Wikipedia:Arbitration Committee Elections December 2018/Candidates/Drmies/Questions

Individual questions
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Question from Gerda Arendt

 * Thank you ;) - exactly what I was interested in. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 23:18, 12 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Thank you ;) - exactly what I was interested in. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 23:18, 12 November 2018 (UTC)

Question from Banedon




Question from Fram

 *  this page is for questions for the candidates, in this case for Drmies. Comments on the candidates go on Arbitration Committee Elections December 2018/Candidates/Discussion. I have moved your further commentary here to that page, along with Drmies's brief response. It was not a question, and the question mark does not make it so. Please don't revert. To me, personally, it's an inappropriate attack which would be better blanked, considering this is supposed to be a collegial process, but out of respect, I've moved it instead. Bishonen &#124; talk 21:40, 28 November 2018 (UTC).
 *  this page is for questions for the candidates, in this case for Drmies. Comments on the candidates go on Arbitration Committee Elections December 2018/Candidates/Discussion. I have moved your further commentary here to that page, along with Drmies's brief response. It was not a question, and the question mark does not make it so. Please don't revert. To me, personally, it's an inappropriate attack which would be better blanked, considering this is supposed to be a collegial process, but out of respect, I've moved it instead. Bishonen &#124; talk 21:40, 28 November 2018 (UTC).
 *  this page is for questions for the candidates, in this case for Drmies. Comments on the candidates go on Arbitration Committee Elections December 2018/Candidates/Discussion. I have moved your further commentary here to that page, along with Drmies's brief response. It was not a question, and the question mark does not make it so. Please don't revert. To me, personally, it's an inappropriate attack which would be better blanked, considering this is supposed to be a collegial process, but out of respect, I've moved it instead. Bishonen &#124; talk 21:40, 28 November 2018 (UTC).
 *  this page is for questions for the candidates, in this case for Drmies. Comments on the candidates go on Arbitration Committee Elections December 2018/Candidates/Discussion. I have moved your further commentary here to that page, along with Drmies's brief response. It was not a question, and the question mark does not make it so. Please don't revert. To me, personally, it's an inappropriate attack which would be better blanked, considering this is supposed to be a collegial process, but out of respect, I've moved it instead. Bishonen &#124; talk 21:40, 28 November 2018 (UTC).
 *  this page is for questions for the candidates, in this case for Drmies. Comments on the candidates go on Arbitration Committee Elections December 2018/Candidates/Discussion. I have moved your further commentary here to that page, along with Drmies's brief response. It was not a question, and the question mark does not make it so. Please don't revert. To me, personally, it's an inappropriate attack which would be better blanked, considering this is supposed to be a collegial process, but out of respect, I've moved it instead. Bishonen &#124; talk 21:40, 28 November 2018 (UTC).

Question from


Thank you for your thoughtful response. Yes, it makes sense, but all any of us can do at this point is AGF and hope the candidates we intend to support say what they mean but don't say it mean. I predict consensus after this election will be that 100% of editors will think 50% of editors have lost their minds, including arb candidates. Atsme ✍🏻📧
 * If only 50% of them think I lost my mind, I'll call that a win. Thanks Atsme. Drmies (talk) 03:28, 15 November 2018 (UTC)

Questions from Carrite

 * I wouldn't say that "thread about..." is an accurate phrasing. There are threads about you on two or three message boards, as there are about me on one or two... Carrite (talk) 19:45, 30 November 2018 (UTC)
 * The thread title you seek is "Drmies concealed accounts allowed ?" in the closed area of the board (registration required to see, no Google). I think certainly the thread originated on a reasonable, critical basis. Carrite (talk) 19:52, 30 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Do they have a policy where slander is removed and scrubbed? No, I don't "seek" a thread; I now have even less interest in that website. If they can't keep that kind of stuff out, it's just trash. On Wikipedia, we have policies for that, and I like to think we follow through on them. If you have anything to do with that website, and if you are actually concerned with real people, I trust you'll take appropriate action.
 * Do they have a policy where slander is removed and scrubbed? No, I don't "seek" a thread; I now have even less interest in that website. If they can't keep that kind of stuff out, it's just trash. On Wikipedia, we have policies for that, and I like to think we follow through on them. If you have anything to do with that website, and if you are actually concerned with real people, I trust you'll take appropriate action.


