Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Race and politics/Evidence

All parties are reminded that the evidence phase for this case closed at 23:59, 21 May 2013 (UTC).

The current time is 02:24, Friday, August 23, 2024 (UTC), and new evidence submissions are no longer being accepted.
For the Arbitration Committee, AGK [•] (drafting arbitrator) 23:44, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

Main case page (Talk) — Evidence (Talk) — Workshop (Talk) — Proposed decision (Talk)

Case clerk: TBD Drafting arbitrator: TBD

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Focus on the issues that are important to the dispute and on diffs which illustrate the nature of the dispute.

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Evidence presented by Akuri

Current word length: 473.

ArtifexMayhem has narrowly focused on articles about race/ethnicity

As of today, since January 1st ArtifexMayhem has made 122 edits to articles [1] and 97 edits to article talk pages. [2] Of his article edits, 76 (62%) were to articles related to human race and ethnicity and 46 (38%) were not. Of his talk page edits, 72 (74%) were on the topic of human race and ethnicity and 24 (26%) were not.

ArtifexMayhem's editing of these articles is mostly made up of blanking and reverts

I'm going to analyse ArtifexMayhem's editing on the six race and ethnicity related articles he has edited most, excluding articles about race and intelligence.

• Race (human classification) · stats On this article ArtifexMayhem has made 18 edits. Of those 18, nine are marked as reverts in the edit summaries, and another seven were blanking content. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] Of his two edits that weren't blanking or reverts, one was a minor copyedit, [10] and the other was to a paragraph that he blanked on his next edit. [11] [12]

• Race and genetics · stats On this article he has made 14 edits. Of those 14, five were marked as reverts in the edit summaries, and another six were blanking content. [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]

• Natural-born-citizen clause · stats On this article he has made 11 edits. Nine of the eleven are marked as reverts in the edit summaries. According to talk page stats, he only has posted on the talk page twice, around the time of his first and second revert. His next seven reverts in June 2012 through April 2013 were without any participation in the talk page.

• Race and crime in the United States · stats On this article he has made seven edits. Six of the seven were blanking of content. [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] None of these removals were discussed: ArtifexMayhem has not posted on this article's talk page ever. [25]

• White privilege · stats On this article he has made five edits. The first [26] was a revert, the third [27] blanked a paragraph, and the fifth [28] restored the same wording that he reverted to in his first edit. Note that the first time ArtifexMayhem restored this wording, Apostle12 commented that it was non neutral because it omitted the word "argued to". ArtifexMayhem did not respond to this point, he just restored the wording a second time.

• Caucasian race · stats On this article he has made 4 edits. One was marked as a revert in the edit summary [29] and the other three were blanking content. [30] [31] [32]

Overall breakdown:

59 total content edits

25 edits (42%) marked as reverts

23 edits (39%) not marked as reverts were blanking content

11 edits (19%) were not blanking or reverts

The 19% number overestimates how much content he has added, because that number includes edits that still effectively were reverts, and edits to paragraphs or sections that he later blanked. The pattern is the same if one includes his edits to R&I articles. For example on these two articles [33] [34] he made a combined total of 12 edits, and all 12 were marked as reverts.

Evidence presented by UseTheCommandLine

Current word length: 873; diff count: 100.

by and large, my evidence will adhere to the following convention for diffs

• Apostle12

• UseTheCommandLine

someone else

Apostle12 violates NOTFORUM/SOAP, frequently but not exclusively on race-related topics.

• [35]
• [36]
• [37]
• [38]
• (see also: Frey incident)

This is not limited to race-related topics.

• [39]
• [40]
• [41]

Apostle12 has consistently refused to acknowledge this NOTFORUM/SOAP is inappropriate

• [42] "My history lends some passion ... there is nothing wrong with that."
• [43] "...I seldom reference personal history on Wikipedia talk pages...it seems to me that talk pages are the appropriate place to express such opinions. ...entirely necessary and entirely appropriate..."

