Talk:Barack Obama: Difference between revisions
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::'''but the claim that Obama is a Muslim is intended as something negative by those who make it.''' is paranoia and a disservice to our readers. No comment on the rest. [[User:Arkon|Arkon]] ([[User talk:Arkon|talk]]) 03:42, 4 August 2012 (UTC) |
::'''but the claim that Obama is a Muslim is intended as something negative by those who make it.''' is paranoia and a disservice to our readers. No comment on the rest. [[User:Arkon|Arkon]] ([[User talk:Arkon|talk]]) 03:42, 4 August 2012 (UTC) |
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:::Huh? I don't get that drift. Perhaps it's motivated by paranoia, plus some fear, ignorance and xenophobia. Our readers are on the main page, not here. - [[User:Wikidemon|Wikidemon]] ([[User talk:Wikidemon|talk]]) 12:33, 4 August 2012 (UTC) |
:::Huh? I don't get that drift. Perhaps it's motivated by paranoia, plus some fear, ignorance and xenophobia. Our readers are on the main page, not here. - [[User:Wikidemon|Wikidemon]] ([[User talk:Wikidemon|talk]]) 12:33, 4 August 2012 (UTC) |
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== For consideration == |
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Article seems pretty strict on making additions, so I don't want to fall foul. Here, then, are a few recent things for consideration: |
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"During his last year at Columbia, and at a low-level corporate job that followed, Obama brooded over his need to acquire a black identity—a sign was the copy of Ellison's Invisible Man which he took with him everywhere. He had never thought of himself as black before. The two girlfriends of those years whom Maraniss has traced, and an unnamed third in his first year in Chicago, were white, and so were many of his friends."<BR>{{cite journal |last= Bromwich |first= David |authorlink= David Bromwich |date= 5 July 2012 |title= Diary |url= http://www.lrb.co.uk/v34/n13/david-bromwich/diary |journal= [[London Review of Books]] |volume= 34 |issue= 13 |pages= 42–43 |accessdate= 4 August 2012 }}<BR><small><nowiki><ref>{{cite journal |last= Bromwich |first= David |authorlink= David Bromwich |date= 5 July 2012 |title= Diary |url= http://www.lrb.co.uk/v34/n13/david-bromwich/diary |journal= [[London Review of Books]] |volume= 34 |issue= 13 |pages= 42–43 |accessdate= 4 August 2012 }}</ref></nowiki></small> |
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{{cite web |last= Goldstein |first= Bonnie |date= 30 July 2012 |title= Obama descended from slave ancestor, researchers say |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/post/obama-descended-from-slave-ancestor-researchers-say/2012/07/30/gJQAUw4BLX_blog.html |work= She The People |publisher= [[The Washington Post|WashingtonPost.com]] |accessdate= 4 August 2012 }}<BR><small><nowiki><ref>{{cite web |last= Goldstein |first= Bonnie |date= 30 July 2012 |title= Obama descended from slave ancestor, researchers say |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/post/obama-descended-from-slave-ancestor-researchers-say/2012/07/30/gJQAUw4BLX_blog.html |work= She The People |publisher= [[The Washington Post|WashingtonPost.com]] |accessdate= 4 August 2012 }}</ref></nowiki></small> |
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[[User:Skirtsy|Skirtsy]] <small><sup style="position:relative">[[User talk:Skirtsy|My talk]]<span style="position:relative;bottom:-2.0ex;left:-5.2ex;*left:-5.5ex">[[Special:Contributions/Skirtsy|Edits]]</span></sup></small> 14:07, 4 August 2012 (UTC) |
Revision as of 14:07, 4 August 2012
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Frequently asked questions To view the response to a question, click the [show] link to the right of the question. Family and religious background Q1: Why isn't Barack Obama's Muslim heritage or education included in this article?
A1: Barack Obama was never a practitioner of Islam. His biological father having been "raised as a Muslim" but being a "confirmed atheist" by the time Obama was born is mentioned in the article. Please see this article on Snopes.com for a fairly in-depth debunking of the myth that Obama is Muslim. Barack Obama did not attend an Islamic or Muslim school while living in Indonesia age 6–10, but Roman Catholic and secular public schools. See [1], [2], [3] The sub-articles Public image of Barack Obama and Barack Obama religion conspiracy theories address this issue. Q2: The article refers to him as African American, but his mother is white and his black father was not an American. Should he be called African American, or something else ("biracial", "mixed", "Kenyan-American", "mulatto", "quadroon", etc.)?
A2: Obama himself and the media identify him, the vast majority of the time, as African American or black. African American is primarily defined as "citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa", a statement that accurately describes Obama and does not preclude or negate origins in the white populations of America as well. Thus we use the term African American in the introduction, and address the specifics of his parentage in the first headed section of the article. Many individuals who identify as black have varieties of ancestors from many countries who may identify with other racial or ethnic groups. See our article on race for more information on this concept. We could call him the first "biracial" candidate or the first "half black half white" candidate or the first candidate with a parent born in Africa, but Wikipedia is a tertiary source which reports what other reliable sources say, and most of those other sources say "first African American". Readers will learn more detail about his ethnic background in the article body. Q3: Why can't we use his full name outside of the lead? It's his name, isn't it?
A3: The relevant part of the Manual of Style says that outside the lead of an article on a person, that person's conventional name is the only one that's appropriate. (Thus one use of "Richard Milhous Nixon" in the lead of Richard Nixon, "Richard Nixon" thereafter.) Talk page consensus has also established this. Q4: Why is Obama referred to as "Barack Hussein Obama II" in the lead sentence rather than "Barack Hussein Obama, Jr."? Isn't "Jr." more common?
A4: Although "Jr." is typically used when a child shares the name of his or her parent, "II" is considered acceptable, as well. And in Obama's case, the usage on his birth certificate is indeed "II", and is thus the form used at the beginning of this article, per manual of style guidelines on names. Q5: Why don't we cover the claims that Obama is not a United States citizen, his birth certificate was forged, he was not born in Hawaii, he is ineligible to be President, etc?
A5: The Barack Obama article consists of an overview of major issues in the life and times of the subject. The controversy over his eligibility, citizenship, birth certificate etc is currently a fairly minor issue in overall terms, and has had no significant legal or mainstream political impact. It is therefore not currently appropriate for inclusion in an overview article. These claims are covered separately in Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories. Controversies, praise, and criticism Q6: Why isn't there a criticisms/controversies section?
A6: Because a section dedicated to criticisms and controversies is no more appropriate than a section dedicated solely to praise and is an indication of a poorly written article. Criticisms/controversies/praises should be worked into the existing prose of the article, per the Criticism essay. Q7: Why isn't a certain controversy/criticism/praise included in this article?
A7: Wikipedia's Biography of living persons policy says that "[c]riticism and praise of the subject should be represented if it is relevant to the subject's notability and can be sourced to reliable secondary sources, and so long as the material is written in a manner that does not overwhelm the article or appear to take sides; it needs to be presented responsibly, conservatively, and in a neutral, encyclopedic tone." Criticism or praise that cannot be reliably sourced cannot be placed in a biography. Also, including everything about Obama in a single article would exceed Wikipedia's article size restrictions. A number of sub-articles have been created and some controversies/criticisms/praises have been summarized here or been left out of this article altogether, but are covered in some detail in the sub-articles. Q8: But this controversy/criticism/praise is all over the news right now! It should be covered in detail in the main article, not buried in a sub-article!
A8: Wikipedia articles should avoid giving undue weight to something just because it is in the news right now. If you feel that the criticism/controversy/praise is not being given enough weight in this article, you can try to start a discussion on the talk page about giving it more. See WP:BRD. Q9: This article needs much more (or much less) criticism/controversy.
A9: Please try to assume good faith. Like all articles on Wikipedia, this article is a work in progress so it is possible for biases to exist at any point in time. If you see a bias that you wish to address, you are more than welcome to start a new discussion, or join in an existing discussion, but please be ready to provide sources to support your viewpoint and try to keep your comments civil. Starting off your discussion by accusing the editors of this article of having a bias is the quickest way to get your comment ignored. Talk and article mechanics Q10: This article is over 275kb long, and the article size guideline says that it should be broken up into sub-articles. Why hasn't this happened?
A10: The restriction mentioned in WP:SIZE is 60kB of readable prose, not the byte count you see when you open the page for editing. As of May 11, 2016, this article had about 10,570 words of readable prose (65 kB according to prosesize tool), only slightly above the guideline. The rest is mainly citations and invisible comments, which do not count towards the limit. Q11: I notice this FAQ mentions starting discussions or joining in on existing discussions a lot. If Wikipedia is supposed to be the encyclopedia anyone can edit, shouldn't I just be bold and fix any biases that I see in the article?
A11: It is true that Wikipedia is the encyclopedia that anyone can edit and no one needs the permission of other editors of this article to make changes to it. But Wikipedia policy is that, "While the consensus process does not require posting to the discussion page, it can be useful and is encouraged." This article attracts editors that have very strong opinions about Obama (positive and negative) and these editors have different opinions about what should and should not be in the article, including differences as to appropriate level of detail. As a result of this it may be helpful, as a way to avoid content disputes, to seek consensus before adding contentious material to or removing it from the article. Q12: The article/talk page has been vandalized! Why hasn't anyone fixed this?
A12: Many editors watch this article, and it is unlikely that vandalism would remain unnoticed for long. It is possible that you are viewing a cached result of the article; If so, try bypassing your cache. Q13: Why are so many discussions closed so quickly?
A13: Swift closure is common for topics that have already been discussed repeatedly, topics pushing fringe theories, and topics that would lead to violations of Wikipedia's policy concerning biographies of living persons, because of their disruptive nature and the unlikelihood that consensus to include the material will arise from the new discussion. In those cases, editors are encouraged to read this FAQ for examples of such common topics. Q14: I added new content to the article, but it was removed!