 * Thank you for your answers. Carrite (talk) 06:36, 14 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Thank you for your answers. Carrite (talk) 06:36, 14 November 2018 (UTC)

Questions from Beyond My Ken

 * Thanks for the responses. Your "embarrassment" does you credit.  We all should be embarrassed when we occasionally act badly.  In the old days, before such expressions were widely disparaged, I was described as having an "Irish temper", i.e. quick to trigger, it hangs in for a while and then dissipates rapidly, leaving behind embarrassment and regret.  I don't know if that's typically "Irish" behavior or not (and despite my patronym I'm only actually about 1/8th Irish or less), but it certainly describes me well, and it has led to some unnecessary confrontations on-Wiki.  Some I continue to regret, others not so much, but I do think it illustrates just a bit why the current emphasis on Wiki-civility is a false concern when compared to other, more important issues -- we are all human, each with a bundle of human foibles, and we all must accept that in each other to a certain extent.  In the end, it's not lack of civility that might topple Wikipedia, it's the possibility that public no longer trusts the information we provide.  If that happens, we're sunk. Beyond My Ken (talk) 10:28, 15 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the responses. Your "embarrassment" does you credit.  We all should be embarrassed when we occasionally act badly.  In the old days, before such expressions were widely disparaged, I was described as having an "Irish temper", i.e. quick to trigger, it hangs in for a while and then dissipates rapidly, leaving behind embarrassment and regret.  I don't know if that's typically "Irish" behavior or not (and despite my patronym I'm only actually about 1/8th Irish or less), but it certainly describes me well, and it has led to some unnecessary confrontations on-Wiki.  Some I continue to regret, others not so much, but I do think it illustrates just a bit why the current emphasis on Wiki-civility is a false concern when compared to other, more important issues -- we are all human, each with a bundle of human foibles, and we all must accept that in each other to a certain extent.  In the end, it's not lack of civility that might topple Wikipedia, it's the possibility that public no longer trusts the information we provide.  If that happens, we're sunk. Beyond My Ken (talk) 10:28, 15 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the responses. Your "embarrassment" does you credit.  We all should be embarrassed when we occasionally act badly.  In the old days, before such expressions were widely disparaged, I was described as having an "Irish temper", i.e. quick to trigger, it hangs in for a while and then dissipates rapidly, leaving behind embarrassment and regret.  I don't know if that's typically "Irish" behavior or not (and despite my patronym I'm only actually about 1/8th Irish or less), but it certainly describes me well, and it has led to some unnecessary confrontations on-Wiki.  Some I continue to regret, others not so much, but I do think it illustrates just a bit why the current emphasis on Wiki-civility is a false concern when compared to other, more important issues -- we are all human, each with a bundle of human foibles, and we all must accept that in each other to a certain extent.  In the end, it's not lack of civility that might topple Wikipedia, it's the possibility that public no longer trusts the information we provide.  If that happens, we're sunk. Beyond My Ken (talk) 10:28, 15 November 2018 (UTC)

Question from

 * Thank you for your answer. feminist (talk) 10:06, 15 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Thank you for your answer. feminist (talk) 10:06, 15 November 2018 (UTC)

Questions from Guerillero
Thank you for running for the hardest and most thankless job on the project. I am rehashing most of my 2015 questions because I don't think that these issues have been resolved over the past three years. Enjoy!

Question from Amanda

 * Thank you in advance for your answers to my long set of questions. I ask these questions based on my experience as an Arbitrator. The answers may not be as clear cut as you think. -- Amanda  (aka DQ) 05:15, 16 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Thank you in advance for your answers to my long set of questions. I ask these questions based on my experience as an Arbitrator. The answers may not be as clear cut as you think. -- Amanda  (aka DQ) 05:15, 16 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Thank you in advance for your answers to my long set of questions. I ask these questions based on my experience as an Arbitrator. The answers may not be as clear cut as you think. -- Amanda  (aka DQ) 05:15, 16 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Thank you in advance for your answers to my long set of questions. I ask these questions based on my experience as an Arbitrator. The answers may not be as clear cut as you think. -- Amanda  (aka DQ) 05:15, 16 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Thank you in advance for your answers to my long set of questions. I ask these questions based on my experience as an Arbitrator. The answers may not be as clear cut as you think. -- Amanda  (aka DQ) 05:15, 16 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Thank you in advance for your answers to my long set of questions. I ask these questions based on my experience as an Arbitrator. The answers may not be as clear cut as you think. -- Amanda  (aka DQ) 05:15, 16 November 2018 (UTC)