He characterized this as "storytelling" in the ANI case referenced by Newyorkbrad:

• [44]

"...this is the first time anyone has objected. Except for UseTheCommandLine, other editor comments have been positive. I do believe occasional storytelling is a positive endeavor, as long as it is not heavily laden with agenda."

This statement ("this is the first time anyone has objected") is false.

[45]

[46]

[47]

Apostle12 has used poorly sourced materials to support REDFLAG allegations, and has misrepresented sources

Chronological views of notable disputes

Schneider incident

[48] this edit jumped out at me [49] revert [50] init talk page discussion [51] REDFLAG suggestion [52] insistence, denial of REDFLAG [53] replace [54] continuing discussion [55] re-revert [56] who, me? [57] "why now?" [58] "highly probable claim", "(delaying, or preventing, Newton's being held accountable for his crimes I might add)" [59] accusation of WP:DE [60] re-replace [61] began DRN case [62] notification of DRN posting [63] revert aside from an initial statement, Apostle12 did not take part in the DRN discussion. [64] notification of resolution [65] protest [66] cmt re:source/claims [67] explanation by DRN volunteer of sourcing issues [68] Apostle12's response (which I would consider a bit petulant/POINTy) includes "I cannot, however, agree that Salon.com, or Kate Coleman, have been discredited as sources." [69] relevance? [70] "was probably crucual" [71] I overreacted [72] assertion that this was willfull [73] confirming as accusation [74] confirmed, more assertions re:Coleman

Frey incident

[75] removal of claim [76] rv [77] remove [78] Talk page init [79] "in the article for years" [80] response. corroboration? [81] "all other sources are, to the best of my knowledge, derivative" [82] clarify concern [83] "I would ask that you return the favor." [84] suggest clarification at WP:BLPN [85] more reference to policy and essays [86] "wikilawyering" [87] BLPN post to clarify BLP/"recently dead" (which I contributed to). Consensus that Newton not "recently dead" (contradicting previous DRN volunteer assertion). [88] "surprised by ... claim" [89] posted separate RSN case (which Apostle12 did not participate in) to clarify sourcing issue. Consensus OK to include allegations, but not reportable as fact. [90] new revision, after no new comments @RSN There have been no significant edits to that portion of the article since, but Talk page discussion continued [91] "survived intense scrutiny" @publication time [92] characterization of Pearson as a source [93] book quote "tended to be vague" [94] vague and unsubstantiated, but asking for clarification [95] "believe it is appropriate to include" [96] (followed by some racist talk, i don't see any references anywhere.) [97] further insistence from a citation later in the book [98] calling out offensive statement. Different sections of book but source to the same two interviews, so not two independent references. Taking a break from this particular page [99] "Unlike you, I don't just wipe out other people's edits; try to build on them." At the time of writing, no further edits have been made to that section of Huey P. Newton (though see "edits since topic-ban proposal" below).

post-ban-discussion edits

subsequent edits

Subsequent to the discussion of NOTFORUM and subsequent topic ban discussion, at Black Panther Party: Re: Frey [100] removal of the strong claim was made by an IP editor and the edit comment suggests it might have been based on the new version of the Newton article [101] revert, "has withstood criticism" [102] remove, assert POVPUSH Apostle12 appears to be the original source for this wording: [103] continuation of slow edit warring and misrepresentation of sources [104] [105] remove least supportable part [106] replace, add (questionable) source This makes changes to a cited section in a manner inconsistent with the reference, and recalls the following at Huey P. Newton: [107] "Despite involvement in social programs, the Black Panthers in Oakland, California, as well as other U.S. cities, never transcended their reputation for violence and criminality." This phrasing has a history: [108] remove, need cite [109] replace [110] remove [111] replace [112] remove (there is a reference to Talk page discussion but I am uncertain about which one specifically this editor refers to) [113] replace [114] clarify as allegation (no source to refer to at this time) [115] add'l source, but remove "claim" wording, present as fact [116] ref does not support assertion [117] clarify cited source, remove claim

