Herostratus - love me or leave me Options Rating

[A Horse With No Name]

Because Wikipedia was lacking dramah.

Is there a point to any of this?

[EricBarbour]

Because Wikipedia was lacking dramah.

Is there a point to any of this?

No, but it is hilarious. Sorta.

Regarding "On [failing to adhere to the standard of decorum expected of administrators] I've served my sentence, in that I was taken to the woodshed by ArbCom, so why should I be punished again now?", in my opinion the fact that you're apparently treating this whole process as one big joke shows that the lesson clearly hasn't sunk in. Wikipedia now isn't the Wikipedia of five years ago, made up of a relatively close-knit community who mostly knew each other and shared each other's in-jokes; it's a loose-knit global community of around 40,000 occasional editors and 4,000 regulars, and what was appropriate then isn't appropriate now; not in an editor and certainly not in an admin. Like it or not, WP:NOBIGDEAL is a thing of the past and those 8,000 new editors joining each month do look to admins as role models; crap like this is never going to be appropriate any more. Resign, and come back in six months if you find you actually miss adminship; I'll lay a reasonable bet that you'll find you don't. – iridescent 16:52, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

You're being too reasonable, dear. Hero's been a smarmy twat ever since he first logged in. And that recall page ought to be an embarrassment to Wikipedia, yet hardly anyone even looks at it.

[Eva Destruction]

You're being too reasonable, dear. Hero's been a smarmy twat ever since he first logged in. And that recall page ought to be an embarrassment to Wikipedia, yet hardly anyone even looks at it.

Re-read what I wrote, it was worded quite carefully. Wikipedia five years ago was a bunch of nerds and weirdos sharing crappy in-jokes and maintaining a shitty website that nobody read, and people like this fit right in. Wikipedia now (whether you think it's a good or a bad thing) is full of kids and casual visitors who aren't steeped in net-nerd culture, maintaining a still-shitty website that lots of people read. The kind of fuckwittery that was acceptable five years ago, since nobody gave a shit, is no longer appropriate. The vast majority of Wikipedia's "problem" admins are members of this pre-2006 old guard, fighting to maintain their status in a culture where they're increasingly out of place.

[EricBarbour]

The kind of fuckwittery that was acceptable five years ago, since nobody gave a shit, is no longer appropriate. The vast majority of Wikipedia's "problem" admins are members of this pre-2006 old guard, fighting to maintain their status in a culture where they're increasingly out of place.

Absolutely well-said.

(Did you read this? Does that not scream "smarmy twit" or what?)

Perhaps I should tiptoe around Herostratus, he being damaged goods.

My ultimate point: he's not the only one getting away with it. Clearly, Wikipedia has an ingrained culture of smarminess and assholery. By all means, recall Herostratus, if you can. His recall has attracted some of the worst of WP's admin freak-show, people like Cirt and Stifle. If sanity prevailed, THEY should be recalled, too. And so should a long list of other smarmy twits, who have had the Magic Admin Fairy Wand too damned long.

Here's a WP: BOLD idea for ya. If WP was run by reasonable people, adminship would be a short-term position, perhaps for two years or thereabouts. Even American Congressmen, despite a general systemic tendency to be reelected automatically, still have to re-run for the seat every two years.

But nooooo.......adminship is a lifetime appointment. So, nerds and crackpots vote each other into the club for life.
Great idea! Guarantees quality! [/sarcasm]

This post has been edited by EricBarbour: Wed 23rd June 2010, 9:06pm

[Milton Roe]

But nooooo.......adminship is a lifetime appointment. So, nerds and crackpots vote each other into the club for life.
Great idea! Guarantees quality! [/sarcasm]

And Caesar was granted the title "Dictator for Life..."

It might even change the culture a bit if they called these positions what they are, which is Administrator for Life.

At present, I think it's only partly power-hunger that keeps the present beaurocracy in place. Yes, of course Stifle and his ilk knows he'd never survive "re-election." The other part of it, though, is shear laziness. The site creaks along on a couple of thousand admins who mostly spend their time doing work a machine could do for them (although the new weak version of flagged revisions, I predict will spread and become the norm, eventually). They're short-handed as it is, and don't quite know what to do about it. If everything turned over every two years, it would just add that much work to the thing.

They're in sort of a tough bind.

[ulsterman]

Because Wikipedia was lacking dramah.

Is there a point to any of this?

And frighteningly it's 11/8/6. Thus the early signs are that plenty of people might want herostratus to be an admin. Of course, a lot can happen in seven days ...

[A Horse With No Name]

Support: If for no other reason than to offset Cirt's stupidity below. --MZMcBride (talk) 16:35, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

For those of you who don't read Hollywood Reporter, McBride was recently cast as Prof. Phineas J. Whoopie in the upcoming live-action feature film based on "Tennessee Tuxedo."

[MZMcBride]

Support: If for no other reason than to offset Cirt's stupidity below. --MZMcBride (talk) 16:35, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

For those of you who don't read Hollywood Reporter, McBride was recently cast as Prof. Phineas J. Whoopie in the upcoming live-action feature film based on "Tennessee Tuxedo."

Jesus, if you're going to insult someone, at least include a YouTube or Wikipedia link. Like I have any idea what the hell "Tennessee Tuxedo" is (and I'm certainly not alone). Perhaps best to stick to a non-comedic profession.