Questions from

 * Thank you:-) I esp. concur with the last line. &#x222F; WBG converse 19:49, 20 November 2018 (UTC)
 * User:Winged Blades of Godric et al., I finally managed to read through the old email on the functionaries list, in particular a discussion prompted by (and leading to Risker's comment on) Wikipedia_talk:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Fred_Bauder/Workshop. That conversation confirmed my somewhat tentative remark here; at least sometimes my intuition is correct. One upshot of all this is that it's a good thing that the "new" suppression tool comes with unsuppression (see that talk page for explanation). Drmies (talk) 04:22, 22 November 2018 (UTC)
 * User:Winged Blades of Godric et al., I finally managed to read through the old email on the functionaries list, in particular a discussion prompted by (and leading to Risker's comment on) Wikipedia_talk:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Fred_Bauder/Workshop. That conversation confirmed my somewhat tentative remark here; at least sometimes my intuition is correct. One upshot of all this is that it's a good thing that the "new" suppression tool comes with unsuppression (see that talk page for explanation). Drmies (talk) 04:22, 22 November 2018 (UTC)

Question from Pyxis Solitary


Finding "less vernacular wording" during a conflict, wherever it may be, should be second nature to anyone who accepts a position of responsibility, because said person's temperament can affect temperature. I would not have even known who you were and you would not have been involved in the above-referenced matter if you had not gone out of your way to flex your authority as an administrator by threatening to block me after an ANI that you did not participate in was closed by another administrator four days prior. You aspire to sit on a "panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process...[with] authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors." I am an editor. ArbCom requires mediation skills. And based on my experience, you make matters worse. Pyxis Solitary  yak  14:18, 21 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Is the name of editor not transparent in the linked history? "Conspiracy"? The precise statement: "The reluctance to deal with [one editor's] behavior is creating the impression that there is a behind-the-scenes "hands off" when it comes to him, which boils down to favoritism for one editor over others, and is to the detriment of Wikipedia as a whole."
 * You're not here to ask questions, are you. Drmies (talk) 02:23, 25 November 2018 (UTC)
 * On the contrary. I asked a question. About conflict. That the question was inspired by your behavior and the choices you made does not diminish the validity of the question. Pyxis Solitary   yak  09:07, 26 November 2018 (UTC)

Question from User:Ryk72
Discretionary sanctions (DS) now cover more than 30 topic areas (per WP:DSTOPICS).

Thank you in advance for your consideration of these questions. - Ryk72 'c.s.n.s.' 00:24, 26 November 2018 (UTC)

Question from User:GRuban

 * Ah. I see. I was unclear as to what extent you wanted your real name associated with your account, it seemed in some places, like above, that you didn't mind, now I see that you really want to keep it separate. Thank you for your answer, and I'm sorry you went through that. I'm probably going to support you. Honestly, we can probably delete this whole section, since it's going nowhere good; I don't know if that's allowed, but I wouldn't object. --GRuban (talk) 17:16, 29 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Thanks,, but I think that train has left the station. I'm going to retire that account, ask ArbCom for permission for an unlinked account, and be more vigilant. Drmies (talk) 02:05, 1 December 2018 (UTC)
 * Thanks,, but I think that train has left the station. I'm going to retire that account, ask ArbCom for permission for an unlinked account, and be more vigilant. Drmies (talk) 02:05, 1 December 2018 (UTC)

Question from User:Fæ

 * Thanks for the confirmation that you have not followed this policy on the correct use of sysop tools for years, and it appears from your choice of words that you will be ignoring policy in the future. I would appreciate it if you would answer the part of my question most relevant to this election, "would you give as much flexibility for trusted users who may be seen as biting newbies by deviating from policy in other ways"?
 * P.S. with regard to sidelining my question with "there are better places", the competence of Arbcom members accurately to follow policy is highly relevant to whether they are competent to sit in judgement over others. Consequently this place and this time is the best place to examine candidates more deeply than we would ever normally hold administrators to account. Thanks --Fæ (talk) 08:45, 4 December 2018 (UTC)
 * P.S. with regard to sidelining my question with "there are better places", the competence of Arbcom members accurately to follow policy is highly relevant to whether they are competent to sit in judgement over others. Consequently this place and this time is the best place to examine candidates more deeply than we would ever normally hold administrators to account. Thanks --Fæ (talk) 08:45, 4 December 2018 (UTC)