[Wikipedia-l] What if a signed-in user started writing the following...

Mon Nov 11 18:01:37 UTC 2002

Cunctator wrote:

>> We'd revert the changes, and probably publicly wonder what the user's
problem is. I for example would question the "hate everybody and
everything" assertion. Is that really possible? I mean, it takes a lot of
energy to truly hate. And then there's the question of if you hate
everybody and everything, why have you not committed suicide? <<

I doubt many people would ask such questions; I mean, such a person would
be beneath contempt and therefore not particularly interesting as a
subject of such speculation.

>> And why choose Wikipedia as a target? I mean, really. WP does not have
that much influence or importance, especially if the targets of your
hatred are "everybody" and "everything". <<

Again, Cunc, you're speculating about stuff that doesn't matter, giving
credibility and interest to someone who clearly isn't worth our interest.
I mean, as you ought to know, that's precisely what trolls want.

The question, rather, is how soon we will delete the user page.

>> Writing the above all over Wikipedia is hardly the way to destroy it.
<<

On the other hand, tolerating trolls, as has been our policy in too many
cases, invites trolls.  And trolls--well, not to grant them more power
than they actually have, trolls *are* a way to do damage to Wikipedia.  We
still haven't cleaned up after all our trolls in the past.

One useful thing would be to try to track down who the person is, and see
if he or she couldn't be matched up to some other person presently on the
project.  Then to "out" that person.

Larry
-- 
"We have now sunk to a depth at which the re-statement of the obvious is
the first duty of intelligent men." --George Orwell