A14: Double-check that your content addition is not sourced to an opinion blog, editorial, or non-mainstream news source. Wikipedia's policy on biographies of living persons states, in part, "Material about living persons must be sourced very carefully. Without reliable third-party sources, it may include original research and unverifiable statements, and could lead to libel claims." Sources of information must be of a very high quality for biographies. While this does not result in an outright ban of all blogs and opinion pieces, most of them are regarded as questionable. Inflammatory or potentially libelous content cited to a questionable source will be removed immediately without discussion. Q15: I disagree with the policies and content guidelines that prevent my proposed content from being added to the article.
A15: That's understandable. Wikipedia is a work in progress. If you do not approve of a policy cited in the removal of content, it's possible to change it. Making cogent, logical arguments on the policy's talk page is likely to result in a positive alteration. This is highly encouraged. However, this talk page is not the appropriate place to dispute the wording used in policies and guidelines. If you disagree with the interpretation of a policy or guideline, there is also recourse: Dispute resolution. Using the dispute resolution process prevents edit wars, and is encouraged. Q16: I saw someone start a discussion on a topic raised by a blog/opinion piece, and it was reverted!
A16: Unfortunately, due to its high profile, this talk page sees a lot of attempts to argue for policy- and guideline-violating content – sometimes the same violations many times a day. These are regarded as disruptive, as outlined above. Consensus can change; material previously determined to be unacceptable may become acceptable. But it becomes disruptive and exhausting when single-purpose accounts raise the same subject(s) repeatedly in the apparent hopes of overcoming significant objections by other editors. Editors have reached a consensus for dealing with this behavior:
Other Q17: Why aren't the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns covered in more detail?
A17: They are, in sub-articles called Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign and Barack Obama 2012 presidential campaign. Things that are notable in the context of the presidential campaigns, but are of minimal notability to Barack Obama's overall biography, belong in the sub-articles. Campaign stops, the presidential debates, and the back-and-forth accusations and claims of the campaigns can all be found there. |
This article must adhere to the biographies of living persons (BLP) policy, even if it is not a biography, because it contains material about living persons. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libellous. If such material is repeatedly inserted, or if you have other concerns, please report the issue to this noticeboard.If you are a subject of this article, or acting on behalf of one, and you need help, please see this help page. |
This page is about a politician who is running for office or has recently run for office, is in office and campaigning for re-election, or is involved in some current political conflict or controversy. For that reason, this article is at increased risk of biased editing, talk-page trolling, and simple vandalism. |
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Template:Community article probation
Index 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80 81, 82, 83 |
Historical diffs, Weight, Race |
This page has archives. Sections older than 15 days may be automatically archived by Lowercase sigmabot III. |
Religious upbringing
I removed the section "raised Muslim" because Obama senior was a Muslim until six years old. I don't see why his religious beliefs at the age of infancy to 5 should be relevant. People generally do not hold concrete belief systems at the age of 5. Pass a Method talk 08:59, 26 June 2012 (UTC)
- Agreed. Good remove. HiLo48 (talk) 09:01, 26 June 2012 (UTC)
- I agree as well. Even if it had any value, it would be in the article about Obama's father. Presumably this is just about linking Obama to Islam. -- Scjessey (talk) 11:47, 26 June 2012 (UTC)
- Though I'm the one who reverted the edit, I won't argue with it now. Pass a Method, HiLo and Scjessey all make excellent points. In all honesty, I already knew the role of Islam in Barack Sr.'s life was trivial at best, but I didn't know he stopped practicing the religion that early (and when you're that young, you don't "practice" a religion so much as you go along with the rest of the family/community). szyslak (t) 13:33, 26 June 2012 (UTC)
- The quote used: "American President: Barack Obama". Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. 2009. http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/obama. Retrieved January 23, 2009. "Religion: Christian" --
- I agree as well. Even if it had any value, it would be in the article about Obama's father. Presumably this is just about linking Obama to Islam. -- Scjessey (talk) 11:47, 26 June 2012 (UTC)
- I agree with not emphasizing Obama Sr.'s Muslim roots here, especially because BO Sr. was basically an absentee father with no direct influence on BO's upbringing. There is probably a place for tasteful mention of the Muslim influences on BO's personal development, but I would suggest that it be centered on his experiences in Indonesia, where as a child he was pretty much "along for the ride" in a Muslim majority culture. A good link for this might be Nicholas Kristoff's interview. Wookian (talk) 13:47, 26 June 2012 (UTC)
- I agree with this too - this does not belong here, and the way we handle it in Sr. works for that article. Tvoz/talk 15:07, 26 June 2012 (UTC)
However he is now an Messianic (He likes to speack about participating with his kids to a Messianic rabi to bless them with the blessing from Numbers chapter 6). So I agree the quote is good since "Christian" have same meaning with "Messianic", but the movement is not same as "Christianity" like in the above table, but "Messianism" in one word, or "Hebrew Roots" in two words. --FlorinCB (talk) 14:42, 21 July 2012 (UTC)
Height stats
closing thread about trivia, complete with ridiculous speculation. |
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How tall is Barack Obama? There are no height stats in the infobox. 24.146.222.131 (talk) 03:33, 7 July 2012 (UTC)
Try Heights of presidents and presidential candidates of the United States. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.7.145.197 (talk) 09:57, 20 July 2012 (UTC)
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Use of "Dreams" autobiography as RS
The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.
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Not trying to be a trouble-maker here, but is it appropriate to use Obama's own autobiography as a reliable source for facts of his life? David Maraniss of the Washington Post has just published a biography of President Obama that involved a bunch of gumshoe research into Obama's background, interviews with relevant parties, and attempts to trace and document details from the president's early life. Maraniss concluded that many assertions in Obama's autobiography (including some fairly dramatic elements) are in fact fictional, perhaps included to enhance the narrative. Some of the later printings of Dreams include a qualifier that some people (e.g. girlfriends) are composite, but Maraniss documents that it goes far beyond that. I suggest that "Dreams from my Father", as a work that lies somewhere between autobiography and "historical fiction" with no obvious lines drawn, does not meet the standards to be a RS in terms of seeking article material that is true and verifiable. On the plus side, new works like Maraniss' that are coming out may fill the void. Of note is that before publishing, Maraniss allegedly sat down with the president and described some of the discrepancies, and Obama allegedly said that Maraniss had basically got things right. So I don't consider this some kind of fringe objection or anything; Maraniss is solidly in the mainstream. Comments? Wookian (talk) 22:17, 9 July 2012 (UTC)
Would Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard be a better place to have this discussion? Ryan Vesey Review me! 15:02, 10 July 2012 (UTC)
Source evaluation via googleSo, taking "site:en.wikipedia.org "Dreams From My Father" as the search parameter, let's look at the first 10 hits on articles excluding the book article itself and the cover image;
All in all I'm not seeing much here to get all wee-wee'ed up, to borrow a Palinism, about here. Tarc (talk) 15:12, 10 July 2012 (UTC)
@Wookian: Sorry, I only read about half the above discussion, so let me just cut to the chase: Is there a specific claim in this article sourced to Obama's book that is contracticted by a secondary reliable source? This is a yes or no question. If the answer is 'no', there is no need to continue this discussion. If the answer is 'yes', then please indicate the specific claim that being disputed. Thanks. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 18:37, 11 July 2012 (UTC)
Closure neededThe "it's a fake" claims are part of the normal attack politics expected at this stage of an election cycle. The first reply to Wookian was "is this a general question or are there any specific parts of the article sourced to Obama's book that you have issues with", and that key question has not been addressed. It is time to close this pointless discussion. If someone has something relevant per WP:TPG to add, they should start a new section discussing specific text in the article (text that uses Dreams from My Father as a reliable source), and present a brief statement of why the source is not adequate to verify the text. If not satisfied with the response, rather than pressing some point here (see "placed on article probation" at top of this page), the correct procedure would be to enquire at WP:RSN. Before doing that, prepare for the fact that Wikipedia is not a bureaucracy where a source is evaluated as "reliable" or otherwise—a source is evaluated only against its use to verify a specific claim. Therefore, there should be no discussion of a source without a specific claim in an article—a claim that relies on the source and which can reasonably be doubted (for example, we don't doubt the name of Obama's mother). Johnuniq (talk) 04:41, 12 July 2012 (UTC) The archive reason above is an attempt to shut down what I believe is a legitimate discussion by a person who is apparently uninformed about the conversation, perhaps from not having read through all of it. I am a little new to Wikipedia, so if reverting the archive is a faux pas, please go easy on me. :) First: I did in fact provide a specific example from this article. I did so by giving a google search that also helpfully proved a side observation that Dreams is being used several places in Wikipedia to provide factual content, which answered somebody else's question. The specific one from this article is listed right here in the discussion (perhaps Johnuniq missed it) -- "Barack Obama#Family and personal life, discussion of maternal relations to Jefferson Davis and Native Americans.". And yes, I do suggest that Dreams to be an unreliable source for this detail, not because it is in the memoir genre, but because of what we learn about the drastic extent of Dreams' fictionalization in Maraniss' book. If the author felt free to fictionalize significant parts of the narrative, as Maraniss documents, then there is no reason this part is exempt. One can come up with examples where Dreams seems trustworthy (his mother's name, his birth location), but only because those are facts verifiable from a reliable source. Dreams is a heavy admixture of fiction with autobiography, or as Maraniss puts it, literature with memoir. Second: Despite some editors' inexplicable-to-me implicit trust of Dreams in this conversation, I don't see consensus for Johnuniq's suggestion that Maraniss is some kind of political operative ("the normal attack politics expected at this stage of an election cycle"). In fact, as somebody mentions above, Maraniss is dismayed to think about the hay that Republicans might make (and in fact are making all over the blogosphere and in editorial pages) in regard to his research. Maraniss himself is a journalist for the Washington Post who is simply working here as a fairly NPOV biographer. Wookian (talk) 11:06, 12 July 2012 (UTC)
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Obamas Religion
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Arttcles state that President Obamas religion is not know by 44 precent of Americans and another 8 say he doesnt have any. But only 4 precent say he's Catholic. So is it safe to put nothing, or at least Atheist. http://www.livescience.com/21141-americans-muddled-obama-religion.html — Preceding unsigned comment added by AIARay (talk • contribs) 16:13, 12 July 2012 (UTC)
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Colorado mass shooting
Irrelevant to Obama's life or presidency; this discussion will not lead to improvements in the article; WP:NOTFORUM |
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The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it. |
Please add: "Under Obama administration in 2012, the number of casualties (12 deaths and 58 injuries) makes the Colorado movie theater shooting the largest mass shooting in U.S. history." reference: http://gma.yahoo.com/colorado-batman-movie-shooting-suspect-phd-student-085940589--abc-news-topstories.html — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.131.185.99 (talk) 23:43, 22 July 2012 (UTC)
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New picture of Obama
My proposal is a BW picture of the black Obama: http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/7592316414/in/photostream/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.68.58.196 (talk) 18:24, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
Balance on the bin Laden killing
I think this revert was a mistake and I would like to place it for review here. --John (talk) 22:02, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