Apostle12 has edit warred and failed to respect consensus

This section is not intended to be a chronological view of this dispute in the same way the above narratives are; there are too many other editors involved to easily thread things

see also: edits since topic-ban proposal

precipitating incident at White privilege

[118] [119] [120] [121] warned for 3RR [122] effectively the same language attempts were made to discuss, clarify policy, and eventual DRN This led to a wide-ranging discussion and eventual positive changes to the article. [123] continued insistence on mitigating language [124] confusion at this insistence, suggestion of alternatives [125] NOTFORUM [126] NOTFORUM, AGF [127] NOTFORUM [128] offers of assistance [129] offers of assistance After heated discussion at User talk pages (which Marie Paradox references below), I asked on IRC (where I was active at the time) for someone willing to look into the situation. I was having trouble figuring out what part of my approach was wrong, as I had never previously encountered this sort of behavior on WP. The Blade of the Northern Lights volunteered to look into it. [130] warning left [131] removal [132] I reverted before I had reviewed the relevant policies [133] self-corrected Continued insistence on mitigating language (Omitted, please see ArtifexMayhem's evidence, below) By this time, several editors had left the article entirely. I acknowledge that my reverts of this material did constitute edit warring.

Evidence presented by Marie Paradox

Current word length: 330.

Apostle12 has a long history of engaging in personal attacks and failure to assume good faith

On user and article talk pages Apostle12 resorts to personal attacks and fails to assume good faith.[134][135] Others point out that this behavior violates Wikipedia policy or can get him blocked[136][137][138], and he returns to it.[139][140]

Here as in my preliminary statement I have included diffs that were made in 2012 in relation to the White privilege article and in 2007–2008 in relation to Hippie; I do this to make the case that if Apostle12 were one to learn lessons, we would have seen an end to behaviors of this sort a long time ago. According to Apostle12 I should have noted that the "rocky start" he and Viriditas got off to were followed by "mutually respectful, collaborative editing effort that greatly benefitted"[141] Hippie. If we assume Apostle12's characterization is accurate, what does this amount to? Why is it that when Apostle12 got off to a "rocky start" with other editors of White privilege he did not draw from past experiences and try to contribute to a "mutually respectful, collaborative effort"? Why have we instead had to endure personal attacks and the like?

Apostle12 has a history of flouting the verifiability criterion

Apostle12 also adds material that is not verifiable[142] and removes material that is verifiable[143] despite having had it explained that verifiability is part of Wikipedia's standards.[144]

Apostle12's actions have the potential to create environments where civility and assumption of good faith are the exception

On at least one occasion Apostle12 has been hostile towards[145] an editor who assumed good faith and tried to steer Apostle12 in the direction of making constructive contributions[146] after he made an edit which in my opinion requires an editor to dig pretty deep into the bag of charity before assumption of good faith is possible.[147] Also in a series of invitations[148][149][150] that seem to meet at least two of the criteria of canvassing (bias and partisanship) Apostle12 invited three editors to return White privilege; at least one had previously been banned from editing White privilege by someone outside the situation for violating WP:3RR[151], and contributions of the other two at that point had consisted of little more than drive-by criticism.

Evidence presented by ArtifexMayhem

Current word length: 700; diff count: 29.

Background

In April, based on a review of the white privilege article and talk page histories (prompted by this exchange), I supported an ANI proposal that Apostle12 be topic-banned from the area of human race and ethnicity. Prior to this I had few, if any, edits in the specific topic area of "Race and politics" and virtually no interaction with Apostle12. I have since made a total of seven edits to White privilege (five article edits [152][153][154][155][156] and two talk page edits [157][158]).

Improper use of sources by Apostle12

Accuracy of sourcing

Apostle12's use of sources does not support this claim...

