User:KieferSkunk/ArbCom Snapshot

The following is an archive of my request for arbitration against JAF1970. It appears that this request will be declined (premature), but I want to preserve the text and links of my request to use in other cases.

Uncivil behavior by JAF1970

 * Initiated by  &mdash; KieferSkunk (talk) &mdash; at 20:35, 2 July 2007 (UTC)

Involved parties



 * Confirmation that all parties are aware of the request
 * Note left in JAF1970's Talk page


 * Confirmation that other steps in dispute resolution have been tried
 * Attempted to resolve the issue one-on-one in JAF1970's User Talk page - even after apologies had been exchanged, behavior continued.
 * Filed a request in Wikiquette Alerts - no response from any third party.
 * Filed a request for informal mediation - case opened, but arguments continued and escalated both in the mediation page and in other articles. I came to the conclusion that JAF is not willing to let mediation take place.

Statement by KieferSkunk
A large-scale personal dispute has arisen between myself and JAF1970 over some edits I made in Pac-Man Championship Edition (PMCE). This dispute now spans multiple pages (Talk:Pac-Man, Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Video games/Article guidelines, User talk:KieferSkunk), and contains large amounts of personal, inflammatory arguments from both sides. This request for arbitration is not about JAF's stance on article content, but rather about the way he has treated people (me specifically) during the dispute - I feel that his behavior toward me has been rude, belittling, uncivil and openly hostile, and my attempts to resolve the dispute both one-on-one and through informal mediation have failed.

I wish to see an apology and a change in behavior from JAF for:
 * Accusing me of vandalizing the PMCE article;
 * Maintaining an uncivil tone during discussions;, , , ,
 * "Rubbing my face" in my initial mistakes, even after I had taken steps to correct them;, , ,
 * Blocking my attempts to call for open discussion on article-specific issues;, , , ,
 * Placing himself in the position of sole judge as to what content is acceptable, and using that to tell me that I'm wrong and my ideas and concerns don't deserve consideration (JAF also repeatedly used a single paragraph of supporting text from another user to argue against me);, , , , ,
 * Threatening to undo any future edits I make to the PMCE article without review (he later clarified that he was talking about "drastic changes", but his tone was very confrontational);
 * Using my initial mistakes as a basis to discredit me as a whole;, ,
 * Accusing me of breaking mediation (by making large-scale edits to PMCE), when I had clearly done no such thing;, ,
 * Refusing to acknowledge that he accused me wrongly, and presenting my initial edits (made before mediation was requested) as evidence that I was breaking mediation;, ,
 * Refusing to take personal arguments to my or his User Talk page when I requested that he do so (he only opened up discussion in my User Talk page long after I had made that request);
 * Giving me a blanket apology in the form of "I'm sorry you feel bad" and taking no responsibility for his actions - JAF believes very firmly that he has done nothing wrong, other than to be "a little gruff"., , , ,

I wish to clarify that I do not have a problem with JAF's opinions about article matters. It's the way he presents and argues them that offends me. He seems very willing to reject consensus and to overrun consensus discussions when the views being expressed are contrary to his own, and he frequently accuses me of doing the exact same thing. I don't claim to know fully what's going on in his head, but it is very difficult to remain civil with this editor. This dispute has gotten me riled up several times, to the point where I have myself violated WP policy in retaliation. In the instances that I am aware of, I have acknowledged and owned up to my mistakes and apologized for my behavior. (Example: ) However, this has not resulted in any change in JAF's behavior toward me - there are only a few isolated instances where he has addressed me in a way that indicated true willingness to debate and discuss, and in each of those instances, I have responded in kind.

One more quick note: JAF has sent me several emails asking for live chat to discuss this matter. I am not currently able to engage in live chat with him due to my work schedule and limitations, and I do not feel that taking this offline is appropriate at this time.

Response by KieferSkunk to kaypoh
I haven't. However, two people from the Mediation Cabal have commented on the situation and had expressed concerns about JAF's behavior, similar concerns to mine. He argued with them as well, though not as fervently. (The mediators did also address me, and I acknowledged my side of the situation.)

It is worth noting that JAF seems to have calmed down a bit since I filed this request, though I'm not convinced that things will remain calm if I attempt to restart consensus discussions and/or make further edits to the affected articles. I believe there is enough circumstancial evidence from previous disputes between JAF and other users to warrant seeing this through - otherwise, this may very well just happen all over again the next time I make an edit he disagrees with. &mdash; KieferSkunk (talk) &mdash; 16:06, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

Statement by JAF1970
(none given)

Question by uninvolved kaypoh
Did you file an RFC yet? --Kaypoh 09:55, 3 July 2007 (UTC)