- This is a biography about Barack Obama. It is written in summary style, because there is so much information about that man and his life that it is impossible to put everything in a single article. Instead, where additional detail is needed there are sub/daughter articles. In the case of Osama bin Laden's death, the article is (not surprisingly) Death of Osama bin Laden. The specifics are covered in the section Operation Neptune Spear, and it probably makes sense to put the Amnesty International stuff in that section. In fact, Amnesty International's view is already in that article. There simply isn't the space for it here, and it probably violates WP:WEIGHT anyway. I hope this explanation satisfies you. -- Scjessey (talk) 22:10, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
- No, I am afraid it totally doesn't. I am an admin and I enforce NPOV and WEIGHT every day. To omit any of the negative response to this action whatsoever contravenes WP:NPOV. Read what WEIGHT actually says before you quote it, please. --John (talk) 22:17, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
- (after edit conflict) - With all due respect, your status as an administrator has absolutely nothing to do with your knowledge/understanding of Wikipedia policy. I'm also an experienced editor with an intimate knowledge of WP:NPOV, but I've never chosen to seek the tools necessary to perform administrative actions. The Amnesty International view does not represent a significant viewpoint with respect to this article, having received little coverage in the mainstream media compared to other aspects of Obama's biography. -- Scjessey (talk) 22:38, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
- Well, it seems we disagree. Let's see what other editors think. --John (talk) 23:04, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
- (after edit conflict) - With all due respect, your status as an administrator has absolutely nothing to do with your knowledge/understanding of Wikipedia policy. I'm also an experienced editor with an intimate knowledge of WP:NPOV, but I've never chosen to seek the tools necessary to perform administrative actions. The Amnesty International view does not represent a significant viewpoint with respect to this article, having received little coverage in the mainstream media compared to other aspects of Obama's biography. -- Scjessey (talk) 22:38, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
- No, I am afraid it totally doesn't. I am an admin and I enforce NPOV and WEIGHT every day. To omit any of the negative response to this action whatsoever contravenes WP:NPOV. Read what WEIGHT actually says before you quote it, please. --John (talk) 22:17, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
- "Balance" is not a valid editing criterion. That, combined with an NPOV assertion, is by definition a POV edit. If the legal / ethical objections to Bin Laden's killing are a noteworthy biographical event in the life and career of Obama (and sourced to be so), the subject of this article, then they are noteworthy and deserving of inclusion. If not, no. Whether that is critical or supportive of the President is neither here nor there, POV does not enter into the question. At any event, the claim isn't reliably sourced. "X objects to Y" [cite x] is not reliable sourcing, it's using the thing itself to source its own content, in other words primary sourcing. That doesn't establish weight or relevance at all. If you want to source that Amnesty International has an objection and establish that there is any weight to it, you have to find third party sources that cover Amnesty International's opinion and start from there. - Wikidemon (talk) 23:39, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
- Hmm. Well, there were more than Amnesty who criticised the killing. Here are a few, fairly easily found sources.
- Guardian
- Noam Chomsky refers to it as murder
- BBC; Benjamin Ferencz says it was a crime
- Telegraph coverage of the Amnesty report
- Pakistani take on Amnesty report
- Indian take on it
--John (talk) 23:44, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
- The issue is this edit which added the following at the end of Barack Obama#Osama bin Laden:
Text like that is not suitable here as the matter is properly covered in the linked Death of Osama bin Laden (and reactions at Reactions to the death of Osama bin Laden). There are mountains of text that could be in this article, but what should be here is a plain statement of the facts. The article does not puff up Obama's role—it just states the plain facts, leaving nuances, talking points, and opinions to the main article. Please do not add tags to a featured article watched by many editors to express dissatisfaction with a standard BRD event. Instead, explain why there is a need to check the section for neutrality: what existing text is not neutral? what significant view must be stated? Should there be mention of opinions held by OBL's supporters? What about those of the Pakistani government? There is no way to neutrally sum up views in this biography. Johnuniq (talk) 23:53, 26 July 2012 (UTC)Legal and ethical aspects of the killing, such as his not being taken alive despite being unarmed, were questioned by others, including Amnesty International."Questions around operation against Osama bin Laden". Retrieved May 6, 2011.
- (after multiple ec) The BBC is such a third party reliable source (the other two are opinion pieces - note: this is after an EC and I only had a chance to review the first 3 sources'). My hunch is that this is indeed easy to find and a significant enough matter to cover. I don't think you're being POV to propose this, just that "balance" is not really a great description of what we're trying to do. Something like "completeness" is a more neutral way to think of it. Keeping in mind that almost every significant event about Obama is covered in thousands to tens of thousands of articles, do we have the sense that the legal / ethical objections to the killing are treated by the sources as an important matter? Not that this is the standard, but if you read a hundred neutral accounts of the incident from different sources, would more than one or two mention this? Again, my hunch is yes. - Wikidemon (talk) 23:55, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
- (comment re. Johnuniq) I generally agree. The issue here is that the article already contains a long sentence beginning "Reaction to the announcement was positive..." If we're going to describe the reaction, and there is a significant negative reaction in addition to a significant positive reaction, we ought to do this in a complete way and not just cover part of the issue. - Wikidemon (talk) 23:59, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
- Completeness is a perfectly acceptable term to describe what we should be looking for here. It is not acceptable especially on a featured article on a politician, to omit significant criticism by a human rights organisation which was widely reported in the world's press, and only to report the positive reaction. There was both, and our article must reflect this. --John (talk) 00:06, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- I agree with you, John. This is the hard part of wikipedia. There is a big fight on politician's article for every edit to get accepted. Especially on this article, it is totally white washed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.68.58.196 (talk) 01:06, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- See, that's the exact problem, people who want to add material that reflects poorly on Obama because they feel the article needs to be intentionally biased towards a more negative POV. There are accusations of whitewashing, being paid editors, and lots of other nonsense simply because the article does not give enough attention to Obama's opposition. - Wikidemon (talk) 03:46, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- I agree with you, John. This is the hard part of wikipedia. There is a big fight on politician's article for every edit to get accepted. Especially on this article, it is totally white washed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.68.58.196 (talk) 01:06, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- Completeness is a perfectly acceptable term to describe what we should be looking for here. It is not acceptable especially on a featured article on a politician, to omit significant criticism by a human rights organisation which was widely reported in the world's press, and only to report the positive reaction. There was both, and our article must reflect this. --John (talk) 00:06, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- (comment re. Johnuniq) I generally agree. The issue here is that the article already contains a long sentence beginning "Reaction to the announcement was positive..." If we're going to describe the reaction, and there is a significant negative reaction in addition to a significant positive reaction, we ought to do this in a complete way and not just cover part of the issue. - Wikidemon (talk) 23:59, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
- (after multiple ec) The BBC is such a third party reliable source (the other two are opinion pieces - note: this is after an EC and I only had a chance to review the first 3 sources'). My hunch is that this is indeed easy to find and a significant enough matter to cover. I don't think you're being POV to propose this, just that "balance" is not really a great description of what we're trying to do. Something like "completeness" is a more neutral way to think of it. Keeping in mind that almost every significant event about Obama is covered in thousands to tens of thousands of articles, do we have the sense that the legal / ethical objections to the killing are treated by the sources as an important matter? Not that this is the standard, but if you read a hundred neutral accounts of the incident from different sources, would more than one or two mention this? Again, my hunch is yes. - Wikidemon (talk) 23:55, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
(outdent) My quick opinion is that if we are describing the reaction, then we must include a good summary. This would include the easily sourceable criticisms. Arkon (talk) 02:02, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- While I don't have much of an opinion about this particular issue (bin Laden being killed instead of taken alive), given that this is a section about foreign policy, it seems to me that the violating Pakistan's sovereignty is a far more serious issue, and one that has actually had an impact on US relations with another country. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 02:51, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- There are various people and nations who support, and oppose, any action of the US. Maybe we should drop the entire reaction material, otherwise we're getting into an "Obama woke up in the morning. Democrats approved, Republicans cried foul, Noam Chomsky argued that there are oppressed people living under American hegemony who did not even get up in the morning." - Wikidemon (talk) 03:46, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- I could personally support dropping it all, but would have to agree that it's not complete as it stands. Arkon (talk) 05:23, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- Amnesty International's descent into the fringe, as exemplified by this opinion, should not be included. I would suggest that if concerns were to be included, it would be far more appropriate to include mainstream Republican criticism about intel leaks in the wake of the operation.William Jockusch (talk) 10:58, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- The discussion got off to a bad start because this page is continually hit with people wanting to add negative material (haven't noticed any positive puffery for a while), and there was no explanation for the proposal. However, now that I've absorbed the point, it seems that while the last 100 similar attempts were misguided, this one is perfectly valid. The explanation is that the OBL section mentions the "positive across party lines" reaction, which is perfectly true, but which may suggest that everything was apple pie, which is not true. The solution is to either omit the "positive" comment (although that is a valid summary of what happened in many places), or mention that there were other views. The suggestion that "mainstream Republican criticism" should be included is exactly not appropriate as this biography is not the place to argue who is the best candidate. I recommend that John's text be restored unless someone has a good alternative. Any "balance" needs to reflect DUE opinions on Obama, and be a good fit for a biography. Johnuniq (talk) 12:54, 27 July 2012
- Amnesty International's descent into the fringe, as exemplified by this opinion, should not be included. I would suggest that if concerns were to be included, it would be far more appropriate to include mainstream Republican criticism about intel leaks in the wake of the operation.William Jockusch (talk) 10:58, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- I could personally support dropping it all, but would have to agree that it's not complete as it stands. Arkon (talk) 05:23, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- There are various people and nations who support, and oppose, any action of the US. Maybe we should drop the entire reaction material, otherwise we're getting into an "Obama woke up in the morning. Democrats approved, Republicans cried foul, Noam Chomsky argued that there are oppressed people living under American hegemony who did not even get up in the morning." - Wikidemon (talk) 03:46, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
