such information when the user themself has publicly posted the information elsewhere.  The hyperbolic justification given is that “outing” “is an unjustifiable and uninvited invasion of privacy and may place that editor at risk of harm in ‘the real world’.”  The [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia%3ANo_personal_attacks&diff=245919151&oldid=245339068 “harm”] that is being anticipated here are those “actions which deliberately expose other Wikipedia editors to political, religious or other persecution by government, their employer or any others.”  This, then, is the rationale of abandoning the centuries old practice of crediting contributors using their real names, and instead allowing the anonymous contribution practices of the Usenet.

Anonymous editing is the most sacred cow on WP, other than “NPOV” and instant editing.  Per [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia%3AHarassment&diff=244251128&oldid=244244263 official policy], the “outing” of personal information about a WP user (defined as “legal name, date of birth, social security number, home or workplace address, telephone number, email address, or other contact information, ''regardless of whether or not the information is actually correct''”) is absolutely verboten and a blockable offense.  There is also no exception for posting such information when the user themself has publicly posted the information elsewhere.  The hyperbolic justification given is that “outing” “is an unjustifiable and uninvited invasion of privacy and may place that editor at risk of harm in ‘the real world’.”  The [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia%3ANo_personal_attacks&diff=245919151&oldid=245339068 “harm”] that is being anticipated here are those “actions which deliberately expose other Wikipedia editors to political, religious or other persecution by government, their employer or any others.”  This, then, is the rationale of abandoning the centuries old practice of crediting contributors using their real names, and instead allowing the anonymous contribution practices of the Usenet.

[img]http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/5377/vlcsnap878546ih2.png[/img]

[img]http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/5377/vlcsnap878546ih2.png[/img]

[size=4]“On second thought, let’s not go to Wikipedia.  It is a silly place.”[/size]

[size=4]“On second thought, let’s not go to Wikipedia.  It is a silly place.”[/size]

== HOSTILITY TO EXPERTS– THE CULT OF THE IGNORANT AMATEUR ==  

== HOSTILITY TO EXPERTS– THE CULT OF THE IGNORANT AMATEUR ==