User:CagedRage

Well, despite a relatively extensive editing history, I had no intention of ever starting a user page, since this isn't a chat room or a singles bar, but a few recent incidents with some very nasty people have led me to post this on behalf of myself.

I have always attempted to be respectful of my fellow editors, but recent episodes have made me suspect that many Wikipedia users, while articulate and (usually) well-informed about their little corner of the universe, are clinically insane. There are already Wikipedia rules on these subjects , but some people don't read them, so I’m making the following requests for those wanting to work on any article with me:


 * Don't be nasty. If you're in a bad mood, take a breath, count to ten. Take a walk. Loosen your panties and lighten up. If you can't do that, don't edit here.
 * Assume that your fellow editors are intelligent and educated. It may not be true of everyone here, but assume it anyway. I quote from Wikipedia guidelines: "Assume good faith: In other words, try to consider the person on the other end of the discussion is a thinking, rational being who is trying to positively contribute to Wikipedia — unless, and only unless, you have firm, solid, and objective proof to the contrary. Merely disagreeing with you is no such proof."
 * If someone adds information to yours, moves stuff around, or changes a word you used, for the love of God, don't take it personally. People edit me all the time, and when it's done in good faith (which it is, 99% of the time), I let it go. If you don't like someone revising your edits, or an article you created, you shouldn't be here. The whole point of Wikipedia is that people will inevitably edit something you've done. If that notion tightens your sphincter, go become an editor for a non-wiki website.
 * If someone corrects an obvious factual error you've made (i.e., you claim someone was "convicted by a jury" when in fact they pled guilty), you have no right to get angry if someone corrects you. Opinions are one thing, but facts are facts.
 * Don't use discussion pages to bully me. Discuss your opinions relevant to the article at hand, and leave it at that. The following are all examples of things said to me on various talk pages (in the context of an otherwise minor factual disagreement):
 * "You obviously don’t know anything about this subject"
 * calling my edits "pulp fiction"
 * "These are LIES!" (with, of course, nothing to back that up)
 * "Is this some kind of a joke??!"
 * "You have disparaged the existing literature!!" (ironic, since this user got many of the article's facts wrong)
 * my personal favorite: "You have completely ruined this article!!!!"

Please. Leave the hysteria at home. Clean up my edit for clarity, add information/sources, correct mistakes (yes, I do make them occasionally), but tone down the rudeness. When you can't debate a subject without becoming a hothead, it weakens your argument and makes you sound childish. If you really get this upset over petty factual disputes, then maybe Wikipedia isn't the hobby for you.
 * Articles must be neutral, and I make lots of attempts to make them so. YOUR view of a topic is not the only one that exists. If you quote from one book or article, I can quote from another book/article that disagrees. If you state one side of an argument (particularly one with legal/social implications), someone has the right to express the other side. This is especially true of subjects on which all available information is secondhand.
 * Don't revert or blank my edits because of a content disagreement. Reversions should only be used in the event of vandalism; there is a Wikipedia rule to this effect. Reverting ALL of someone’s work - just to be a dick - is f*cking rude. (Yes, I'm looking at you, Lion King and 71.139.0.12.)

I enjoy editing on Wikipedia and I appreciate you taking the time to read my user page. It is a small minority of people exhibiting these behaviors, and I hope that expressing my boundaries will bring an end to the unpleasantness exhibited by those people. Have a good day.