I think the controversy over whether OBL should have been taken alive or dead deserves a few sentences.MONGO 14:02, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- Can we get some sourcing that there is a bona fide controversy of significant proportions, and that this is relevant to Obama? We have sourcing that Amnesty International thinks so but no sourcing that this matters. Everyone has an opinion on everything the President does, that's too low a threshold. Without going through them all, google hits aren't conclusive, but as a start there are 13 news archive articles that mention Amnesty International in connection with the event[4] out of a total of 9,200.[5] Their particular opinion does not seem to matter much. Is there an indication that the sources mention this opposition in connection with a broad survey of the event? This article is a broad survey of Obama's life so an international legal / academic criticism of one particular act as head of state would have to be pretty important to be part of the telling of that life story. - Wikidemon (talk) 14:29, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- Frankly, I'm pretty ambivalent about this issue. I used to think of AI as needed protection from abusive Governments, but believe they have meandered into fringe territory the last decade or so. I'm sure some editors would like to add the AI indictment of George W. Bush for war crimes into the main Bush BLP(I hope it's not there, and don't think it belongs), but I believe the group is now a fringe entity that has greatly lowered it's international respect. I suppose if a neutral sentence is added with reliable secondary sourcing, it would be acceptable. Although I think it leads us down a bad road regarding living persons articles. Who will they indict next? Who will they accuse of war crimes? Those are serious allegations that should be carefully examined for credibility. Thanks. Dave Dial (talk) 15:12, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- I don't see AI as fringe. Rather, various western governments have badly lost their course - see extraordinary rendition, Camp X-Ray, "Enhanced interrogation techniques". AI has criticized torture and unjust imprisonment when it was primarily done by third world dictators, and it continues to do so now. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 15:56, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- No, the material should not be included, and this is not a close question. I find it remarkable that fringey criticism from the left is getting a serious hearing, while mainstream criticism from both parties that the White House is leaking intel is not under consideration for inclusion. [6][7][8][9]William Jockusch (talk) 16:03, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- I wouldn't describe the Amnesty International stuff as "fringey criticism from the left" at all. I'm pretty sure the Right and the Left are in unanimous agreement that killing Osama bin Laden was a double-plus good. I agree with Dave Dial in that Amnesty International has wandered off the path of the mainstream recently. -- Scjessey (talk) 17:57, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- OK, fringey from the formerly-repsected organization Amnesty International . . . William Jockusch (talk) 21:24, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
- I wouldn't describe the Amnesty International stuff as "fringey criticism from the left" at all. I'm pretty sure the Right and the Left are in unanimous agreement that killing Osama bin Laden was a double-plus good. I agree with Dave Dial in that Amnesty International has wandered off the path of the mainstream recently. -- Scjessey (talk) 17:57, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- No, the material should not be included, and this is not a close question. I find it remarkable that fringey criticism from the left is getting a serious hearing, while mainstream criticism from both parties that the White House is leaking intel is not under consideration for inclusion. [6][7][8][9]William Jockusch (talk) 16:03, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- I don't see AI as fringe. Rather, various western governments have badly lost their course - see extraordinary rendition, Camp X-Ray, "Enhanced interrogation techniques". AI has criticized torture and unjust imprisonment when it was primarily done by third world dictators, and it continues to do so now. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 15:56, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- Frankly, I'm pretty ambivalent about this issue. I used to think of AI as needed protection from abusive Governments, but believe they have meandered into fringe territory the last decade or so. I'm sure some editors would like to add the AI indictment of George W. Bush for war crimes into the main Bush BLP(I hope it's not there, and don't think it belongs), but I believe the group is now a fringe entity that has greatly lowered it's international respect. I suppose if a neutral sentence is added with reliable secondary sourcing, it would be acceptable. Although I think it leads us down a bad road regarding living persons articles. Who will they indict next? Who will they accuse of war crimes? Those are serious allegations that should be carefully examined for credibility. Thanks. Dave Dial (talk) 15:12, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- I think we currently have consensus here that the material I added should be restored; it is well-referenced and proportionate. I find it disappointing that on an article under probation we seem to have editors who will tag-team to edit-war material they just do not like out of the article. Where do we go next; RfC, FAR or AN/I? Let's think hard. --John (talk) 17:38, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- What consensus? I see the complete opposite. It would grossly violate WP:WEIGHT, as previously discussed. The matter has no significant impact on Obama's life, which this article describes. It probably has no impact at all, in fact. Also, the edit history shows that it is you who has chosen the path of edit warring. -- Scjessey (talk) 17:49, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- John -- wanting to see a consensus is not the same as actually seeing one.— Preceding unsigned comment added by 140.177.205.223 (talk • contribs)
- Obviously no consensus at this point. There's a reasonable chance of building consensus for this content proposal or something like it with some more discussion, focusing the content, and sourcing. To do that we're really going to have to work on collaboration skills and not making threats, accusing editors of tag teaming, etc. That will go nowhere fast, so anyone who wants to go somewhere with this ought to focus on gaining consensus for a content change. - Wikidemon (talk) 22:40, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- WP:NPOV is a pillar of our project and cannot be held hostage to political considerations as it seems at the moment to be. It disgusts me to see a clique of editors here pissing on it. Collaboration? I don't see it; instead I see stonewalling, fear of change, and people making excuses when good sources have been provided. Sorry if I sound negative but that is really how it looks to me as an editor trying in good faith to improve this rather weak article. --John (talk) 23:42, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- There's good sourcing that Amnesty International launched some accusations of crimes but not that it's significant and relevant to the subject of this article. I don't see any new content argument in there so there's nothing to further consider just yet. - Wikidemon (talk) 01:35, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- There's good sourcing that a respected international body accused the subject of the article of serious crimes, and that this was picked up and covered by respected press organisations, yet it is your contention that this is not significant or relevant to the subject of the article. So this section (and I realise now that this is just one example of many in the article) only contains bland positive reaction, with no hint of the controversy and criticism which surrounded the event in the real world. This is what I mean by stonewalling, and this (I imagine) is how the article has come to be so poor. It honestly reads like a puff-piece written by one of his staff at the moment. --John (talk) 09:39, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- Do you mean Obama fanboys writing campaign literature? We have a history of those accusations here, and that didn't end up too well.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Please see FAQ #6-9, above. - Wikidemon (talk) 12:50, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- Yawn. More stonewalling. --John (talk) 13:35, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- Do you think that accusation is going to encourage constructive discussion or win me or anyone else to your position? - Wikidemon (talk) 13:45, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- Do you think that meeting every suggestion for improvement with an ad hominem has led, or will lead, to this article being of a high standard? Honestly? --John (talk) 13:49, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- I wouldn't know about that. Are you proposing some constructive discussion there? - Wikidemon (talk) 14:03, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- Do you think that meeting every suggestion for improvement with an ad hominem has led, or will lead, to this article being of a high standard? Honestly? --John (talk) 13:49, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- Do you think that accusation is going to encourage constructive discussion or win me or anyone else to your position? - Wikidemon (talk) 13:45, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- Yawn. More stonewalling. --John (talk) 13:35, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- Do you mean Obama fanboys writing campaign literature? We have a history of those accusations here, and that didn't end up too well.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Please see FAQ #6-9, above. - Wikidemon (talk) 12:50, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- There's good sourcing that a respected international body accused the subject of the article of serious crimes, and that this was picked up and covered by respected press organisations, yet it is your contention that this is not significant or relevant to the subject of the article. So this section (and I realise now that this is just one example of many in the article) only contains bland positive reaction, with no hint of the controversy and criticism which surrounded the event in the real world. This is what I mean by stonewalling, and this (I imagine) is how the article has come to be so poor. It honestly reads like a puff-piece written by one of his staff at the moment. --John (talk) 09:39, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- There's good sourcing that Amnesty International launched some accusations of crimes but not that it's significant and relevant to the subject of this article. I don't see any new content argument in there so there's nothing to further consider just yet. - Wikidemon (talk) 01:35, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- WP:NPOV is a pillar of our project and cannot be held hostage to political considerations as it seems at the moment to be. It disgusts me to see a clique of editors here pissing on it. Collaboration? I don't see it; instead I see stonewalling, fear of change, and people making excuses when good sources have been provided. Sorry if I sound negative but that is really how it looks to me as an editor trying in good faith to improve this rather weak article. --John (talk) 23:42, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- Obviously no consensus at this point. There's a reasonable chance of building consensus for this content proposal or something like it with some more discussion, focusing the content, and sourcing. To do that we're really going to have to work on collaboration skills and not making threats, accusing editors of tag teaming, etc. That will go nowhere fast, so anyone who wants to go somewhere with this ought to focus on gaining consensus for a content change. - Wikidemon (talk) 22:40, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- John -- wanting to see a consensus is not the same as actually seeing one.— Preceding unsigned comment added by 140.177.205.223 (talk • contribs)
- What consensus? I see the complete opposite. It would grossly violate WP:WEIGHT, as previously discussed. The matter has no significant impact on Obama's life, which this article describes. It probably has no impact at all, in fact. Also, the edit history shows that it is you who has chosen the path of edit warring. -- Scjessey (talk) 17:49, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
This whole thing is insane. If you were to list the top 100 things about Barack Obama's life, Amnesty International's opinion of the death of Osama bin Laden would not be in it. We don't even have room for the top 50 things, let alone the top 100. I see no possible way John can win a consensus to include this non thing so I support the close that was earlier proposed below. -- Scjessey (talk) 18:45, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- I'd agree. However we if were to list the top 5 things about what the section is referring to (the killing of Bin Laden), this would probably fit. Arkon (talk) 22:29, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- I'm of the opinion that the AI opinion about the Bin Laden killing is too many steps away to include in a biography about Obama. Put it in the article about the killing, but not here. It is out of place and I believe UNDUE is correct. Shadowjams (talk) 00:51, 3 August 2012 (UTC)
Propose to close
I just noticed this piece of nastiness.[17] I don't think there's anymore to talk about here. Propose to close as rejected / no consensus. No further discussion is worthwhile unless proposing editor can be civil and collaborative about this. - Wikidemon (talk) 06:08, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- Not yet. Sorry if honesty offends you. Practice what you preach. --John (talk) 09:39, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- I wasn't soliciting your opinion but I'll strike the proposal. Someone will close this discussion or it will auto-archive soon enough. If you want to build consensus around a proposal next time, "if you disagree with me you're a bunch of finks" is not going to win the argument. - Wikidemon (talk) 12:50, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
"POV pushing"
The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.
