QUOTE(Newsfood @ Sun 13th January 2008, 1:08pm)
Kelly Martin : Nonbovine Ruminations
Do as I say, not as I do"During the Late Great Userbox Wars, Jimmy Wales reminded us all about how it's a bad idea to use your userpage to forward a political ideology, that one's user page should be about oneself as a Wikipedian, and not for some other purpose." I'm not certain Kelly has this right. WP has always had a self-indulgent, internet culture that has tolerated the expression of solidarity for geek causes. Not that Wei Wenhua is only a geek cause, as it has wider and more important implications. It is, however, the fact that he was a
blogger that is important to Wikipedians, including Mr. Wales. Probably just about anybody (other than banned users or other out-castes, literally) could safely post statements of support for Wei Wenhua on Wikipedia. Remember the strange displays of outrage around the not publishing the "illegal number" used to de-encrypt DVDs? Same is probably true for expression of support for "net neutrality."
Her point that the application of all sanctions has a hidden factor of social influence is correct. This means the sole flounder can get away with murder. The use of Wei Wenhua to illustrate this is a little off the mark.
Kelly Martin : Nonbovine Ruminations, Do as I say, not as I do
Sun 13th January 2008, 6:08pm