[Kevin]

Because Wikipedia was lacking dramah.

Is there a point to any of this?

Is there anything lamer than a neutral vote at RFA? What is the point of these?

To me, they read "I haven't seen which way the wind is blowing, so I can't vote yet in case I'm on the losing side".

[Cedric]

Support: If for no other reason than to offset Cirt's stupidity below. --MZMcBride (talk) 16:35, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

For those of you who don't read Hollywood Reporter, McBride was recently cast as Prof. Phineas J. Whoopie in the upcoming live-action feature film based on "Tennessee Tuxedo."

Jesus, if you're going to insult someone, at least include a YouTube or Wikipedia link. Like I have any idea what the hell "Tennessee Tuxedo" is (and I'm certainly not alone). Perhaps best to stick to a non-comedic profession.

Stuff and nonsense! Next you will try to convince us you have never heard of the famous Commander McBragg. Balderdash, Chumley! Unalloyed buncombe!

"Quite."

[milowent]

The new RFA has been closed by Nihonjoe, under a determination that the recall RFA process is not approved and violates WP:RPC/U.

Cirt was immediately questioning it. User_talk:Nihonjoe#Wikipedia:Requests_for_adminship.2FHerostratus_2

see also User_talk:Herostratus#RFA_closed_early

i opposed the recall because the guy has a freakin sense of humor and the new RFA was a witch-hunt because Herostratus called a ridiculously marginal BLP subject a "mook" and "homophobe" in an AfD. Big whoop.

[CharlotteWebb]

i opposed the recall because the guy has a freakin sense of humor

That's not how I'd conjugate the tenth word.

[milowent]

i opposed the recall because the guy has a freakin sense of humor

That's not how I'd conjugate the tenth word.

you mean conjugal?

[Subtle Bee]

i opposed the recall because the guy has a freakin sense of humor

That's not how I'd conjugate the tenth word.

you mean conjugal?

-in(g), -ish, -azoid.

-out!

[Zoloft]

The new RFA has been closed by Nihonjoe, under a determination that the recall RFA process is not approved and violates WP:RPC/U.

Cirt was immediately questioning it. User_talk:Nihonjoe#Wikipedia:Requests_for_adminship.2FHerostratus_2

see also User_talk:Herostratus#RFA_closed_early

i opposed the recall because the guy has a freakin sense of humor and the new RFA was a witch-hunt because Herostratus called a ridiculously marginal BLP subject a "mook" and "homophobe" in an AfD. Big whoop.

As the level of lulz increases, it's been fussily reopened.

[EricBarbour]

i opposed the recall because the guy has a freakin sense of humor and the new RFA was a witch-hunt because Herostratus called a ridiculously marginal BLP subject a "mook" and "homophobe" in an AfD. Big whoop.

Perhaps you have a less self-aware sense of humor than I do, because I find his "jokes" to be amazingly imbecilic, pedantic and tactless. Just being self-effacing isn't quite sufficient. (Especially if you're gonna make light of your intensive editing of articles dealing with pedophilia.) Perhaps it's a wiki-witch-hunt, it isn't the first and it damn well won't be the last. Still, I'm having difficulty managing some sympathy.

After reopening, now it's 14/20/12. Not going too well, eh, Hero, you dick?......

[Eva Destruction]

Perhaps you have a less self-aware sense of humor than I do, because I find his "jokes" to be amazingly imbecilic, pedantic and tactless.

Exactly. Either you think Wikipedia's a failure as an "encyclopedia" and has become a chatroom full of kids, in which case this kind of thing is totally inappropriate. Or, you think Wikipedia still has the potential to be a genuine academic project, in which case this kind of thing is totally inappropriate. I find it hard to imagine anywhere where this kind of sub-Horsey "comedy" would be appropriate—I doubt even ED would want it.

[Moulton]

Mediocrity, thy name is Wikipedia.

How pathetic. WP fails as a serious academic enterprise, and it mostly fails as an absurdist self-parody.

[A Horse With No Name]

Jesus, if you're going to insult someone, at least include a YouTube or Wikipedia link. Like I have any idea what the hell "Tennessee Tuxedo" is (and I'm certainly not alone). Perhaps best to stick to a non-comedic profession.

First, my name is not Jesus. Second, I never write for the lowest common denominator. And, third, anyone who has never heard of Tennessee Tuxedo is a ninny.

I find it hard to imagine anywhere where this kind of sub-Horsey "comedy" would be appropriate—I doubt even ED would want it.

Uh, hello, when did I become the last stop on the road to bad taste?

Besides, I would never (1) make fun of the Dutch -- Queen Beatrix is still hot, (2) make fun of drug addicts -- too many of my friends had ruined lives because of that, (3) make fun of the constellation Orion -- it happens to be my favorite constellation, (4) make fun of Mendel -- simply because there is no reason to, and (5) write something as thoroughly dismal as that paragraph. So stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

Unrelated observation: Nice to see "noobs" like Andromedabluesphere440, East of Borschov, The Blade of the Northern Lights and Tommy2010 becoming well-versed regulars at RfA after a mere three or four months on Wikipedia.

This post has been edited by A Horse With No Name: Thu 24th June 2010, 12:58pm

[A Horse With No Name]

"Quite."

He was the greatest man that never lived.