User:Foreignshore/sandbox

I started editing (mostly copy editing) in 2008 but now I think it's time to retire. There are several reasons for this, issues I see that have bothered me about Wikipedia for some time. Honestly, it's no longer an enjoyable hobby for me.


 * "Wikipedia has no firm rules", says the fifth pillar, yet there seems to be a small group of editors who will not hesitate to show you the firm rules and ensure that you conform to them. I am not bothered by having rules and enforcing them, but Wikipedia and its editors should be consistent in how they present themselves.
 * WP:Civility is routinely ignored. I witnessed an editor tell another editor to "fuck off"; subsequently, the profanity-using editor was defended because "he is a long-term editor" and because "fuck off" is common English that one can use anytime one feels upset!
 * The territorial attitude of many editors, posting on talk pages "Why did you make that edit?" (Read: "How dare you edit this article that is my exclusive domain because of my ethnic/cultural/gender/racial/national identity!")
 * The barely disguised personal and political biases of editors, in spite of WP:NPOV. (And I am still expected to WP:Assume good faith with this editor?)
 * The WP:Request for adminship process is not a process at all; most RfA's seem to be a foregone conclusion. "Oppose" voters are practically shouted down for daring to oppose an administrator-to-be. I watched from the sidlelines one particular RfA where the Support voters wanted to "stricken" an oppose vote while commenting "Don't worry, it's going to pass anyway".  In a second RfA I watched as voters cast vote after vote opposing the candidate, calling him out for his repeated uncivil and rude behavior as an editor...naturally he passed and became an Administrator.
 * Political correctness. For example, if you don't use the singular "they" (which I believe to be bad grammar) you might find yourself warned by an "experienced editor".