...I assure you that any section I write will be based entirely on RS. Many of these sources, some of which already appear in the article, caution against over-reliance on the white privilege conceptual framework and point out the limitations of this framework....
— User:Apostle12 22:57, 8 April 2013 (UTC)

• Without supporting sources, the editor as repeatedly questioned the existence of White privilege by inserting weasel words into the lede of the article (e.g.,"alleged"[159][160][161], "might"[162], "argued"[163][164][165][166]).
• In this series of edits[167][168][169][170] to the White privilege article the editor misrepresents sources, including several that do not satisfy WP:RS, adding the following sections...

Low impact of white privilege

• The source does not state that white privilege is of "low impact".
• The source does not indicate that Steele is an "opponent of affirmative action programs".
• Steele does not state or indicate that he "believes that the effects of white privilege are exaggerated." He says what whites owe blacks is fairness: "You owe us a fair society," he says. "There's not much you can do beyond that. ...There isn't anything you can do to ...[to] lift my life up. I have to do that."
• Steele does not say, state, argue, infer, indicate, or intimate that blacks "may incorrectly blame their personal failures on white oppression."
• Steele does not argue that there are "many minority privileges." He states that there is "minority privilege" and that today's black high school student is offered many opportunities. He also states—in the full quote—that opportunities come his way unbeckoned: "There is a hunger in this society to do right racially, to not be racist. ...And I feel rather privileged by it. I don't have to even look for opportunities in many cases. They come right to me."

Education

• The Seattle Times opinion piece by Matt Rosenberg does not satisfy WP:RS.
• The opinions of Mr. Rosenberg, Director of Public Affairs for Dick's Drive-In Restaurants, carry no weight on the topic.

Privileges extended to people of color

• Misrepresents this source as supporting: "The current University of Michigan Duluth 'unfair campaign' has come under fire for implying that all whites enjoy unfair privileges, when it fact it is qualified minority applicants who are often shown preference in education and corporate hiring." What the source actually says is: "The campaign has attracted its fair share of criticism" from anonymous comments posted "to the university webpage".
• Hugh Murray's article, White Male Privilege? A Social Construct for Political Oppression, in the Journal of Libertarian Studies (published by Ludwig von Mises Institute) is not a reliable source on this topic.
• The article is cited once, by another Mises publication, on Google Scholar.
• Mr. Murray does not appear to have any credentials or training related to the topic (in fact his very existence is questionable).

Maintaining stereotypes

• The article entitled "White Privilege" Re-education, published in The Michigan Review, is not a reliable source.

"The Michigan Review is the independent, student-run journal of conservative and libertarian opinion at the University of Michigan. We neither solicit nor accept monetary donations from the U-M. Contributions to the Michigan Review are tax-deductible under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Review is not affiliated with any political party or university political group." – pg. 2

Group Guilt

• Misrepresents "Jacob Oslick, Brian Cook, & David Guipe" of the Michigan Review as authors of note (same source as above).

Narrow focus of white privilege analysis

• Misrepresents the source; Blum fully supports the reality of white privilege and is suggesting new ways to teach it, "Those of us who teach US American White students think it morally and politically important for them to learn to acknowledge their White privilege, and to do something morally constructive with that acknowledgment."

Bias and prejudice

• These edits...[171][172][173][174][175][176][177][178]..."can reasonably be perceived as gratuitously endorsing or promoting stereotypes..."
• Making an unsourced statement that compares the ninety some odd years of Jim Crow laws to modern Affirmative action programs is completely unreasonable.

Also, it may be instructive to realize that many Jim Crow laws in the American South were instituted as a kind of "affirmative action" for whites, who found it difficult to compete in the labor market with skilled slaves freed at the end of the Civil War.
— User:Apostle12 19:53, 3 November 2012 (UTC)

• Making that statement twice is beyond the pale.

It should be noted that one purpose of the Jim Crow laws that took hold in the American South after the Civil War was to provide "affirmative action" for white workers who were having a difficult time competing with newly freed, and highly skilled, blacks.
— User:Apostle12 17:01, 5 December 2012 (UTC)

Evidence presented by Apostle12

Current word length: 1573 (limit: 1000); diff count: 22. Evidence is too long: please reduce your submission so it fits within limits.