A user has seen fit to accuse me of POV pushing over a rather mild recent edit [18]. Furthermore, that user chose to revert the entire edit over an issue with one portion of it. Such actions and accusations do not promote a civil discussion. As the user refused to self revert in response to a request on his talk page, I am repeating the request here.William Jockusch (talk) 22:37, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
- No. The article will not reflect the Republican talking point that "Obamacare" is a tax. This has already been discussed, language worked out, consensus established and edit made. Now you come in (as you have many times before) and try to change it to match the Republican POV. What else would you call it, if not POV pushing? -- Scjessey (talk) 22:43, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
- Let's stick to the question of article content please. Was there a prior discussion on that and can you point to it? Is it worth discussing again now? - Wikidemon (talk) 23:05, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
- No, there was not a prior discussion of the content that I am aware of. [I did take a break from this article, and it sounds like there was one while I was away]. The quick accusation simply rankles. The edit changed two things -- one intentional; one not, but I actually believe the second one was correct as well. First of all, I added the commerce clause portion of the Court's decision to the article. The is justified as it was widely mentioned in press coverage of the decision. It is additionally significant as it is the Court has not found any limitations on the Commerce power in a long time. I must say I am surprised that there is any dispute about the significance of this. The second change, which I didn't even intend to make at the time, but appears 100% correct in retrospect, was that I removed the false claim that the Court found that "any penalty could be imposed". As for the wording between "as a tax" [mine] or "under . . . taxing authority" [previous], I couldn't care less; both are 100% accurate.
- I will add that I would like to stick to content, but as evidenced above, I make a single change which removes factually false information and adds factually true information, and I am accused of "pushing"; the accusation has now been made a total of three times! I am sure that the accuser believes in good faith that the accusation is true. However, such accusations, even though the accuser is clearly sincere in the belief that they are true, do not promote rational discussion and therefore must be confronted. The human thing to do at this point would be to admit error, offer an apology, and promise to have more caution about making such accusations in the future.William Jockusch (talk) 00:57, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- Your version is not "100% accurate". Your version features the often-repeated Republican talking point that "Obamacare" is a tax. There is a big difference between a tax, and assessing a penalty under the taxing authority. If you are self employed and fail to file your quarterly returns, you are assessed a penalty under the taxing authority; however, nobody calls that a tax. The penalty assessed by the taxing authority for failure to get health insurance is identical in function. Not a tax (see Forbes for explanation). -- Scjessey (talk) 16:54, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- Really, this is most disappointing. Regardless of whether or not we agree with another person's politics, it is polite to apologize when one makes an accusation that turns out to be false. Instead, it appears that a user is intent on finding a different fault. Such actions try one's assumption of good faith.William Jockusch (talk) 19:09, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- The accusation is not false. You've frequently found yourself on the receiving end of such accusations from many different editors, so what does that tell you? We're getting tired of it. Now as my previous comment notes, you are wrong about this tax thing. If you propose text on this talk page and seek consensus instead of just sticking it in to the article, you will not find yourself in this position. -- Scjessey (talk) 19:15, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- Really, this is most disappointing. Regardless of whether or not we agree with another person's politics, it is polite to apologize when one makes an accusation that turns out to be false. Instead, it appears that a user is intent on finding a different fault. Such actions try one's assumption of good faith.William Jockusch (talk) 19:09, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- Your version is not "100% accurate". Your version features the often-repeated Republican talking point that "Obamacare" is a tax. There is a big difference between a tax, and assessing a penalty under the taxing authority. If you are self employed and fail to file your quarterly returns, you are assessed a penalty under the taxing authority; however, nobody calls that a tax. The penalty assessed by the taxing authority for failure to get health insurance is identical in function. Not a tax (see Forbes for explanation). -- Scjessey (talk) 16:54, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- Let's stick to the question of article content please. Was there a prior discussion on that and can you point to it? Is it worth discussing again now? - Wikidemon (talk) 23:05, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
Time for a Featured Article Review?
It is time to put this baby to bed. The Featured Article Review process is not to be used or abused because one does not like certain things in an article, those are issues that we handle via normal, simple editing procedures. FAR is to identify and correct major deficiencies in a Featured Article that call into question it still being an FA at all. This ain't that, time to move on. Tarc (talk) 01:11, 2 August 2012 (UTC) | ||||||
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The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it. | ||||||
If people believe that a review would be beneficial, I see no problem with the timing. Arkon (talk) 18:46, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
← I totally agree with Scjessey about the timing. Things got so bad here leading up to the 2008 election that we had to go to ArbCom, leading to article probation with strict behavioral guidelines. There was a great deal of disruption and Arkon, quite to the contrary, those things were not at all easily or quickly handled. I believe that doing a FAR now will certainly destabilize this article. So close to the election a FAR could be used as a political tactic - I'm not saying that the suggestion in itself is a political tactic, but I believe it can be used as such. I am saying that FAR in good times can be difficult, and doing it when a huge amount of attention will no doubt be on it is a prescription for chaos. When things settle down, a FAR would be fine. Right now, I strongly oppose it. (And I would similarly oppose such a review for Mitt Romney's GA status now.) Tvoz/talk 22:07, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
As a general comment: Seriously? This is the wiki page for the President of the United States of America. You think a FA review will be overwhelmed? Again, seriously? How many people have this page watchlisted again? I can't accept that as a reason. If you think it would result in some of you going to arbcom, take your bruises if you did something wrong, but try not to. I'm trying to keep it from going there. If your reasoning is best, you'll gain consensus, the end. Arkon (talk) 22:20, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
The best time to evaluate and improve an article is now. Someone mentioned timing of the election. If one is campaigning, timing is important. For Wikipedia, the best time to improve and evaluate an article is now. Also wanting to evaluate an article is not a vote for Romney as Wikipedia is not your local polling station. I am for a FA review and I voted for President Obama. Evergreenme (talk) 03:59, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
I've looked over the comments for and against. Someone called it FAR so I will. The comments against FAR should be looked at the closest since these people are against the normal process. The timing is mentioned but there is the rest of the summer and early fall to have the FAR so that it will be ready for the election, if that is the goal. Otherwise, Wikipedia isn't supposed to be an election advertisement, I think, so some may say timing should be ignored. The other point raised was that FAR destabilizes the article. However, FAR improves the article so by saying this, one is proposing a bad article that doesn't change. This logic is certainly wrong. As a result, I conclude that the FAR should start but there be caution to identify fuckwit comments. Evergreenme (talk) 21:09, 30 July 2012 (UTC) FAR is badly needed as article is terribly unbalanced.William Jockusch (talk) 01:45, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
(undent) Comment from a FAR delegate here, solely on technical aspects, feel free to ignore as you wish: As per the FAR instructions, this talk page step is designed to be a time when "concerned editors attempt to directly resolve issues with the existing community of article editors, and to informally improve the article.". I see none of that here. Instead, I see several people going "the article sucks" with no examples. I see comments about the prose, with no examples. I see comments about the neutrality, with no examples. FAR is not about summarily delisting articles, it is about improving them if necessary. The talk page step is designed to be a step in which the article can be improved to the point that it doesn't need to go to FAR. There are obviously several editors willing to work on the article, so why not give them the information that you would at a FAR, so they can work on the article? You will be expected to provide specific examples of problems at FAR - generalities and broad sweeps with no specific examples will get you nowhere. Also, content disputes between two groups of editors are not FAR territory - take those to one of the dispute resolution noticeboards, or possibly ArbCom, since the article has already been there once. If everyone says an article is non-neutral, that's FAR territory, if some say it's neutral and some say it isn't, that's ArbCom territory. Again, this step is designed for article improvement and discussion, not for broad sweeping statements that then are not expanded upon when other editors say that they feel a FAR is unwarranted. Dana boomer (talk) 18:07, 31 July 2012 (UTC) Ideas for improvementOK, here are some areas that should be changed for balance:
-- William Jockusch (talk) 21:07, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
Start FARStarting a FAR is a good idea. What is the first step to starting a FAR? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.2.65.60 (talk) 15:24, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
Yes I have already read that and many disagree with it. There is no consensus. Vandals can be reverted and as long as partisan editors follow the policies, I welcome them. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.2.65.60 (talk) 16:25, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
FAR is the way to go, Look at the Israel section...suggestionsDana, the FAR delegate, suggests that FAR should be done when there is consensus to have it. SCJessey admits that practically everyone wants it, it's just timing. My response to Dana is that there is more cooperation to article improvement if there is a FAR because suggestions are shot down if there is no FAR. The excuse can be that "it's a FA so don't change it" to just being ignored and edits removed. Look at even this talk page. I put an edit and quoted an IP user from another country and someone removed them. THIS COULD BE VANDALISM. |
Discussion of improving Israel section
So, as a test, here is my suggestion. Totally revamp the Israel foreign policy section. The current version looks like a cheerleading section, trying to make the reader think he should vote for Obama because Obama is for Israel. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not Obama's ad agency. The current section covers the following: 1. increased military cooperation with Israel, (even though the reference used actually starts out saying relations with Israel is choppy) 2. In 2011, the United States vetoed a Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements, with the United States being the only nation to do so.[230] 3.Obama supports the two-state solution to the Arab–Israeli conflict based on the 1967 borders with land swaps.[231
If we try to summary 4-5 facts in a revised section, it may be:
- 1. Obama's relation with Israel is choppy. The relationship with Netanyahu is poor.
