Mailing List Archive: Fwd: pt:wiki policies

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Virgilio A. P. Machado <vam@fct.unl.pt>
Date: Thu, May 14, 2009 at 11:29 AM
Subject: pt:wiki policies
To: foundation-l-owner@lists.wikimedia.org

Dear Sirs,

Yesterday ( http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Pedidos_a_administradores/Discuss%C3%A3o_de_bloqueio#NH
), while discussing a private case, whose full details are
confidential I described a strict hypothetical case as follows:

Suppose a tetraplegic girl learns how to use a computer and finds out
about Wikipedia. After registering as a user she does all sort of
trampling. Would there be any administrator willing to block her from
editing Wikipedia?

So far, three administrators, one of them a bureaucrat and member of
arbitration committee have answered YES.

The administrator bureaucrat later quoted Wikimedia:Non discrimination
policy, explaining that that policy did NOT allow them to treat
editors differently, based on their [...] medical condition.
Wikimedia:Code of Conduct Policy was also quoted.

I wonder if you would care to comment on all of the above.

Sincerely,

Virgilio A. P. Machado

--
Michael Bimmler
mbimmler@gmail.com

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Foundation-l list admin wrote:
>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>> From: Virgilio A. P. Machado <vam@fct.unl.pt>
>> Date: Thu, May 14, 2009 at 11:29 AM
>> Subject: pt:wiki policies
>> To: foundation-l-owner@lists.wikimedia.org
>>
>>
>> Dear Sirs,
>>
>> Yesterday (
>> http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Pedidos_a_administradores/Discuss%C3%A3o_de_bloqueio#NH
>> ), while discussing a private case, whose full details are
>> confidential I described a strict hypothetical case as follows:
>>
>> Suppose a tetraplegic girl learns how to use a computer and finds out
>> about Wikipedia. After registering as a user she does all sort of
>> trampling. Would there be any administrator willing to block her from
>> editing Wikipedia?
>>
>> So far, three administrators, one of them a bureaucrat and member of
>> arbitration committee have answered YES.
>>
>> The administrator bureaucrat later quoted Wikimedia:Non
>> discrimination
>> policy, explaining that that policy did NOT allow them to treat
>> editors differently, based on their [...] medical condition.
>> Wikimedia:Code of Conduct Policy was also quoted.
>>
>> I wonder if you would care to comment on all of the above.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> Virgilio A. P. Machado

I don't think it's a case of discrimination; presumably her physical
disability does not impair her mental faculty, and she is aware of what she
is doing- and certainly should be after a number of warnings. If it's just a
case of being unable to communicate effectively, we do have users on en:wiki
with similar issues, and have persuaded them to be adopted by willing
mentors. However, the bottom line to me is whether the harm to the
encyclopedia (willed or not) outweighs the benefit of having that person
editing.

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