Wikipedia:Words of wisdom
This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
The universe does not revolve around you
While editors' points of view are certainly welcomed, please remember that
On Wikipedia and the Cabal
A common complaint in online communities is that there are groups of users, usually longtime members of the community, who
In many cases, however, belief in a cabal involves the practice of stringing together a chain of outcomes that the accuser did not desire, and assigning a common causation to them. The outcomes may be unrelated, or related only in the sense that they are in line with generally accepted community practices (typically,
When a editor, often a newer user, accuses others of being in on a conspiracy, they are typically surprised when the more established Wikipedians seem to band together against them. They may see this as a confirmation of their misplaced suspicions: is there really no cabal? A cabal works in secret and avoids claiming responsibility, but Wikipedia's editors do not, even though the ideas and actions of some may seem unlikeable and unfair. The lone editor can reasonably call those groups that are a little too human and cohesive for their taste a "faction", or could consider the possibility that the experienced editors have a tendency to jointly confront an accuser whose hostility lumps them all together.
It's much more productive to refute the arguments of the majority through reasoned discussion than to imply they are wrong because they are the majority, or that you are being repressed because they don't agree with you. If you attack people who oppose you as if they were a collective with an agenda against you, then whether they were or not, they will likely act like one. There is no cabal conspiring against you unless you created it.
If many others disagree with you, please consider that it may be because you are factually wrong according to
There is a cabal
As Wikipedia grows,