- 1a. Obama even told Sarkozy of France that he has to deal with him everyday. (quote was even worse)
- 2. Obama was for a 2 state solution but Palestineans were outraged when he did nothing to stop settlements (UN security council resolution)
- 3. Obama was opposed to Israeli talk of war with Iran.
- 4. (optional) there is steadily increasing military cooperation. OTOH, it's not that much greater so it may be biased to tout it too much if the section is short.
- 5. (possible) Obama has never visited Israel as President. CNN mentioned this.
- 6. (possible) Obama refused to pardon Pollard, the Israeli spy, despite pleas from the Israeli government.
#1 is the most important point. Evergreenme (talk) 23:19, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
- You need sources for these claims, most of which are gross distortions. Comment - it saddens me that presidential nominees have to suck up to a belligerent, non-compromising nation with dubious land claims just to win a few votes. -- Scjessey (talk) 23:35, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
- (edit conflict) :Thanks for getting the ball rolling. Here are some thoughts: #1 - Agreed, there has been some friction, which we should mention as an introduction to some of the details. I'm not familiar enough with the situation and would have to see sourcing to see just how choppy things are, whether Netanyahu is particularly alienated, and whether that's mutual. I doubt the quote about Sarkozy is itself so significant or informative that it actually adds much to the observation. We should also put this in perspective that US is Israel's closest ally and Israel is the closest ally to the US in the region. I think #2 is already in the article, both parts in separate places without a "but". Connectors like "despite", "but", and "however" can hide sneaky introductions of opinion. #3 is very important, the US position (and likely behind-the-scenes work) on Israel and Iran is significant, particularly if there is a strike, war, backdown by Iran, actual development of nukes by Iran, etc., that arises. There was a very informative long article about this earlier in the year, predicting a likelihood of imminent war before the US election - probably not at this point, but some details in the article are probably relevant. #4 is already in the article, but I think it has too much prominence (half of the entire section) - I've boldly cut it down a bit. #5 and #6 not so much, every President has places he hasn't visited. We could fill 100 articles with things Obama has _not_ done. Nobody has pardoned Pollard, this has been a sore point through several administrations. More broadly, Israel and other allies occasionally do conduct espionage in the US and the US continues to go after spies from allied countries. I thought I just read about a new case. Very interesting stuff, but probably not at the level of being biographically relevant to Obama - more apt in a specialized article about foreign relations. There may be a few other things to add, though I'm not sure. Any other US involvement in Israel / Palestine relations, changing relationship with Egypt following the Arab Spring, Syria and Lebanon? Perhaps we should retitle and broaden the section to read "Israel and the Middle East" (but not so wide as to overlap with the sections about Afghan, Libya, and Iraq). Just a side note, it's not helpful to talk about campaign promotion, bias, or disputes among editors, because when people focus on that it's harder for them to get their head around to the content. Thanks again, and cheers. - Wikidemon (talk) 23:45, 1 August 2012 (UTC) (after edit conflict, respond to SCJessey) Of course everything would need to be backed up by sources. I don't think we have to editorialize about why there is a land conflict with Palestine or who is at fault or intransigent. I seriously thought your comment was blaming Palestine, no joke! You could say the same of both sides probably. The fact is there is a conflict, and the US has taken a role. Vetoing the Security Council resolution, for good or ill, is a major step that surely reflects the will of the Administration. - Wikidemon (talk) 23:45, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
- Agree with #1. There was a "dinner snub" story back in 2010, though parts of it were disputed, and I'm not sure what can be clearly established as being true. [21][22] Certainly this suggests a choppy relationship, to say the least. Plenty of people are convinced that O. and N. hate each other, [23] [24], though the two of them deny it [25]. And it is indisputable that there was plenty of anger in Israel at Obama's treatment of Mubarak [26][27] #6 is not particularly telling, for the reasons Demon mentioned. #5 I am ambivalent on whether it is significant or not. If prior presidents visited frequently, it is significant; if not, not so much. About #3 -- this appears to be significant [28]. William Jockusch (talk) 20:46, 3 August 2012 (UTC)
- None of which has really much to do with this article, and is perhaps better suited for one of the presidency or foreign policy sub-articles. Tarc (talk) 21:35, 3 August 2012 (UTC)
- Agree with #1. There was a "dinner snub" story back in 2010, though parts of it were disputed, and I'm not sure what can be clearly established as being true. [21][22] Certainly this suggests a choppy relationship, to say the least. Plenty of people are convinced that O. and N. hate each other, [23] [24], though the two of them deny it [25]. And it is indisputable that there was plenty of anger in Israel at Obama's treatment of Mubarak [26][27] #6 is not particularly telling, for the reasons Demon mentioned. #5 I am ambivalent on whether it is significant or not. If prior presidents visited frequently, it is significant; if not, not so much. About #3 -- this appears to be significant [28]. William Jockusch (talk) 20:46, 3 August 2012 (UTC)
War in Afghanistan
This needs updated; did troop withdrawals begin on time in May 2011, or not? Having the statement sitting there in July 2012 looks poor. --John (talk) 23:56, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- Then maybe instead of posting this comment saying the info/section looks poor. Why not you take the time to look it up and add/fix the information. Just posting this comment here is in poor taste and shows a certain laziness. 74.79.34.29 (talk) 01:38, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- I agree that it would be helpful to come up with some suggestions, Mister IP-editor. But there's nothing wrong with bringing up a matter and asking the community to participate. John is 100% right that this section is stale, so can we update it? - Wikidemon (talk) 05:14, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
The war in Afghanistan has two or three major components. That Obama ordered a surge and now is trying to withdraw. Whether he is negotiating with the Taliban is far less important unless the section is long and detailed. Evergreenme (talk) 04:09, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
Dog-gate is important to include
The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.
This is relevant to his bio (Obama and Romney). I added it with 4 references from top notch news sources, including a mention that it is important. To be fair, I also added a similar comment about a similar dog issue to the other candidate's bio.
It is very easy for political supporters to be upset and want it censored. However, it is clearly a big development in the campaign and, therefore, the bio.
Background: Obama ate dog meat and admitted it in his own book. Romney put his dog on a specially made carrier, not inside the car. Evergreenme (talk) 23:25, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- In both cases it's irrelevant political mud dredged up by political opponents. Please don't clutter up this great global encyclopaedia with political trivia which has only surfaced because of an American election campaign. HiLo48 (talk) 23:30, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- Not appropriate for either article. You are a new account, make suggestions here first. Arkon (talk) 23:31, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- OK, I'll make suggestions first. It is appropriate because it is a fact (referenced by Obama), it is noted by others (many references available, four noted here), and it is important to Obama, much more important that some of the facts about his administration, which is not always about the man. I admit it is not as important as listing his birthdate or that he is president, but is more important than his August 2006 visit to Kenya to see his hometown (section: Chicago Community Organizer) or that Hillary Clinton endorsed Obama (this is standard practice and the date she did it makes no difference).
- Try to make a convincing argument that these two facts are MORE important that an intersting fact about Obama's lifestyle and dietary habits in Indonesia. The dog meat issue was covered far more than his 2006 visit to Kenya or Clinton's endorsement. Evergreenme (talk) 23:43, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
Trying to close a discussion just shows bias as Seb just did.
The bottom line is that this dog fact is NOT a big part of Obama's life. If there is a short article, I agree that it should NOT be in the article. However, as the article becomes long and detailed, then facts of this sort become more important.
One way to objectively decide is not to say "if I am for Obama, I want only positive things and if I am against Obama, I want only negative things." Rather, it is to say "what is the most important things of his life?" If there are other trivial facts, then consider whether the dog fact is equal or more important. If equal or more important, then it should either be included or other less important facts deleted from the article.
My opinion is that this is a slightly relevant issue if his book is mentioned and details of the book mentioned (after the fact that his father was Kenyan). It is certainly MORE important than a mention of a 2006 trip to his father's home town, a very trivial fact that is included in the article. Evergreenme (talk) 04:07, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
Summary needs footnotes
As found on Mitt Romney's page, this page requires footnotes in the summary in order to meet Wikipedia's verifiability standard. Please include these footnotes even if present elsewhere in the article, in order to allow verifiability without the need to search through the article. Viridium (talk) 13:45, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
Per WP:LEADCITE, this is unnecessary. Tag removed. Tarc (talk) 14:02, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
Mr. Obama and religion
I've NPOV-ed this segment, and it needs watching over. There was a link to 'black liberation theology' a page that contains false, thinly disguised America-hatred overtones, suggesting Islamists are practitioners. On Mr. Obama's page, this is an inaccurate and incendiary link.
