User talk:76.189.121.57

AN - Dispute with admin User:Hu12

I am the user who cleared his own talk page. It should also be mentioned that the administrator who started the AN, Boing! said Zebedee, blocked me for several hours two days ago for being insulting to some other editors. Although I was unhappy about it, I deserved it and Boing was nothing but kind and professional during his handling of the matter. While I was blocked, Boing even offered to help me on the content issue which triggered my intitial frustration. I was very moved by that and it made me feel terrible about my behavior even more. Anyway, the matter was quickly resolved, Boing unblocked me, and we all moved on.

The next day (yesterday), I researched whether I was allowed to clear my talk page. I found WP:OWNTALK and WP:REMOVED, which made clear that I could do it. So I did. But two minutes later, Hu12, who I'd never met before, reverted it. I reverted it back, citing the two policies, and then left a brief message on Hu12's talk page about it. I saw that Boing had also left a message for Hu12, explaining my right to remove content from talk page. I truly thought that would be the end of it and that Hu12 would just give a quick sorry for the misunderstanding. Hu12 subsequently created an archive on my talk page of the removed content, without my knowledge or consent. I knew that the guidelines said that archiving was "preferred," but not required.

It was at this point, that I left another message for Hu12, telling him that I felt his behavior and actions were verging on harassment. He was ignoring all of the very clear guidelines on this matter and continuing to inappropriately alter my talk page. I asked him to please stop. I referred him again to all the relevant policies that had been posted in the discussion on his talk page, and pointed out that the policy he was referring to was not applicable because, as it stated, it related only to "old" talk pages that had "No edits within the last year" and "No talk page activity within the last year".

The discussion on Hu12's talk page tells the whole story of why we're here discussing this.

The concern I have, beyond what I feel is Hu12's inappropriate handling of this matter, is the fact that he is an administrator. So if this talk page-clearing issue comes up with other editors, I don't see any reason why he wouldn't respond to it in the same way he did with me. He has yet to acknowledge he was mistaken about the "rules" on this process and, in fact, still insists that he's right even though two of his fellow administrators, and the guidelines, have indicated otherwise. His overriding, false contention is that unregistered users do not have the same rights as registered users with regard to talk page-clearing (and other processes). Yet several guidelines, beyond WP:REMOVED, showed him he was mistaken, including What an unregistered user can't do.

As well, please note that in the discussion on Hu12's talk page, he used my block, and the behaviors that led to it, as a partial reason for why he felt it was appropriate not to allow me to clear my talk page. Of course, those things have absolutely nothing to do with talk page-clearing guidelines. That is why I said to him, "By the way, the fact that Boing blocked me for several hours yesterday, and the reasons why, have absolutely nothing to do with this policy issue. So I am perplexed as to why you, especially as an administrator, would choose to make it part of this discussion."[1]

Finally, with regard to Hu12's incivility claim against Boing, who told Hu12 to "stop fucking around" with my talk page, please understand that that one comment was near the end of a very long discussion in which Hu12 refused to acknowledge and accept the relevant guidelines, and had already removed the contents from my talk page and then created the archive without asking me about it. And Boing has already apologized for that quick moment of frustration when he said, "I'm happy to admit to frustration and a little anger." As you'll see from the discussion, it was one quick lapse after being very reasonable and more-than-patient for a long time. But as someone who was blocked by Boing and went through an ongoing discussion with him about it, I think I have some credibility in saying that he's an excellent administrator who treats others with respect. I'm not sure I deserved the kindness he gave me during my block, but he did it anyway because apparently that's just the type of guy he is. In this case with Hu12, it simply got to the point where Hu12 was absolutely refusing to listen to reason after a very lengthy discussion, and Boing finally just said to himself that this is enough, this needs to stop. And so that was his way of getting that message across to Hu12 in two words.

I hope the result of this discussion will be that Hu12 acknowledges, per all the guidelines presented, that IPs are allowed to clear their own talk pages and they cannot be forced to archive. Honestly, I think that Boing should be praised for pursuing this matter. It would have been so easy for him to just say this isn't important and doesn't involve me, and move on. But he showed how much he cares about this project and his responsibilities as an admin by concluding that if the matter wasn't settled now, other IPs would unnecessarily go through the same situation with Hu12 in the future. --76.189.121.57 (talk) 16:31, 9 October 2012 (UTC)

Hi IP. I would 2nd your praise for Boing and wish you good luck going forward. --Malerooster (talk) 20:03, 9 October 2012 (UTC)

Thanks :) --76.189.121.57 (talk) 21:08, 9 October 2012 (UTC)