What's going on here? Why is it that a Featured Article candidate can sit in the FA nomination forum for three weeks and receive only three comments, but an ArbCom request on Giano gets input from 30 people in less than 24 hours?

You can figure it out in 5 seconds

Another ArbCom member acting to silence minor dissent as some kind of service to the encyclopedia in the form of preventing "disruption." Just like NYB's bullying of Kurt or that Creampuff kid. I think this is the equivalent of a WoW players slaying boars to build points back up. ArbCom's credibility is really in the shit can after being pwn'd by Godwin.

This is a complete misinterpretation of the nature of my trying to help with this situation. Geez. I know we don't assume good faith around here, but I really don't have a reputation for bullying people and I don't know why you would jump to that conclusion at all.

(I wasn't bullying Kurt either, but it's a separate point.)

that question by itself sums up the culture of wikipedia surprisingly well.

Because hardly anyone cares about FAC. A lot of people care about about Giano.

Because it's not an encyclopedia, it's a crazy train?.........

I know! Giano is a performance artist! And all the Wiki-whores are the dupes!

Because, strange as it may seem, FAC is even worse of a political sinkhole than arbitration.

And at least the arbitrators are elected. No one can do anything about the self-appointed FA director.

FAC is political? In what way?


The "self-appointed FA director" hasn't been active at FAC for as long as I can remember, so what needs to be done about him?

Well, actually that's been discussed many times. The answer was "if it ain't broke..."

I'm not Raul fan, but unless there's other candidates pressing for the job, there's hardly a need for an election. Wikipedia is supposedly an encyclopedia, it has to my mind far too many elections. Having another one for the sake of democracy seems to be stupid.

However, if you want the job, I'll happily set up a page for people to vote between you and Raul.

Yes you were, you big bully. Why don't you pick on someone your own size?

Is there a Deputy FA Director or a successor to Raul? If Raul disappears or is unable to continue working on Wikipedia, who has the permissions to handle FAs, if even on an interim basis? Just curious.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wik...3-16/Dispatches


Still seems a bit oligarchic though, plus we know Bling-Bling doesn't have time for anything.

It shouldn't really be all that controversial to argue that an important position shouldn't be filled indefinitely, with no elections, by someone who appointed himself. I would be happy to do the job, but since at the moment I apparently can't even pass an RfA, I think my prospects would be rather dim--especially in some mock, non-binding poll set up by you.



It seems suitable that someone would take the position the same way Raul did--you just start doing the job, and if anyone challenges you, ignore them. Eventually, it gets to a point where everyone is accustomed with it and people excuse the situation by saying "if it ain't broke..."

Of course, that kind of thing might not work on Wikipedia as it is now. Raul's ability to hang onto a self-appointed-for-life position might be nothing more than a relic of an earlier time, which couldn't be replicated by anyone else.

This is a small quibble, but, you can pass RfA, but you apparently refuse to.

I realize that a lot of the oppose votes were pretextual, but a large number of them honestly opposed because your answer to closing AFD's happened to be particularly clumsy. If you actually wanted to become an admin, your answer would look something like this: "I will not be closing any AFDs ever because I have some idiosyncratic views about how they should operate."

It's similarly easy for you to get out of the last remaining ArbCom sanction. You just don't bring it up again and they lapse. But given your prior behavior, I expect you will post another "appeal" on January 1.

And goodness knows there is no worse wiki-crime than tweaking ArbCom!

It sure pissed the hell out of Risker, leading to my infinite ban.

I just looked Kohs Block Test which in the original title form was very funny.



It's about a wooden block test, not a wooden blockhead test, but still.... .

Jayvdb, you young Turk, you have very little sense of humor.

Getting back to the whole issue of this "Giano verses the Arbcom, part XIII in 3D" business, I think that the only way to resolve this once and for all is to make opening an Arbcom case involving Giano a blockable offense with an automatic indefinite block.

....and yes, I'm serious here!

Good idea. Won't ever happen. They need and love their dramah too much.

Naughty boy, tweaking Risker!

It seems from his statement that Giano apparently believes that Coren has formed a conspiracy with... the EEML to get him banned. Either that or he's just dropping that in there for good measure/outrage.

Yes, Cla's original question was the better one - also a lot harder to answer or address.

That "Re-spect my authorit-TA" goes on more than any reasonable person would think. One might conclude from it that ArbCom members are low-self-esteemed, insecure, teensy-dicked losers, but that would only be conjecture. I'm sure some of them use cream.