In addition, dog-eating is a non-topic, as cultures around the world dine on cats, dogs, horses, snakes, possums, armadillos, goats, bunny rabbits, and guinea pigs. An Introduction to Anthropology course is recommended for anyone who thinks dog-eating rises to the level of a topic that is appropriate. KSRolph (talk) 19:26, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
- Fix the 'black liberation theology' page if it has inaccurate information. That's not a reason to remove it from this article, when it is factually correct. Arkon (talk) 22:10, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
- I have to ask, why is it biographically necessary to link to the black liberation theology article? Do we routinely link to the theology of the churches attended by other individuals in BLPs? I endorse KSRolph's edit. -- Scjessey (talk) 22:58, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
- I'd personally liken it to any specific church that a public person has gone to with, say, catholic churches. JFK etc. And honestly, is a church name sufficient in any way by itself in a biography? The point is information, which the theology then provides. Arkon (talk) 23:16, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
- In that case, "Protestant" is the correct explanation, not "black liberation theology". My nose is catching the faint whiff of racism about this. -- Scjessey (talk) 23:48, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
- On first review I think it's relevant. Even if that article isn't a great one, it does give some additional background that's relevant to the church and informative to the reader. The article clearly says that the movement exists both in Christian and Islamic groups. Granting that there's a tinge of racism in some people's reaction to certain facts about Obama, that shouldn't affect us either way in covering those facts. - Wikidemon (talk) 01:41, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
- Agreed, "Protestant" doesn't begin to give the full picture. As someone who was raised in a 'Southern Baptist' church, I appreciate the differentials. Arkon (talk) 01:57, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
- One big question, though, is whether the "black liberation" descriptor is a salient and defining characteristic of the church. Reading the article about the church, it appears no. The main things in the lede are that it's an African-American Church, that it's in Chicago's South Side, that it's part of the United Church of Christ, and that it's early history involved the Civil Rights Movement. So perhaps labeling it a BLC may be something of a WP:COATRACK. - Wikidemon (talk) 03:19, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
- "Christianity" is too broad. The Infobox should identify the branch of Christianity of which Obama is a follower/member. SMP0328. (talk) 04:25, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
- It would be nice. But he has deaffiliated himself from the UCC because of the Wright issue, and the best sources we have (I admit I haven't looked for updated ones in quite a while) say he primarily attends a non-denominational chapel – currently serve by, IIRC, a Baptist minister – so it's difficult to be more specific. Fat&Happy (talk) 04:59, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
- It is, really, a quick look through shows that the pastor himself is responsible for much if not all of the labeling. The discussion still belongs on that page though. Arkon (talk) 04:40, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
- "Christianity" is too broad. The Infobox should identify the branch of Christianity of which Obama is a follower/member. SMP0328. (talk) 04:25, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
- One big question, though, is whether the "black liberation" descriptor is a salient and defining characteristic of the church. Reading the article about the church, it appears no. The main things in the lede are that it's an African-American Church, that it's in Chicago's South Side, that it's part of the United Church of Christ, and that it's early history involved the Civil Rights Movement. So perhaps labeling it a BLC may be something of a WP:COATRACK. - Wikidemon (talk) 03:19, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
- Agreed, "Protestant" doesn't begin to give the full picture. As someone who was raised in a 'Southern Baptist' church, I appreciate the differentials. Arkon (talk) 01:57, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
- On first review I think it's relevant. Even if that article isn't a great one, it does give some additional background that's relevant to the church and informative to the reader. The article clearly says that the movement exists both in Christian and Islamic groups. Granting that there's a tinge of racism in some people's reaction to certain facts about Obama, that shouldn't affect us either way in covering those facts. - Wikidemon (talk) 01:41, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
- In that case, "Protestant" is the correct explanation, not "black liberation theology". My nose is catching the faint whiff of racism about this. -- Scjessey (talk) 23:48, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
- I'd personally liken it to any specific church that a public person has gone to with, say, catholic churches. JFK etc. And honestly, is a church name sufficient in any way by itself in a biography? The point is information, which the theology then provides. Arkon (talk) 23:16, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
There is racism in a linked, stated concept coupling Mr. Obama to Black Liberation Theology, it fuels misinformation about Mr. Obama's beliefs and affiliations in a nation with some strongly anti-Islamic communities; the rules in Wikipedia are to stick to the facts. This means avoiding conjecture and - without complete or factual information - generating pseudo-data for use in 'connecting dots' for an audience; to do so is misleading and dangerous. Rather than spend my time correcting the Black Liberation Theology page, I'd like to survey other American presidents and see what information about their religion is stated and quoted. Let's be systematic in these matters. We are duty bound to respect one another on this forum and to respect living persons. NPOV objectivity is the goal here, use of language is powerful, and we are not journalists, but rather encyclopediaists. We should avoid the self-gratifying impulse to add meaningful little tweaks that lead an audience to read into the information something that is not supported by evidence. Please back me up wise colleagues, we should say less, not more on this particular complex issue. Arkon, too, thank you for your suggestions, come on over to this side of the discussion, please. KSRolph (talk) 07:53, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
Presidents and right-hand column on Religion: Having had a look at Mr. Bush Jr. - all that is mentioned is: Episcopal until 1977 and thereafter, Methodist. Mr. Clinton it only says: Baptist. They have no text section dedicated to their religiosity. As for Mr. Obama and 'Christianity,' I too find it too broad, and if Baptist seems too specific, then Protestant Christian is one suggestion, or follow the lead of Mr. Bush Jr. and state 'Church of Christ' until 2008, and Baptist thereafter. Mr. Obama is a Protestant. KSRolph (talk) 08:14, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
- Ok, let's compare. Do you know who "Mr. Bush Jr."'s pastor is? Has he had coverage in many major reliable sources, consistently? Is he referenced when talking about "Episcopalians"? I trust that I don't need to go further. Arkon (talk) 02:07, 4 August 2012 (UTC)
What I mean by being systematic, is not one, not two, but a look at several presidents, comparatively. KSRolph (talk) 04:46, 4 August 2012 (UTC)
Merge
A Twitter account is giving undue weight for a whole article and as this Twitter business is not even mentioned at all in the Barack Obama article it should be summarized and merged.
- To participate in the discussion please go to Talk:Barack Obama on Twitter#Merge to Barack Obama.LuciferWildCat (talk) 22:57, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
- I've removed the merge tag. It's not a viable proposal, and leaving that tag there unnecessarily exposes the many non-editor readers of the article with an obscure bit of Wikipedia process. Any regular editor here will see it on their watch list. Meanwhile, there's an RfC and a DRV discussion about that article, including proposals to merge it into various Obama-related topics. They have to run their course before it's even an issue. - Wikidemon (talk) 01:32, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
Several edit requests and corrections
Professional: lawyer
A better name here is attorney. See also wikipedia what describe for attorney "Attorney at law or attorney-at-law, usually abbreviated in everyday speech to attorney, is the official name for a lawyer in certain jurisdictions, including, Japan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and the United States." and also what currently we write in main article: "He worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago". You are using nowhere else in the article the lawyer word. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.131.187.160 (talk) 19:19, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
- I think that's correct. The way it was explained to me, anyone with a law degree or the equivalent is a lawyer. Someone who engages in the profession of getting paid to do law work for others is an attorney. Many politicians are lawyers. Most are not, currently, practicing attorneys (but Obama was for a number of years). - Wikidemon (talk) 19:23, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
- Members of the bar are lawyers. Attorney is a more generic term for people that represent someone. Hence, attorney at law, versus power of attorney, etc. "Lawyer" would be correct and is the convention. Shadowjams (talk) 01:46, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
New Party
Edit request on 30 July 2012
This edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= or |ans= parameter to no to reactivate your request. |
i would like to edit this page for a truthful reason, obama is a former new party member, needs to be put in page, thank you
Mycamaguay (talk) 21:07, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
- Sorry, but right-wing smear campaigns aren't welcome on Wikipedia. -- Scjessey (talk) 00:32, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
- Or to put it more gently, you can find some more background about this at New Party and its associated talk page, and Stanley Kurtz, the writer who has been talking about this. The question has been discussed here and on other pages relating to Obama, and the consensus among editors is that there is not enough sourcing to establish that the claim is significant, or particularly relevant to the President's biography, much less that it is actually true. Indeed, the claim's currency is almost entirely among sources devoted to disparaging the President. - Wikidemon (talk) 19:08, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
- To put it even more gently to our asker, the multiple original sources documenting Obama's NP involvement do reasonably pass the tests of truth and verifiability; however, various editors around here have dug in their heels and refused to permit inclusion, explaining for the most part that they don't like the messenger -- because Kurtz, while a Harvard trained Ph.D., has committed the sin of being a conservative, and those who have given this airtime in major newspapers are mostly conservative, that therefore the NP minutes must have been forged or something, even though nobody out there has made that claim... or something like that. It gets rather vague when you get down to the details of their objections. Wookian (talk) 19:21, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
- At least my reply had the virtues of brevity and accuracy. -- Scjessey (talk) 19:36, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
- And not encouraging new editors to approach a consensus process with assumptions of bad faith. - 20:00, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
- An example of an assumption of bad faith would be to immediately write off credible, alleged factual information unfavorable to Obama as a "right wing smear campaign". Wookian (talk) 20:25, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
- And if it was credible, alleged factual information you would be right. But it isn't, so you aren't. -- Scjessey (talk) 23:11, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
- Out of curiosity, who do you think forged the meeting minutes, membership roster, and event announcements? I presume you have performed original research, since I haven't read anything on the internet about this. Also, perhaps you should share your discoveries of the forgery with the Washington Post and various other major newspapers that have given airtime to Kurtz's discovery. Those publications would certainly be dismayed to have given airtime to a forgery. So pray share your discoveries with others. Oh, wait, I forgot. You are opposing this because Kurtz is conservative, not because there is any credible reason to doubt his well documented original sources. So nevermind. Wookian (talk) 15:41, 2 August 2012 (UTC)