My preliminary statement is here.

UseTheCommandLine has daily generated so much new material that it’s been a major task just to keep up with her assertions, many of which are faulty; drafting a comprehensive response is beyond my capability. What concerns me is that UTCL so obviously relishes contention; I lack her enthusiasm for same, and do not have the time or inclination to respond in kind. UTCL brandishes WP policies, guidelines and essays more than any editor I have ever encountered, and she seems entirely unwilling to engage in the give and take of collaborative editing.

I am not a “Rules” person. I make myself aware of the rules, and I don’t flout them, however if I can briefly make my point with a terse comment when I think other editors have said something outrageous, ignored consensus, or otherwise inhibited progress, I would rather do that than resort to RfC’s, ANI’s, RFAR’s or other administrative procedures – in fact even the abbreviations make me a little nauseous. My inclination is to stay far away from bureaucratic processes, even though I respect those who do the essential work of keeping order at Wikipedia. Somehow I have made it through a full seven years of editing (½ year with my original name, 6 ½ years as Apostle 12) without falling under threat of being blocked, sanctioned or otherwise disciplined.

So, even though it’s true that occasionally I might violate the letter of some policies and guidelines, practical feedback seems to indicate that my editing has been in keeping with Wiki spirit. My primary question for the arbitrators is: What about UseTheCommandLine? She is obviously a “Rules” person, but how about Wiki spirit, WP:IAR?

The problems began with the White privilege article after UTCL suggested I draft a Criticism section. UTCL honored my first attempt, however she soon joined Marie Paradox in deleting many of my edits. Very frustrating – a full day wasted.

I reasoned that it might be good to go back through Talk and contact a few inactive editors who had expressed interest in creating a Criticism section. I alerted three former editors that a new Criticism section was in the works; I did not know what particular criticisms they favored, nor was I soliciting their help to side with me in an ongoing content dispute. I disclosed having contacted the three editors on Talk.

That’s when I visited Marie Paradox’s talk page and happened on her comment to an editor she once had a disagreement with, "But if you want to come to my personal talk page and flaunt your white people head-up-the-ass syndrome, don't think for a moment that I'm going to mince words while calling you out on it." I considered MP’s comment outrageous anti-white racism, so I called her a “jerk” (my polite way of confronting racists) and lamented her involvement in editing the article. She issued a partial apology for her “white people head-up-the-ass syndrome” comment, so I erased my insult. That was the end of it, at least from my perspective.

UTCL and MP objected that by alerting the three editors to the existence of a new Criticism section I had violated WP:CAN; they traded off dogging me about this issue, which confirmed my impression that UTCL and MP were engaging in WP:OWN behavior. I explained that I had been transparent about contacting the editors, UTCL had invited me to draft a Criticism section, and I thought the interested editors might resume editing to help create it. Despite MP's allegations in this proceeding, none of the editors I contacted caused problems, and one (Thucydides411) resumed editing and became one of White privilege's most productive contributors. Eventually a de facto Criticism section appeared, the WP:OWN pattern was broken, and the article became more balanced. Joining Thucydides411 as a prominent contributor, other editors arrived with different points of view.

Another conflict occurred at White privilege after Groupuscule submitted a full re-write of the lede, which for a time began with “White privilege (or white skin privilege) refers to advantages that white people enjoy in all societies." I admit I reacted badly to that outrageous claim.

So I do admit to sometimes violating WP:NPA and WP:AGF. Yet even when I am on the receiving end, I find occasional direct expressions of this sort preferable to covert expressions of the same thing, which characterize much of UTCL’s commentary, and sometimes MP’s as well. Much easier to provide diffs for my stuff than theirs, though occasionally UTCL does let down her guard, especially when she doesn’t get her way. At such times she voices her contempt for WP processes, as during her repetitive ANI submissions where she wrote “Fuck that,” when she was encouraged by another editor to engage in discussion with me, and where she voiced her intent to make a nuisance of herself through continual resubmissions, even if it led to her being banned from participation. The next few consecutive diffs also apply.