Thanks, I removed the attack from the history.

(Oh wait, this thread isn't about you.)

Keep it up, Scott, and soon you'll have my edit count down to where I can't run for WMF Board of Trustees any more!

To sum up:

Giacomo playfully compares (full) Rlevse to Randy From Boisie.
He then announces he is taking a well deserved vacation.
So Bang Bang Coren's silver hammer comes down upon his head, first with an indef block that is promptly undone, then with a shaky Arb case which is promptly rejected (Good call by Roger Davies there).

Meanwhile, David I Love You All Gerard calls the entire committee a bunch of kids and goes crying to his fairy Godwin-father threatening legal action (both a clear violation of WP:LEGAL and a favorite tactic of Scientologists) and not only does nothing happen to him, but one of the leading hands that slapped him resigns.

Yep, Giano gets favorable treatment alright...

Coren is a disgrace.

Agreed.
A recall of this social-climbing defective would be nice.

I think he is aware of that: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=332950954

I doubt that Coren is even sentient, so he'll fit it quite nicely with the rest of Jimbo's chosen cronies.

Jesus, that underlyng proposal relating to ArbCom members actions is horribly written. Currently "uncontraversial actions" include "emergency actions" and "BLP issues" WP:NONCONTROVERSIAL is about to to be as far removed from ordinary meaning as WP:CONSENSUS. If the idea is provide some separation from enforcement and decision making this would be a good thing, but on WP everything is always reduced to muddy group think.

I think the point is that Giano gets favorable treatment relative to other regular editors - which he does. The fact that admins and certain insiders get favorable treatment relative to regular editors sort of goes without saying (I can't believe - no, wait, of course, I can - that this is still part of that page). Basically, this is an effort to make sure Giano understands his proper place as part of general riff raff. As such I don't think it's a step backwards or forwards - it's lateral.

A lateral, I agree.
But I would argue that those who contribute or create quality, featured content are entitled to favorable treatment. What, aside from his own personal crusade against Scientology, has Davy Gerrard contributed content-wise to WP? Or Coren for that matter...

I still can't believe that Coren was re-elected having written only a single article, Ouimetoscope. I can't see any high quality work either.

I now see that Risker has only started two articles, 1973 (song) and James Blunt: Return to Kosovo. An old version of her userpage says that she has brought other articles up to FA quality.

(not that I can speak; I have no GAs or FAs, yet)

With some defense to Arbitrators, how can you have any time to do anything except Arb work? Even on a slow day with no new cases, amendments, or motions, you still have people e-mailing you, the Ban Sub-Committee, the Audit Committee, everyking wanting you to remove his restrictions, and the usual mob screaming for your blood. I'd be lucky to start a stub if I ever became an Arbitrator.*

*I couldn't be an arbitrator anyway, seeing as my "suspicious" wiki-gnome account got put on Johnny V's List of Shameful Editors (WP:LOSER) after voting on the recent arb election with "too few" edits despite my account's following of the election rules.

I appreciate that you distinguished me from "the usual mob screaming for your blood".

Please, we know that. Go into WP and tell THEM.

You make it sound like it is difficult to write a stub.

I can understand Arbs writing a little less new content whilst in the thick of case work, but some appear to have never got the hang of it.

Coren was reelected because he has a strong lobby behind him (for fun, identify what that lobby is, and exactly what it is that they want). He really is what Wikipedia's community wants. People like everyking who constantly bray for a "more democratic process" should be careful what they ask for.

... and never will. They're not there to provide content, they're there to be petty dictators, like too many other administrators.

You forgot the house committee on un-wikipedian activities.

So were you agreeing with Jayjg there or ???

I don't know the full background here but reading Jayjg's statement there and taking it at face value it seems right on the money.

Barnum's law is the Achilles' heel of democracy. As further evidenced by the fact Coren came in 3rd in this last election. So any attempt to recall him at this point would be futile. Besides, he's not yet really done anything, aside from being a jerk and demonstrating consistently poor judgment.

You hit upon the start of a better strategy-

1) Identify which crew/clique/cabal is running him.
2) Infiltrate their sooper sekret mailing list (all such groups have at least one).
3) Look for evidence of on wiki manipulation and coordination.
4) If said evidence can be found post it for the eyes of the world.
5) Wait for the inevitable ArbCom case to resolve the matter.

Alternatively, find a Mole or Deep Throat within Coren's crew to supply the fireworks.

Hmm, yes, I generally agree with this.