- This is getting a little long and winding. As a content proposition, adding this material does not have much support, among other reasons because it's thinly sourced. But still, don't WP:BITE any newbies either, or use the page as a platform for accusations against those who do. Respect on all sides! - Wikidemon (talk) 16:06, 2 August 2012 (UTC)
- Out of curiosity, who do you think forged the meeting minutes, membership roster, and event announcements? I presume you have performed original research, since I haven't read anything on the internet about this. Also, perhaps you should share your discoveries of the forgery with the Washington Post and various other major newspapers that have given airtime to Kurtz's discovery. Those publications would certainly be dismayed to have given airtime to a forgery. So pray share your discoveries with others. Oh, wait, I forgot. You are opposing this because Kurtz is conservative, not because there is any credible reason to doubt his well documented original sources. So nevermind. Wookian (talk) 15:41, 2 August 2012 (UTC)
- And if it was credible, alleged factual information you would be right. But it isn't, so you aren't. -- Scjessey (talk) 23:11, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
- An example of an assumption of bad faith would be to immediately write off credible, alleged factual information unfavorable to Obama as a "right wing smear campaign". Wookian (talk) 20:25, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
- And not encouraging new editors to approach a consensus process with assumptions of bad faith. - 20:00, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
- At least my reply had the virtues of brevity and accuracy. -- Scjessey (talk) 19:36, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
- To put it even more gently to our asker, the multiple original sources documenting Obama's NP involvement do reasonably pass the tests of truth and verifiability; however, various editors around here have dug in their heels and refused to permit inclusion, explaining for the most part that they don't like the messenger -- because Kurtz, while a Harvard trained Ph.D., has committed the sin of being a conservative, and those who have given this airtime in major newspapers are mostly conservative, that therefore the NP minutes must have been forged or something, even though nobody out there has made that claim... or something like that. It gets rather vague when you get down to the details of their objections. Wookian (talk) 19:21, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
- Or to put it more gently, you can find some more background about this at New Party and its associated talk page, and Stanley Kurtz, the writer who has been talking about this. The question has been discussed here and on other pages relating to Obama, and the consensus among editors is that there is not enough sourcing to establish that the claim is significant, or particularly relevant to the President's biography, much less that it is actually true. Indeed, the claim's currency is almost entirely among sources devoted to disparaging the President. - Wikidemon (talk) 19:08, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
Misspelling
The first line says that "barack and obama redirect here" but in the blue barack link the name is misspelled. someone fix that. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.181.185.71 (talk • contribs)
- The "Barak" spelling is intentional. It is not a misspelling. -- Scjessey (talk) 00:28, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
Study: Obama related to first slave
Please add: "Obama is the 11th great-grandson of the first documented African slave in the U.S.." ref: http://edition.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t3#/video/us/2012/07/30/tsr-sylvester-obama-ancestry.cnn — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.144.174.16 (talk) 11:51, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
- Trivia, not really worth mentioning here. Tarc (talk) 19:03, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
- Yes, interesting to know, but if you do enough genealogy you can find dozens of significant or famous people related to anyone and we'd fill up the whole article with this kind of thing. You know he's George W Bush's 11th cousin and Dick Cheney's 8th cousin, right?[29] - Wikidemon (talk) 19:11, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
- And if you go back fourteen (?) generations you've probably got about 5,000 grandparents. It's not unlikely everyone who has American lineage dating back to the 16th century has a black ancestor, and probably a Native American ancestor too. Sceptre (talk) 00:12, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
- And if you go back even further, you'd find he's related to Adam and Eve. Spoooookieeee--JOJ Hutton 00:15, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
- I request that the above comments is removed per DFTT — Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.2.65.80 (talk) 20:12, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
- And if you go back even further, you'd find he's related to Adam and Eve. Spoooookieeee--JOJ Hutton 00:15, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
I would not reject this out of hand as trivia. We make the declarative statement "Obama is also not a descendant of American slaves" in "Cultural and political image" and we mention his mother's genealogy in the end of the first paragraph of "Personal life". We might wait and see if this research generates any significant notice, but we may need to modify what we say here, at least in a note. A properly worded mention could also be made in Family of Barack Obama "Distant relations" section and possibly in Public image of Barack Obama. This fact, if it is a fact, clearly had no impact on his upbringing, but we don't know what, if any, impact the information will have now that it is known. Tvoz/talk 15:32, 2 August 2012 (UTC)
Is pronunciation of Barack Obama needed?
I do not feel it is. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.2.65.60 (talk) 19:30, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
- Guess it's there because it's not an English-Language name, huh. --Τασουλα (talk) 19:43, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
- Of course it is needed. I've heard both names being mispronounced quite often. For a long time, my countrymen said BUR-ACK OH-BAMMA until they'd been educated by Wikipeda. -- Scjessey (talk) 21:41, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
- Whats wrong with saying BUR-ACK OH-BAMMA? YOu mean the second to last a is long? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.255.47.138 (talk) 11:13, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
- People in the UK were saying Barack so it sounded like "attack", and Obama so it sounded like the end of "Alabama". That obviously isn't correct. -- Scjessey (talk) 17:41, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
- Whats wrong with saying BUR-ACK OH-BAMMA? YOu mean the second to last a is long? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.255.47.138 (talk) 11:13, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
- Of course it is needed. I've heard both names being mispronounced quite often. For a long time, my countrymen said BUR-ACK OH-BAMMA until they'd been educated by Wikipeda. -- Scjessey (talk) 21:41, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
List of what has been discussed
Someone mentioned that the figure has already been extensively discussed. Can you generate a list of other things that have been extensively discussed? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.255.47.138 (talk) 15:50, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
ALso update the faq — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.255.47.138 (talk) 16:48, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
- What, specifically, about the FAQ needs to be updated?--JayJasper (talk) 21:50, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
- The FAQ needs to be updated to reflect the topics extensively discussed like the figure. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.255.47.138 (talk) 22:12, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
- The figure? -- Scjessey (talk) 23:07, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
Unacceptable and ridiculous deletion
I've written only "Should be include his opinions" and the answer was: "Not a forum" from the user "The Magnificent Clean-keeper". This is raising many red flags for me. You and other such user should stop their unnacceptable behavior. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.97.58.206 (talk) 21:46, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
- You were suggesting that a YouTube article about a six year old telling people not to vote for Obama might be a good idea. It was a complete waste of time since there was no chance of that ever being included for various reasons so I don't see anything as unacceptable about the removal.--70.49.81.140 (talk) 23:42, 1 August 2012 (UTC)
Don't go overboard trying to convince the reader than Obama is not a Muslim.
The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.
The last section about religion is poorly written. It is so lengthy, almost trying to prove to the reader that Obama is a Christian. It even makes no mention that he is accused of being a Muslim.
Anyone whose read the news knows that Obama has been accused of being a Muslim. To ignore it is ignoring the elephant in the room.
I've fixed the section. I've trimmed it, taking out long quotes trying to prove that he is a Christian. Instead, it simply states that he says he is. Then I added a Washington Post reference that says that people have accused him of being a Muslim (but I don't make those wild claims). Then the 2nd paragraph is left as it is.
If you go overboard and shout "Obama is Christian", you make the readers think "Wikipedia must be trying to hide the truth". Part of his bio is that people accuse him of being a Muslim. George Tupou VII (talk) 03:19, 3 August 2012 (UTC)
- saying "Muslim" is not an "accusation". This section is a non-starter. Try again. Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 03:23, 3 August 2012 (UTC)
- Sorry to comment on a closed discussion, but I agree with the original poster's observation, if not their proposed edit to the main page. Whether you call it an accusation, smear, conspiracy theory, or whatever is a semantic issue. There is nothing wrong with being a Muslim, but the claim that Obama is a Muslim is intended as something negative by those who make it. If someone were unaware of the fringe claims that Obama is Muslim, it simply reads to be somewhat redundant. However, viewed in light of those claims, it could easily strike a reader (and it strikes me) as defensive. There are similar overkill issues occasionally in the articles on the religion and citizenship conspiracy theories. I think the section could be improved without taking out any of its informational content by simply reducing the number of times it says Obama is Christian by one or two. - Wikidemon (talk) 16:59, 3 August 2012 (UTC)
- but the claim that Obama is a Muslim is intended as something negative by those who make it. is paranoia and a disservice to our readers. No comment on the rest. Arkon (talk) 03:42, 4 August 2012 (UTC)
- Huh? I don't get that drift. Perhaps it's motivated by paranoia, plus some fear, ignorance and xenophobia. Our readers are on the main page, not here. - Wikidemon (talk) 12:33, 4 August 2012 (UTC)
- but the claim that Obama is a Muslim is intended as something negative by those who make it. is paranoia and a disservice to our readers. No comment on the rest. Arkon (talk) 03:42, 4 August 2012 (UTC)
For consideration
Article seems pretty strict on making additions, so I don't want to fall foul. Here, then, are a few recent things for consideration:
"During his last year at Columbia, and at a low-level corporate job that followed, Obama brooded over his need to acquire a black identity—a sign was the copy of Ellison's Invisible Man which he took with him everywhere. He had never thought of himself as black before. The two girlfriends of those years whom Maraniss has traced, and an unnamed third in his first year in Chicago, were white, and so were many of his friends."
Bromwich, David (5 July 2012). "Diary". London Review of Books. 34 (13): 42–43. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
<ref>{{cite journal |last= Bromwich |first= David |authorlink= David Bromwich |date= 5 July 2012 |title= Diary |url= http://www.lrb.co.uk/v34/n13/david-bromwich/diary |journal= [[London Review of Books]] |volume= 34 |issue= 13 |pages= 42–43 |accessdate= 4 August 2012 }}</ref>
Goldstein, Bonnie (30 July 2012). "Obama descended from slave ancestor, researchers say". She The People. WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
<ref>{{cite web |last= Goldstein |first= Bonnie |date= 30 July 2012 |title= Obama descended from slave ancestor, researchers say |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/post/obama-descended-from-slave-ancestor-researchers-say/2012/07/30/gJQAUw4BLX_blog.html |work= She The People |publisher= [[The Washington Post|WashingtonPost.com]] |accessdate= 4 August 2012 }}</ref>
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