Changes

This block was not directly connected with FT2, but it was a nice example of how a vulnerable editor with a bad block history will soon be picked off by the trigger-happy. I was [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&offset=20080830&target=Peter_Damian working] on a new article, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistemic_theory_of_miracles epistemic theory of miracles].  You can see it is a nicely finished article now - and it covers an important area of eighteenth century thought about miracles (as well as the perennial question about how or whether pseudoscience can truly be distinguished from science).

This block was not directly connected with FT2, but it was a nice example of how a vulnerable editor with a bad block history will soon be picked off by the trigger-happy. I was [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&offset=20080830&target=Peter_Damian working] on a new article, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistemic_theory_of_miracles epistemic theory of miracles].  You can see it is a nicely finished article now - and it covers an important area of eighteenth century thought about miracles (as well as the perennial question about how or whether pseudoscience can truly be distinguished from science).

I started the article at [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Epistemic_theory_of_miracles&diff=prev&oldid=235164041 11:22, 30 August 2008], placing an 'in use' sign at the top, as I had been advised to do after an [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Villa_Arrighetti&diff=210646049&oldid=210645610 earlier] incident.  After only 15 minutes, and with the in use sign still there, a very silly administrator [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Epistemic_theory_of_miracles&diff=235165541&oldid=235165522 nominated] the article for deletion.  I went mad of course as you can see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Epistemic_theory_of_miracles here] of course, and got even madder when this impertinent fellow placed these nasty messages and [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Peter_Damian&diff=prev&oldid=235215659#Proposed_deletion_of_Epistemic_theory_of_miracles road signs] on my talk page (I don't welcome this sort of thing at all, as anyone who knows me will tell), and so got [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard&diff=prev&oldid=235455305#Epistemic_Theory_of_Miracles even angrier].  "Ponder why someone who wrote History of logic - the kind of article which would be in most standard encyclopedias, but was not in Wikipedia in decent form until two weeks ago - has been forced to leave the place. This cult of civility. A sort of moral panic, to blame the defects of the project on".[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Peter_Damian&oldid=235363903]  

I started the article at [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Epistemic_theory_of_miracles&diff=prev&oldid=235164041 11:22, 30 August 2008], placing an 'in use' sign at the top, as I had been advised to do after an [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Villa_Arrighetti&diff=210646049&oldid=210645610 earlier] incident.  After only 15 minutes, and with the in use sign still there, an administrator [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Epistemic_theory_of_miracles&diff=235165541&oldid=235165522 nominated] the article for deletion.  I got [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Epistemic_theory_of_miracles rather angry], and got even angrier when the administrator placed some unpleasant messages and [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Peter_Damian&diff=prev&oldid=235215659#Proposed_deletion_of_Epistemic_theory_of_miracles road signs] on my talk page (I don't welcome this sort of thing at all, as anyone who knows me will tell), and so got [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard&diff=prev&oldid=235455305#Epistemic_Theory_of_Miracles very angry indeed].  "Ponder why someone who wrote History of logic - the kind of article which would be in most standard encyclopedias, but was not in Wikipedia in decent form until two weeks ago - has been forced to leave the place. This cult of civility. A sort of moral panic, to blame the defects of the project on".[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Peter_Damian&oldid=235363903]  

This earned me a block, which was rapidly revoked. The fellow apologised, and I apologised to him in turn for my notoriously short temper. I have since been criticised for 'wanting the guy's head'.  Well, as Giano said, "I cannot see how placing an AFD tag on an article that looks like this [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Epistemic_theory_of_miracles&oldid=235165582], without bothering to perform any basic checking can be anything other than trolling or monumantal ignorance. Whether the former or the latter should such an editor be running around loose on Wikipedia". <ref>Giano (talk) 15:17, 31 August 2008 (UTC) [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard&diff=prev&oldid=235455305#book_burning_break]</ref>  And in any case ''I was only asking the fellow to apologise''.

This earned me a block, which was rapidly revoked. The fellow apologised, and I apologised to him in turn for my notoriously short temper. I have since been criticised for 'wanting the guy's head'.  Well, as Giano said, "I cannot see how placing an AFD tag on an article that looks like this [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Epistemic_theory_of_miracles&oldid=235165582], without bothering to perform any basic checking can be anything other than trolling or monumantal ignorance. Whether the former or the latter should such an editor be running around loose on Wikipedia". <ref>Giano (talk) 15:17, 31 August 2008 (UTC) [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard&diff=prev&oldid=235455305#book_burning_break]</ref>  And in any case ''I was only asking the fellow to apologise''.