UTCL refers to many “incidents” (Schneider, Lumsden), and this is where her worst distortions occur. I once spent a full day unraveling UTCL distortions for an ANI case that she opened; after I submitted my statement she announced she was going on an extended (maybe forever, this is my last post) Wikibreak so the case was closed prematurely. Just don’t have the heart to try and sort out all the falsehoods this time around; it takes days, and I am not willing to spend even one more day immersed in this stuff.

Regarding WP:FORUM, following the extensive ANI discussion, I had already agreed to refrain from telling personal stories on Talk. Personally I enjoy hearing other people’s perspectives, along with the life experiences that shape them, on article Talk pages. It allows me to know where they are coming from, it humanizes them, and it is an aspect of transparency. Even UTCL’s disclosure that she primarily contributes to medical articles is good to know - because accuracy is so paramount in such articles, we want sticklers writing them. Some ANI participants (Dennis Brown comes to mind) seemed to feel that relevant, minor storytelling is not such a bad thing, as long as it doesn’t become full-blown WP:SOAP. Given my previous concession, I don’t understand the emphasis on WP:FORUM in the current discussion.

There are some things I categorically deny:

-I deny that UTCL’s allegations in what she calls the “Schneider Incident” have ANY validity whatever. In particular, UTCL claims I ignored consensus, which is absolutely untrue. I agreed that Director Burt Schneider’s recent death (within two years according to WP:BLP discussion and guidelines), along with the immaturity of the story, meant that the article should not discuss the Newton/Schneider affair at this particular time. Instead, I voiced my intention to write a new section on Schneider and other Hollywood luminary influence on Panther funding and political activities, which long-established sources (Elaine Brown, ‘’A Taste of Power; Hugh Pearson, ‘’Shadow of the Panther’’; Curtis Austin, ‘’Up Against the Wall’’) have discussed extensively, so that when the Schneider letters receive due consideration from Panther scholars the sourced information can be included in proper context.

-I also deny that UTCL’s allegations in what she calls the “Lumsden incident,” where she claims I intentionally misrepresented the source. I made a simple mistake, conflating Panther writings (Lumsden references mostly the Panther newspaper) and Panther practices (which Lumsden clearly described as undermining the central message of gender equality in Panther Womanism). This error was my sole mistake in a series of approximately twenty extensive edits beginning here,, and it was corrected as soon as I found it. This is yet another example of UTCL going for the jugular over a minor issue that persisted for a very short time; in fact it was I who located an online source for the Lumsden article and provided UTCL with the link. UTCL understands neither give-and-take nor honor, and in my estimation her incessant rule-bound dogging is a far greater threat to WP civility than an occasional jibe that violates WP:NPA or WP:AGF.

-Re: Artifax Mayhem, I deny that ANY of his diffs ([179][180][181][182][183][184][185][186]) "can reasonably be perceived as gratuitously endorsing or promoting stereotypes."

There is a great deal more I could say, however my time is up. I do have a couple of suggestions:

- Wikipedia needs protocols for curbing editors like UTCL before their self-righteous dogging drives away those who joyfully give of their time to make Wikipedia an excellent resource. No one wants to work with editors who yap at their heels.

-Wikipedia needs to post prominent “Third Rail” warnings on all articles dealing, even tangentially, with race and ethnicity. Editors should be made aware of the relevant arbitration case so they will not be misled by false notions that “political correctness” and “censorship” have been set aside on Wikipedia.

This will be my last submission, since I have decided to tender my resignation by placing a “Retired” notice on my user page and scrambling my password. When WP strife exceeds real life strife by a factor of 100 to 1, and when editors like UTCL destroy all joy, it is time to walk away. In real life I have a very good time and I do not tolerate such people for even a second. I’ve edited WP for the satisfaction of improving some articles, and for fun; I no longer wish to participate.

Apostle12 (talk) 05:57, 21 May 2013 (UTC)