User:Subsume/WP:LAW

WP:LAW or Wikipedia Caselaw is the use of Wikipedia guidelines in order to justify the arbitrary goals of a Wikipedia editor. The reason for the legal connotation is because editors who use WP:LAW behave like lawyers. They collectively represent a priesthood who by knowing the ropes of Wikipedia exact changes&mdash;in the guise of following guidelines or 'consensus'&mdash;which have secret, personal motivations.

While the same rules have obviously applied throughout history, within every power structure, some believe that Wikipedia by its nature is exempt. This view is prevalent in the Administrator class of Wikipedia, as it follows that those who most delude themselves by believing in this magical property of Wikipedia are also those who are its executors and heirs to its power.

Those who have no such stake have no reason to adopt the corruption and so it is rare that a common editor will use the same tone of reverence and awe when speaking about the Wikipedia's open nature. In cases where a common editor is engaged in a dispute which he or she identifies with closely, or has a political bias towards or against, that editor will often be tempted to tap WP:LAW to muscle towards their set conclusion.

Indeed, Wikipedia does have strong protections against corruption to the fickle, self-centered actions every human is capable of. However, like any historical democratic system, those protections diminish to some degree as they are chipped away by personal interests.