But now look at this
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...96#Peter_DamianSomeone has decided to strike my vote in another of these stupid RfA's. I am going to fight this one.
QUOTE
Peter Damian
Ah, I was expecting someone would contact me soon about this. I provided, in my edit, a very brief summary of why I struck his vote, but I will elaborate.
Part of the job we do, as crats, is to analyze the rationales behind opposes and neutrals to see where consensus lies. We do give different weight to different rationales, and in a practical sense, the only difference between giving a vote no weight and physically striking a vote is striking the vote. This is possible because RFA is a discussion, where the real power of someone's oppose lies not in their physical vote but in the reasoning behind it.
I admit, I was apprehensive to strike the vote. I could close the RFA and give it no weight without striking. I could support myself and negate the oppose. I could ignore it and let the discussion boil over and past until he grew tired of it. But I didn't. I knew I might find criticism, but I can't in good conscience let him disrespect Mikaey in such a way.
When a person submits themselves to RFA, they deserve to be seen in the light of their contributions. They deserve to receive constructive criticism. They deserve to see what they have done right and what they need to work on. So when someone opposes with a reason that fails to give to the candidates the respect and the aforementioned rights that they deserve, how can we let that stand? We are an encyclopedia based off mutual respect and civility for each other. To what degree our mutual respect and civility as a community still stands is debatable, but this is the hope we look to build towards.
That said, I don't have a vendetta against Peter Damian. I wish him well, and I hope he continues to build content. If he even put so much as a reasonable rationale to show why Mikaey might not be a good admin, I would not have stricken the vote. But his wording, the internal message of his oppose, and the fact that he is basically getting away with it, I find to be astounding. As a bureaucrat, I feel it is a duty of mine to make sure that RFA is a place where the candidate can learn about themselves through the constructive criticism of others and that both sides may be civil and respectful when doing this. I had no choice but to be bold, and to do my duty, albeit in a more openly symbolic fashion that we are accustomed to doing. bibliomaniac15 22:07, 1 July 2009 (UTC)
This post has been edited by Peter Damian: