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== Ongoing problems surrounding Yasuke ==
= <includeonly>[[Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case|</includeonly>Requests for arbitration<includeonly>]]</includeonly> =
'''Initiated by ''' [[User:Yvan Part|Yvan Part]] ([[User talk:Yvan Part|talk]]) '''at''' 11:20, 16 September 2024 (UTC)
<br clear="all"/>
{{Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Header}}
== WP:PROD wheel war ==
'''Initiated by '''[[User:MBisanz|<span style='color: #FFFF00;background-color: #0000FF;'>MBisanz</span>]]''' <sup>[[User talk:MBisanz|<span style='color: #FFA500;'>talk</span>]]</sup> at 09:16, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
 
=== InvolvedProposed parties ===
<!-- usePlease {{change "userlinks" to "admin|username}}" if the party is an administrator -->
*{{adminuserlinks|MBisanzYvan Part}}, ''filing party''
*{{userlinks|BrocadeRiverPoems}}
*{{admin|Sandstein}}
*{{adminuserlinks|CoffeeGitz6666}}
*{{adminuserlinks|OverlordQJ2UDY7r00CRjH}}
*{{userlinks|Rotary Engine}}
*{{userlinks|Symphony Regalia}}
*{{userlinks|Tinynanorobots}}
 
;Confirmation that all parties are aware of the request
<!-- All parties must be notified that the request has been filed, immediately after it is posted, and confirmation posted here. -->
*[[Special:Diff/1246009681|diff of notification BrocadeRiverPoems]]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Sandstein&diff=prev&oldid=339506012]
*[[Special:Diff/1246009754|diff of notification Gitz6666]]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Coffee&diff=prev&oldid=339506011]
*[[Special:Diff/1246009792|diff of notification J2UDY7r00CRjH]]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:OverlordQ&diff=prev&oldid=339506002]
*[[Special:Diff/1246009832|diff of notification Rotary Engine]]
*[[Special:Diff/1246009873|diff of notification Symphony Regalia]]
*[[Special:Diff/1246009895|diff of notification Tinynanorobots]]
 
;Confirmation that other steps in [[Wikipedia:dispute resolution|dispute resolution]] have been tried
* [[Wikipedia:Reliable_sources/Noticeboard#Are_news_sources_reliable_for_articles_on_history?|RSN:Are news sources reliable for articles on history?]] (ongoing)
<!-- Identify prior attempts at dispute resolution here, with links/diffs to the page where the resolution took place. If prior dispute resolution has not been attempted, the reasons for this should be explained in the request for arbitration -->
* [[Wikipedia:Reliable_sources/Noticeboard/Archive_447#Reliability_of_Thomas_Lockley|RSN:Reliability of Thomas Lockley]]
*[[User_talk:Coffee#Your_recent_edit_to_Wikipedia:Proposed_deletion]]
* [[Wikipedia:Reliable_sources/Noticeboard/Archive_446#Reliability_of_The_Japan_Times?|RSN:Reliability of The Japan Times?]]
*[[Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard#Coffee_edit_warring_on_protected_policy_page.2C_now_blocked.3B_please_review]]
*
*[[Wikipedia:Requests_for_comment/Biographies_of_living_people#View_by_Sandstein]]
* [[Talk:Yasuke/Archive_3#RfC:_Should_the_view_that_Yasuke_was_a_samurai_be_added_to_the_article|RfC 1]]
* [[Talk:Yasuke#RfC_on_Yasuke_Samurai_Status|RfC 2]] (ongoing)
* Extreme [[Talk:Yasuke|talk page]] growth. (it went from one tp archive in 17 years to 6 in the last 5 months by my count)
* [[Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/Incidents#Possible_False_Accusation|ANI:Possible False Accusation]]
* [[Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/IncidentArchive1162#Talk%3A_Yasuke_has_on-going_issues|ANI:Talk: Yasuke has on-going issues]]
* [[Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/IncidentArchive1156#Talk%3AYasuke_is_a_complete_dumpster_fire|ANI:Talk:Yasuke is a complete dumpster fire]]
* [[Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/IncidentArchive1159#Blatant_trolling_by_User:12.75.41.40|ANI:Blatant trolling by User:12.75.41.40]]
* [[Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/IncidentArchive1163#User:Nocomputersintexas_harassment_and_aspersions|ANI:User:Nocomputersintexas harassment and aspersions]]
* [[Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/IncidentArchive1158#Disruptive_gaming_of_autoconfirmed_status_followed_by_attempt_to_edit_semi-protected_page|ANI:Disruptive gaming of autoconfirmed status followed by attempt to edit semi-protected page]]
* [[Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/IncidentArchive1156#h-User:_Hopefull_Innformer-20240519085300|ANI:User: Hopefull Innformer]]
 
=== Statement by MBisanzYvan Part ===
Normal consensus building around the article [[Yasuke]] has completely broken down and the talkpage has become rife with endless debates about rules interpretations, bludgeoning and extreme entrenchment.
{{user|Malinaccier}} protected [[WP:PROD]] per a request at [[WP:RFPP]] for edit warring/content dispute. {{user|Coffee}} edited through the protection to include a new paragraph relating to [[WP:BLP|BLPs]] in light of a recent [[Wikipedia:AC/N#Motion_regarding_BLP_deletions|motion]] on BLP deletions. {{user|Sandstein}} instructed Coffee to self-revert and when Coffee refused, Sandstein blocked him for 24 hours. {{user|OverlordQ}} then edited through the protection to revert Coffee's edit citing [[WP:BRD]].
<br>One example is a discussion around the replacement of one tertiary source which has led to a [[Talk:Yasuke#The_lead|still going talkpage discussion]] (over 14000 words and over a month old) and the [[Wikipedia:Reliable_sources/Noticeboard#Are_news_sources_reliable_for_articles_on_history?|ongoing RSN]] mentioned earlier which itself seems to be leading nowhere due to general vagueness.
<br>The [[Talk:Yasuke#RfC_on_Yasuke_Samurai_Status|ongoing RfC]] has been massively bludgeoned (over 30000 words in two weeks) leading to very few uninvolved editors participating. My [[Special:Diff/1244759931|own comment]] on it after it had been open for only a week was already very critical about the bludgeoning.
<br>All of this leads to frequent ANI visits, either for obvious vandals, harassers and povpushers which are frequently attracted to the topic and led to the page being protected four times in the last five months ([[Special:Diff/1224022998|[1]]][[Special:Diff/1230024109|[2]]][[Special:Diff/1224558210|[3]]][[Special:Diff/1224014853|[4]]]) as well as three times for its talkpage ([[Special:Diff/1224159814|[1]]][[Special:Diff/1239729970|[2]]][[Special:Diff/1232890999|[3]]]) or between editors who have participated to discussions for a while and have apparently reached their boiling point against another.
An assessment that the topic has problems is shared by uninvolved long time editors in offhand comments [[Special:Diff/1245787729|here]], [[Special:Diff/1245919122|here]] and [[Special:Diff/1245871231|here]] and that additional remedies might be required.
<br>Some of the problems spill over into connected articles such as [[Thomas Lockley]], [[List of foreign-born samurai in Japan]] and [[Samurai]] which see some petty vandalism, pov pushing and edit warring though to a much lesser degree than [[Yasuke]].
 
I also believe my [[Special:Diff/1245341286|complaint against Symphony Regalia]] in the [[Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/Incidents#Possible_False_Accusation|most recent ANI]] section was not properly evaluated (reasoning provided [[Special:Diff/1245660986|here]]) but decided not to pursue further at ANI after making the decision to come to ArbCom.
Coffee should not have edited [[WP:PROD]] through protection since he was involved per his edits at the original RFAR. Sandstein should not have blocked as he was involved per his comments at the RFAR leading to the motion in question, because he had expressed a view on the motion at an [[Wikipedia:Requests_for_comment/Biographies_of_living_people#View_by_Sandstein|RFC]], and because he has been a content editor of the [[WP:PROD]] page in the past [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Proposed_deletion&diff=167816295&oldid=167809561]. OverlordQ was also involved in it and should not have edited [[WP:PROD]] through protection because he was involved per his comments on the original RFAR at [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia_talk:Arbitration/Requests&diff=prev&oldid=339121345]. Clearly the throwing around of these edits and blocks by involved admins requires Committee intervention. '''[[User:MBisanz|<span style='color: #FFFF00;background-color: #0000FF;'>MBisanz</span>]]''' <sup>[[User talk:MBisanz|<span style='color: #FFA500;'>talk</span>]]</sup> 09:16, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
 
=== Statement by BrocadeRiverPoems ===
;@ Clerks
I am commenting only to state that I wish to have no part in this. I do not wish to participate in editing the Yasuke article, or having anything to do with any of the ancillary elements of it going forward. As I am presently on a break and will be around infrequently, I wish to have nothing to do with whatever is discussed or decided here, and am providing whatever notification might be necessary from me to the effect of stating I will not be keeping up to date with this. After the ANI discussion, I concluded it would be better for me to simply [[WP:DISENGAGE]] from all things Yasuke, and I believe other editors more experienced than I held the same sentiment that it would be better for me to leave such contentious topics alone.--<b>[[User:BrocadeRiverPoems|<span style="font-family:vivaldi; color:Purple;">Brocade River Poems (She/They)</span>]]</b> 11:37, 16 September 2024 (UTC)
Aren't section headings supposed to be delinked? '''[[User:MBisanz|<span style='color: #FFFF00;background-color: #0000FF;'>MBisanz</span>]]''' <sup>[[User talk:MBisanz|<span style='color: #FFA500;'>talk</span>]]</sup> 02:31, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
 
'''Edit:''' I am updating my statement to briefly comment on my activity as this is about conduct and not content. I created the second RfC because when I tried to add a tweet by Hirayama Yu saying Yasuke was a Samurai, it was disputed {{Special:Diff/1237845246}} {{Special:Diff/1237846490}} {{Special:Diff/1237849580}} {{Special:Diff/1237850766}} {{Special:Diff/1237852447}} {{Special:Diff/1237852447}}. The result of the dispute was a compromise to create an RfC as users thought it was unfair to add Hirayama Yu without adding Goza, and it was agreed a second RfC would be needed to incldue Goza. It was requested by a disputing party who wanted to add Goza to wait at least a month before creating said RfC in case new publications came out or Goza retracted his statement. {{Special:Diff/1237866505}} {{Special:Diff/1237869174}} {{Special:Diff/1237877741}}. I was not trying to engage in a culture war or trying to disprove Yasuke as a samurai, the RfC was agreed upon for dispute resolution to try to include the compromise that was reached. After the time requested had elapsed, I created the RfC since the other parties had not done so yet. I understand the RfC and the argumentation that arose from it was far from ideal, but I just wanted to explain why I even made it. Regardless, I no longer wish to participate in Yasuke going forward, but do believe some contentious topic policy for Yasuke is advisable. --<b>[[User:BrocadeRiverPoems|<span style="font-family:vivaldi; color:Purple;">Brocade River Poems (She/They)</span>]]</b> 21:32, 17 September 2024 (UTC)
;@ Mailer Diablo
Couldn't you pass a superseding new motion that is "polished" to remove the need for several clarifications to be filed to "define" what the motion means? '''[[User:MBisanz|<span style='color: #FFFF00;background-color: #0000FF;'>MBisanz</span>]]''' <sup>[[User talk:MBisanz|<span style='color: #FFA500;'>talk</span>]]</sup> 02:31, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
 
=== Statement by CoffeeGitz6666 ===
I understand that some of the committee might not like this action on my part, but I don't see how it was problematic. Already we have 114 supports/6 opposes at the RFC, regarding my change to [[WP:PROD]], which implies that the consensus will not change. The recently passed ArbCom motion was in favor of an edit like this, especially when backed by consensus. I wasn't trying to be "rouge", I just didn't feel that it was necessary to wait no telling how many months for that RFC to close; and the change to that policy is far less chaotic then what we've had in the past few days.
 
The problem with the article, as I see it, is that many editors (often IPs and newly created accounts) do not accept the outcome of the [[Talk:Yasuke/Archive 3#RfC: Should the view that Yasuke was a samurai be added to the article|recent RfC]], which concluded that Yasuke should be described as a "samurai". This has led to:
I don't like Sandstein's actions here at all, as he was more than involved, yet he blocked without a second thought. True an uninvolved admin could have blocked, but even then I didn't and wasn't intending on re-editing the policy after my first edit. The block was without warrant and was totally out of process. Was my edit the best way to go? Probably not, but I still fail to see what is so controversial about asking for PROD tags to not be removed unless there are improvements made to the BLPs.
# Frequent attempts to remove the word "samurai" from the article, especially from the lead section.
# Long and tedious discussions on the talk page. Since there are no sources denying Yasuke's samurai status or addressing the issue in depth, most discussions revolve around the critical analysis of 16th- and 17th-century Japanese and Portuguese sources (e.g., [[Talk:Yasuke/Archive 6#Weapon-bearer|here]], [[Talk:Yasuke#Requested removal of possible misattributed quote claiming to be from the Shinchō Kōki|here]] and in multiple threads). These discussions seem to be over now, but they went on for a long time despite various attempts to explain that this kind of source evaluation borders on original research. Secondly, the discussions concern whether to remove certain news sources (CNN, TIME, Smithsonian magazine) that refer to Yasuke as a samurai. Some editors consider these sources to be of lesser quality and want to remove them, even though they are not contradicted by academic sources (see second part of [[Talk:Yasuke#The lead|this discussion]] and the [[Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard#Are news sources reliable for articles on history?|thread at RSN]]).
# A [[Talk:Yasuke#RfC on Yasuke Samurai Status|new RfC]] opened by an inexperienced user notewithstanding the lack of significant new sources. Some editors active on the article, who are interested in debating Yasuke's samurai status, supported this new RfC, resulting in another significant waste of time.
 
I have no opinion on what actions ArbCom might take to address these issues, but in the ongoing RfC, I proposed a one-year moratorium on new RfCs regarding the same topic [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?diff=prev&oldid=1244411469]. If there were a consensus on this, I believe it would be very helpful. I expect that editors from the gamer community and ''[[Netto-uyoku|neto-uyo]]'' will soon lose interest in the topic. [[User:Gitz6666|Gitz]] ([[User talk:Gitz6666|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/Gitz6666|contribs]]) 12:55, 16 September 2024 (UTC)
:''@Sandstein: I don't see how it was aimed to prevent anything, considering I never once indicated that I was going to edit the policy page again. <small style="color:#999;white-space:nowrap;text-shadow:lightgrey 0.3em 0.3em 0.15em;">&mdash; [[User:Coffee|<big style="color:#ffa439">Coffee</big>]] // [[user talk:Coffee|<font color="#090">have a cup</font>]] // [[WP:ARK|<font color="#4682b4">ark</font>]] // </small> 20:06, 23 January 2010 (UTC)''
:''@Ikip:''
:* ''Wheel warred with Geni, starting another '''(This was covered in the last ArbCom motion.)'''''
:* ''Edited a protect page WP:Biographies of living people after arbitrator SirFonzzie said the next editor who edits the page will be desysopped '''(This was actually an accident, as I said on the talk page, and told SirFozzie off wiki.)'''''
:* ''Threatened to block User:power.corrupts for removing PRODs '''(Power was being disruptive, especially during the RFC, and this was actually one of the reasons I wanted to change the PROD page.)'''''
:* ''Threatened to block User:Ikip for warning him about his behavior on his talk page. '''(You have constantly been disruptive in this area, warning admins that somehow you'll get them blocked was the icing on the cake.)''' <small style="color:#999;white-space:nowrap;text-shadow:lightgrey 0.3em 0.3em 0.15em;">&mdash; [[User:Coffee|<big style="color:#ffa439">Coffee</big>]] // [[user talk:Coffee|<font color="#090">have a cup</font>]] // [[WP:ARK|<font color="#4682b4">ark</font>]] // </small> 22:04, 23 January 2010 (UTC)''
 
=== Statement by J2UDY7r00CRjH ===
:''@ArbCom: I could have and should have handled this a bit better, even though I'm still taken aback at the reaction to the edit, but of course I took the motion in what seems to be a bit of a wrong light. Don't worry my plans on deleting the Main Page are off my list for now, I'll just go run about and do regular adminy stuff while discussing BLP on the RFC. <small style="color:#999;white-space:nowrap;text-shadow:lightgrey 0.3em 0.3em 0.15em;">&mdash; [[User:Coffee|<big style="color:#ffa439">Coffee</big>]] // [[user talk:Coffee|<font color="#090">have a cup</font>]] // [[WP:ARK|<font color="#4682b4">ark</font>]] // </small> 23:12, 23 January 2010 (UTC)''
I hesitate to agree to moratorium to the discussion of Yasuke because 1. the current dispute about the new sources has not been resolved and more importantly 2. if more sources come out the moratorium will be used to not include them. For background, the entire reason for the discussion is about whether to include specific points mentioned by mainly two sources. One source is a historian, Yuichi Goza, who according to his research page specializes in studying samurai [https://www.nichibun.ac.jp/en/research/staff/s377/], who said we should be cautious in saying Yasuke was a samurai because the evidence for it is only from one version of a manuscript not found in other copies. The other source is Thomas Lockley who said 'there is debate as to whether Yasuke truly became a "samurai," but it is believed that, at least for his lifetime, he was undoubtedly appointed as a vassal of Nobunaga.' Both these sources came out after the closing of the previous RfC. (One was published before but not yet translated.) To be clear, I am a proponent of adding the view that some historians believe there is not enough information to conclude whether or not Yasuke was a samurai to the article. The opposing view says that there are not enough sources to warrant their inclusion. Note that the majority of academic sources just say he served Nobunaga or was his retainer and do not discuss whether he was a samurai, and almost every source says there is little information about Yasuke in general. (see [[Talk:Yasuke/Archive 5]] and search for "scholarly sources which mention Yasuke" for a list) To elaborate more on my point about more sources potentially coming out, just last week, a historian mainly of Chinese history wrote that "In the end, due to the absolute lack of historical materials, it is impossible to determine whether Yasuke was a samurai or not."[https://www.rekishijin.com/38811 (source in Japanese)] One might argue that we shouldn't use that source because the author is not an expert in Japanese history specifically, but in general it seems likely to me that more reliable sources will write about this topic in the future. Lastly, the whole idea of making every change through an RfC is flawed because it requires uninvolved editors to read all the sources as a prerequisite, and in some cases to know the timeline of these sources. Edit: Just right now, I also found another source saying there may not be enough information, written by 渡邊大門, a PhD in history: [https://news.yahoo.co.jp/expert/articles/e84f4104880e6f0c3c064ed37b6a954cdbc2192e], which seems to not be discussed here or ja wiki. I think that shows the sources have not been fully discussed, and there is no reason to preemptively end the discussion. edit2: and now another source just published by an official university newspaper today quoting an Assistant Professor, also mentioning that there is some ambiguity [https://news.northeastern.edu/2024/09/17/assassins-creed-shadows-yasuke/]
 
I am not sure what steps arbitration could take to resolve this dispute. Hopefully this background is helpful to someone who reads it. [[User:J2UDY7r00CRjH|J2UDY7r00CRjH]] ([[User talk:J2UDY7r00CRjH|talk]]) 15:18, 16 September 2024 (UTC)
=== Statement by OverlordQ ===
 
=== Statement by Rotary Engine ===
I'd hardly call myself involved. The comments I made on the Motion talk page were simply stating my observations of the situation, I could not care less either way it ends up. I simply reverted what I considered to be an out of process change of policy based on a 2-day old RFC. Considering the dramallama the 7 hour early Shankbone AFD closure caused despite consensus, I couldn't fathom the [http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/hitchhikers/guide/golgafrincham.shtml mutant star goat] that would be spawned by closing an [[WP:RFC|RFC]] 28.5 days early. If it was wrong of me, my bad, I'll go play on the [[WP:OP|swings]] and let everybody else fight over the [[WP:BLP|monkey-bars]]. [[User:OverlordQ|<span style="color:#171788;font-weight:bold">Q</span>]] <sup>[[User talk:OverlordQ|T]] [[Special:Contributions/OverlordQ|C]]</sup> 09:43, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
In the time since the case request was made, I have considered carefully what to write here.
 
Firstly, the Committee seems inclined to accept the request. I believe that is the right decision, and both thank the Committee for their decision and apologise for the burden in advance.
=== Statement by Steven Zhang ===
 
That the Community has been unable to find resolution on several aspects of this dispute is an important factor in the decision to accept, and, I suggest, where editor behaviour is the reason for that inability, that behaviour should be examined as part of the scope.
I must say that this is utter bullshit. Since when did we block for one edit, eh? The page might be full protected, but don't we have Bold, Revert, Discuss, and not Bold, Revert, Block? Now really, I've missed a lot in the past few weeks but I think <s>Coffee's block needs to be overturned.</s> that this shouldn't have happened. From what I hear the wiki is approaching a [[Nuclear meltdown|meltdown]], but people, get a grip. And you all wonder why people off-wiki are so critical of Wikipedia. Look in the mirror, eh? <font face="Forte">[[User:Steven Zhang|<font color="black">Steven Zhang</font>]] <sup>[[User talk:Steven Zhang|<font color="#FFCC00">The clock is ticking....</font>]]</sup></font> 10:12, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
 
I am heartened by the acceptance statements of Guerillero & Primefac; that the focus should be on ''conduct'' of involved parties. I suggest that there is ample evidence that conduct has fallen short of our accepted standards, particularly as regards:
===Comment by SoWhy===
OverlordQ's revert, no matter if they were involved previously, was justified by [[WP:PREFER]], which allows ''any'' administrator to revert to a point before the edit-warring if such a point exists - which it did here. On the other hand, Coffee, as previously involved, has misused the tools to edit through protection as [[WP:FULL]] clearly says that no edits to a fully protected should be made without prior discussion.
 
# misinterpretation &/or misapplication of core policy (WP:OR, WP:NPOV, etc)
I think the main reason to accept this case was mentioned by {{user|Carcharoth}} below: The motion that ArbCom (incorrectly imho) passed instead of a full case has lead to exactly the problems that people warned them about before - i.e. that some users will take that motion as a reason to change policy. Another motion that clarifies that the previous motion is ''not'' a reason to justify further changes is clearly in order but the scale of problems caused by the misuse of tools by a number of administrators in this current discussion on BLPs warrants a full case, preferably covering more than only this incident of wheel-warring that is but the tip of the iceberg.
# tendentious source selection
# bludgeoning of discussions
# derailing of discussions
 
I am disheartened, however, by comments which focus on external commentary by "Gamergaters" & [[:Netto-uyoku]].
Also, the Committee should say clearly that the current state of any RFC, no matter how clearly it looks as if it will be consensus, cannot be a reason to change policy before the RFC is closed (especially not after only ''one''(!) day of discussion). After all, a significant number of people supporting [[Wikipedia:Requests_for_comment/Biographies_of_living_people#View_by_Jehochman|Jehochman's proposal]] have indicated that they are uncomfortable with changing [[WP:PROD]] for these purposes and proposed a separate policy/process to be created (for example supports #2, #7, #10, #15, #16, #72, #73 etc.) and/or have indicated that they would require additional rules for such a process, like a limit of tagged articles (for example supports #15, #72, #77, #79, #107, #108 etc.), which clearly shows that Jehochman's proposal, even if accepted, will require further discussion on exactly how it should look like and thus can't be a reason to change policy ''now''. Regards '''[[User:SoWhy|<span style="font-variant:small-caps; color: #AC0000">So</span>]][[User talk:SoWhy|<span style="font-variant:small-caps; color: #35628F">Why</span>]]''' 11:26, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
 
While our article on Yasuke has been the subject of discussion in those groups; and there is evidence of IP editors & new accounts arriving to affect article content, to the extent that this has been disruptive, it has largely been dealt with using page protection & reverts of vandalistic edits. This aspect, while certainly present, is ''not'' what the Community has failed to resolve.
===Statement by Scott McDonald===
Recommend rejection (for now).
 
A narrative focused solely on external "culture war", and a case with a corresponding scope, would both ignore that there is an historical personage about whom there is diversity of opinion, and fail to address the significant issues of behaviour by established editors.
Coffee, knock it off. We used the tools to force a neccessary issue where BLP policy was being seriously ignored. Arbcom and Jimbo recognised that. There's now an RfC to try to find a "process compliant way" of sorting this. Let's give the RfC some time. I'm not optimistic it will succeed and we may be back to tools and arbcom, but hopefully it won't come to that.
 
Where editors, new or old, make reasonable, policy aligned contributions to discussions, those contributions should be addressed in good faith. In some cases, they have not been.
In the meantime, everyone put the tools down for a week or two and give negotiations one last try. An arbcom case now won't help, it will just be about winners and losers. Arbcom is (like use of tools) a last resort. Keep both until all else fails. We may be back here in February, but not yet. Dust needs to settle a bit.
 
I am particularly saddened by the withdrawal of BrocadeRiverPoems from the topic area. Though we have disagreed strongly at times, their contributions to this topic, while occasionally verbose, have been cogent and constructive. I apologise for any role I may have played in their decision to withdraw.
If you take this case, what will you do? Like everyone else you can't decide until the RfC succeeds or fails.--[[User talk:Scott MacDonald|Scott Mac (Doc)]] 11:49, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
 
Again, I thank the Committee for their time & effort in taking on this case.
 
[[User:Rotary Engine|Rotary Engine]] <sup>[[User talk:Rotary Engine|talk]]</sup> 02:26, 23 September 2024 (UTC)
As a follow on to the RfC, I have started a policy proposal at''' [[Wikipedia:Unreferenced biographies of living people]]'''.--[[User talk:Scott MacDonald|Scott Mac (Doc)]] 17:27, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
 
=== Statement by DarkFallsSymphony Regalia ===
I agree with Gitz, Loki, and Pinguinn. The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Yasuke/Archive_3#RfC:_Should_the_view_that_Yasuke_was_a_samurai_be_added_to_the_article recent RfC] was done excellently in my opinion, however [[Yasuke]] has been the target of the right-wing culture warrior crowd[https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2024/05/24/upcoming-assassins-creed-game-attacked-as-woke-over-black-samurai-protagonist-but-its-based-on-a-real-black-warrior/]. The main issues are:
A complete brainfart by Coffee with the edit over the full protection. Wait until the RfC is closed. Sandstein shouldn't have blocked, as he was involved. Overlord acted correctly with the revert; it is, as SoWhy stated above, the norm to revert to the version before the edit warring. That being said, arbcom shouldn't go overboard about the wheel war. Just a few lapses in judgement by some of the involved parties that, in the end, caused minimal damage. Slap involved parties with a trout, and that should be the end of it. A different situation exists with the original motion. It needs, as SoWhy also stated, to be clarified. Hearing a full case about this is a waste of everybody's time, and simply causes meaningless drama we would rather avoid. Remember, this case is about the wheel war, and not about BLP deletions.
 
1. That people who are convinced he isn't one, because they just ''know'', or because they read it as a part of the aforementioned culture war over a video game[https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2024/05/25/digital/yasuke-assasins-creed-samurai/] push the fringe POV that Yasuke was not a samurai in contrast to reliable sourcing.
===Statement by uninvolved HJ Mitchell===
This may be nothing more than a comment from the peanut gallery, but I am uninvolved in the incident itself, but have followed much of the goings-on from the sidelines. It is my hope that the committee will accept this case in order, essentially, to put an end, with luck, to the bickering and edit warring. However likely the outcome of the RfC, the policy page page should stay as it was beforehand and should not be altered, however strong the consensus for the change, until ''after'' the close of the RfC. My recommendation to the Committee draws on the statements by SoWhy and DarkFalls and would be to reprimand Coffee and issue a firm warning to others involved or considering involving themselves. Other than that, I see little good that could come from hearing a full case and consensus as to what to do with these unsourced biographies of living persons should be allowed to continue to develop.
 
2. This is mostly in the form of new users drawn here by culture war issues removing mentions of "samurai" and replacing them with sometimes racially derogatory terms, calling him a "bodyguard" or a "retainer", endlessly conducting [[WP:OR]] on talk pages, or starting redundant RfCs.
===Statement by uninvolved Collect===
 
The Yasuke article saw an absurd amount of vandalism when said video game trailer came out and if anything I think general sanctions (not unlike [[Wikipedia:General_sanctions/Gamergate|Gamergate sanctions]], perhaps a category for culture war subjects based on diversity) would be potentially appropriate to prevent continued disruption. That being said, as mentioned editors were indeed able to establish a very clear RfC consensus[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Yasuke/Archive_3#RfC:_Should_the_view_that_Yasuke_was_a_samurai_be_added_to_the_article], so I do think that demonstrates overall that the community was able to come together.
An example again of "unintended consequences." I would suggest the committee revist the wisdom of the wording of the "BLP motion" and consider again whether the results of the motion have been beneficial to WP. Already some appear to view the motion as being potentially applicable to all "insufficiently sourced" articles. I would ask that it emend its position to deal only with BLPs and only for those under a certain size (say 100 words) or which contain known problematic words associated with profanity or attack. I would also ask that the committee determine precisely how many libel actions have ever been undertaken as a result of an "unreferenced BLP." Thanks. [[User:Collect|Collect]] ([[User talk:Collect|talk]]) 13:00, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
 
I'm not sure what the threshold for a full arbcom case is, but my recommendations would be:
===Comment by DuncanHill===
Inevitable and entirely forseeable consequence of the BLP motion. Arbcom's approval of the use of tools and disruptive behaviur to force policy change regardless of the views of the community gave a greenlight to any other admins wanting to establish ownership of policy and procedure. [[User:DuncanHill|DuncanHill]] ([[User talk:DuncanHill|talk]]) 13:59, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
 
* EC protection on [[Yasuke]].
*Would those Arbs who have issued "clarifications" of the previous motion in various threads on various pages please gather them all up into one place? To pass a motion that has produced such contradictory interpretations, and then to scatter your clarifications to the four winds, is not helpful. Would you also consider the possibility that when so many editors are telling you that your motion does not make sense and has generated more confusion than it solved, they might just be right? [[User:DuncanHill|DuncanHill]] ([[User talk:DuncanHill|talk]]) 16:16, 25 January 2010 (UTC)
* A moratorium on redundant RfCs, as well as stricter enforcement of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Yasuke/Archive_3#RfC:_Should_the_view_that_Yasuke_was_a_samurai_be_added_to_the_article recent RfC consensus] which is frequently disregarded by new users and culture war vandals.
 
As for Yvan Part's comment toward me, it was indeed heard and editors did not find it convincing[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard/Incidents#c-Nil_Einne-20240912194600-Yvan_Part-20240912132200]. Yvan Part is a new account that was created the day the trailer for the video game featuring Yasuke was released, and within 2 hours of account creation went on to argue on Yasuke-related talk pages to push the fringe POV that he is not a samurai[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Yasuke&diff=prev&oldid=1224121558].
===Statement by uninvolved Cenarium===
As I had predicted, this comes back before ArbCom pretty fast, and you can plainly see the devastating effects of your motion on consensus building and how it threatens any progress in the area. Should the case be accepted, that motion should be rescinded because it is a prejudice to the case. Should the case not be accepted, it should also be rescinded, or amended, for the reasons previously given which can now be easily verified. Anyway, you know very well that your motion has no effect whatsoever on the BLP issue, it just stirs controversy and drama among the few of us who care for this political game, much like [[WP:BLPSE|BLPSE]] (mass drama, zero effect). It seems that this ArbCom wants to give itself 'good conscience' by seemingly 'acting', or being seen as 'acting', on the BLP issue, even though it's not in its capacity. Because ArbCom has power on users, but has no power on the community. As Carcharoth pointed out, the community of volunteers do all the work after all, and that's the reason we use consensus as decision model for policy (and content), it's the only one that can work, you can't force volunteers in doing things they don't want to, and even less expect it will work in the end. [[User:Cenarium|Cenarium]] ([[User talk:Cenarium|talk]]) 14:17, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
 
On July 1st, one day after the previous RfC closed with an overwhelming consensus, Yvan Part demonstrated intent to violate it and called it {{tq|disgusting}}[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Yasuke&diff=prev&oldid=1232027931].
* '''Reply to Mailer Diablo''': The motion is inconsistent and open to multiple contradictory interpretations, as had been pointed out repeatedly and is now so plain to see. So people will read it in the way it best fits their objectives. The 'finding' that all the deletions (hard for me to call this finding because I am doubtful that ArbCom really had the time to check them all in such a short time, and in addition, all those which occurred while the motion was voted on) were within admin discretion and the commendation, so implicit endorsement, for those actions not only allows them to continue, as the urging to conduct them in a less chaotic (but still 'reasonable') manner is open to interpretation. But read like this, the motion can be used to force the deletions into policy, which has been attempted and why we're here again, and then the deletions would be within policy and thus no more 'chaotic'. So I would urge ArbCom to revisit the motion, especially in light of the RFC which clearly shows that the deletions conducted were ''against consensus'', and thus cannot be within admin discretion (which stands in the ''no consensus'' zone). [[User:Cenarium|Cenarium]] ([[User talk:Cenarium|talk]]) 14:38, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
 
On August 2nd Yvan Part went on to attempt to sidestep the RfC consensus by adding "despite the ambiguous definition of samurai during this period" to water down the assertion in an undue fashion[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yasuke&diff=prev&oldid=1238248612]
===Statement by Lar ===
Troutslaps all around, then reject with a warning not to do it again. Let the RfC run for a reasonable time. Waiting till Feb is not unreasonable given that we at last have some forward movement now where before there was none. ++[[User:Lar|Lar]]: [[User_talk:Lar|t]]/[[Special:Contributions/Lar|c]] 15:09, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
 
On August 6th Yvan Part outright removed "samurai" from the lede in violation of the spirit of the RfC[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yasuke&diff=prev&oldid=1239052334]. This was opposed by me and he did it again with a misleading edit summary, calling it a "slight modification"[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yasuke&diff=prev&oldid=1240968993].
=== Statement by Pohta ce-am pohtit ===
Militantism hasn't been reduced a whole lot by the previous ArbCom motion, particularly after [[User:Jimbo Wales|Jimbo]] personally thanked [[User:Scott MacDonald]] for his [[WP:BOLD]] actions, just as you did. [[Wikipedia:ANI#Mass-prodding|This ANI thread]] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Power.corrupts&diff=prev&oldid=339298776]
[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Ikip&diff=prev&oldid=339337251] illustrate that deletions continued in an acrimonious atmosphere, albeit mainly by prodding. [[Wikipedia:Requests_for_comment/Biographies_of_living_people#View_by_Jehochman|Jehochman's RfC proposal]], which seems to have the most support at this time, is purposefully vague about one crucial aspect: the speed with which prodding is going to occur. (Obviously, this lack of detail was interpreted by various participants according to their own [[cognitive bias]].) There seems to be consensus however that BLP articles should not be deprodded without adding references first. It should come as no surprise that [[User:Coffee]] [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia%3AProposed_deletion&action=historysubmit&diff=339499672&oldid=339256515 concluded] from those these events that [[WP:BOLD]] itself can be used to change the PROD policy despite [[WP:FULL]] protection, because (his interpretation of) [[WP:BLP]], RfC consensus, plus your Jimbo-boosted motion trumps even that.
 
On August 20th he attempted to remove "samurai" from the lede yet again in violation of the RfC[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yasuke&diff=next&oldid=1241250501].
This case should be closed as "trouts all round" because ArbCom has more guilt here than any of the admins involved. ArbCom members are invited to subscribe to [[Wikipedia:Requests_for_comment/Biographies_of_living_people#View_by_Sandstein|Sandstein's view in the RfC]] regarding their previous motion. 15:22, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
 
Vandalism on the article is overall down which is a good thing (though that might change in a renewed news cycle), but I do think the above behavior is a strong of example of why EC protection and/or stronger RfC enforcement would be useful. Cheers [[User:Symphony Regalia|Symphony Regalia]] ([[User talk:Symphony Regalia|talk]]) 01:17, 17 September 2024 (UTC)
===Statement by J. Hare===
Is it so much to ask of our administrators to not act like contentious assholes? [[User talk:harej|@]]'''[[User:harej|harej]]''' 15:28, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
 
=== Statement by XenoTinynanorobots ===
I think that there are some inherent difficulties with writing an article about Yasuke, he has received little academic attention until recently, and there are few academic works about him. The primary sources about him are few, so that means that it is relatively easy for an editor to have read all the primary sources, and the temptation to feel that one is an expert on Yasuke after an hour’s reading is there. Additionally, a lot of the terminology is vague and broad, both in the primary sources as in the secondary sources. For example, some secondary sources describe him as a spear bearer, others as a sword bearer, but most as a weapon bearer. There is, however, little information, at least in English, detailing what these roles are besides the obvious literal interpretation. Another problem I have realized, researching for this article and for the Samurai article, is that terminology used for Samurai history is unclear. When translated to English terms, the meanings don’t quite match up, and some words don’t have strict conventions. When the Japanese words are used, it is hard to look up the meaning without knowledge of Japanese. The word retainer can be the translation of several Japanese words, at least some of which have different meanings. The word that is probably the most difficult is samurai. Several experts have said, in the context of Yasuke, that the word was ambiguous or vague during this period. Even during the Edo Period, its meaning seems to have varied from domain to domain.
This is basically fall-out from the motion passed in lieu of a full case - a case that the committee had already voted to accept. I'd suggest just opening that case and merging this into it. A slow-moving case (possibly with some injunctions) coincident with the RFC should keep folks in line. It may also behoove the committee to make some official clarification of the motion and what it permits. –<font face="verdana" color="black">[[user:xeno|'''xeno''']]</font>[[user talk:xeno|<font color="black"><sup>talk</sup></font>]] 15:30, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
 
It also doesn’t help that the main researcher, Thomas Lockley seems to have overlooked some questions that he could have answered, but also doesn’t communicate clearly. The fact that his book contains both fact and fictional dramatization is the biggest example, but he also makes statements that can be interpreted different ways by different editors. It doesn’t help that misinformation has spread in certain online echo chambers about him, that is both slanderous and stupid. So it can hard to determine what is factual.
=== Statement by WJBscribe===
On seeing this request, I was half tempted to add the committee to the list of proposed parties. I can't help but feel that these sorts of disputes (and I fear there will be more) are a result of the knee-jerk motion on the mass BLP deletions, which sent out very mixed signals. <strong style="font-variant:small-caps">[[User:WJBscribe|WJBscribe]] [[User talk:WJBscribe|(talk)]]</strong> 15:44, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
 
This whole process is made more difficult by the single-minded focus on Yasuke´s status as a samurai by some editors. This group of hardliners, oppose any changing of Yasuke´s status as a samurai, but interpret every change as touching Yasuke´s status. One sees this in the response to attempts to remove repetition and clunkiness from the lead. [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?diff=prev&oldid=1238186706 diff] Small uncontroversial changes were undone, based on association with controversial changes[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Yasuke&diff=prev&oldid=1238242844 diff]. Added to this, interesting interpretations of Wikipedia policy were asserted in chat, such as that "scholarly" was a weasel word, in the context of which sources were more appropriate/reliable.[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Yasuke&diff=prev&oldid=1237605445 diff] The extremity to which the focus on samurai status and neglect of the bigger picture of the article is visible in the lead. A recent example was that a sentence was repeated twice in a row[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yasuke&diff=prev&oldid=1245625043 diff].
===Statement by Resolute===
I see no reason for this to go to full arbitration, but like others, I will point out that the ridiculously poorly phrased motion has now twice been cited (at least) in support of unilateral actions regarding this mess. This is on your head, ArbCom. You helped create this problem with what has certainly come off as a biased motion that is generating even more drama. Even now, Arbitrators are still trying to clarify the previous motion. Why don't you all just stop wasting our time trying to justify that mistake and draft a new one that more accurately reflects what you are apparently trying to say? [[User:Resolute|Reso]][[User Talk:Resolute|lute]] 16:01, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
 
I think there was a problem with WP:OR, there was certainly a problem with using the talk page as a forum, but that stopped in July. I think that a lot of what is being considered OR, is a comparison of different secondary sources, with an occasional use of primary and tertiary sources. I also think it is appropriate to use one’s basic knowledge of the time period as a starting point for investigation. Of course, this should be followed up by sources.
===Statement by Sandstein===
For the reasons given in the AN thread, I consider myself sufficiently [[WP:UNINVOLVED]] to have made the block. It was aimed at preventing continued violation of the policies prohibiting [[WP:EW|edit warring]] and [[WP:FULL|editing protected pages]] by Coffee, and had nothing to do with the substance of the policy changes being warred over. Moreover, to the limited extent I have participated in the discussions concerning deletion of BLPs, I have (as noted at the AN) actually [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Requests_for_comment/Biographies_of_living_people&diff=prev&oldid=339185872 supported] [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Requests_for_comment/Biographies_of_living_people&diff=prev&oldid=339186172 two] proposals for a special PROD régime for BLPs, as provided for in Coffee's change. I am puzzled why [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Proposed_deletion&diff=167816295&oldid=167809561 this 2007 edit] by me to the policy page, concerning an unrelated subject, is deemed by the filer to have any relevance at all to this matter. But as a legal professional with considerable experience in matters related to the recusal of officials, I do recognize that the appearance of prejudice is very much in the eye of the beholder, and should the Committee unexpectedly find that there were reasonable grounds to doubt my neutrality in making that block, I will of course recuse from any further administrator actions with respect to [[WP:PROD]] insofar as [[WP:BLP]] issues are concerned.
 
It also appears that the Yasuke page has a bad reputation among editors that aren’t directly involved in it. This is probably due to the culture war going around. The assumption here is that every editor who wants to make a change is a gategamer and Japanese nationalist, and thus their edits are suspect. New editors are especially suspect. This seems to go against assume good faith and welcome newcomers. Editors such as myself are assumed to believe that Yasuke is not a samurai, just because we seek compromise, try to change sources, or otherwise improve the article. In retrospect, this explains why Regalia Symphony followed me to the Samurai article and reverted my edits. My edits didn’t appear to me to be related to Yasuke, but they were related to (insufficient, imho) arguments against Yasuke being a samurai. This also explains how Regalia Symphony could so easily use flimsy and shifting accusations to save himself during the ANI. RS especially has tried to use policy and proposed sanctions to stop discussions that he views as against the RfC. This happened at the cost of discussion and consensus building.
The block is unrelated to these issues. I see it as a normal and necessary action to prevent the continuation of an edit war, see the history of {{lw|Proposed deletion}}, which had previously been stopped by the full protection of the page, but which was continued by Coffee reverting despite the protection. The policy [[WP:FULL]] prohibits editing a fully protected page unless the edit is noncontroversial or has consensus. Evidently, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Proposed_deletion&diff=339499672&oldid=339256515 proposed change] is, at least in this form, currently unsupported by consensus at [[WP:BLPRFC]] or elsewhere. More importantly, the reference to [[WP:BOLD]] is inappropriate, because a page is fully protected only after people have already been ''too'' bold. Administrators are not super-editors and have no special prerogative to edit policy pages. By editing [[WP:PROD]] while it was fully protected and non-administrators could not edit it, Coffee has misused his administrator tools. His [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Coffee&diff=prev&oldid=339501181 reply] to my concerns, in which he announces that he has "no problem" to continue deleting pages without consensus because "the "communities view" [''sic''] doesn't really matter in this case", raises the question whether he has certain basic personal qualities required of an administrator, such as adherence to policy and respect of our consensus-based model of decision-making. It is in view of this that I recommend that the Committee take this case.
 
As I started this article, I was unsure if Yasuke was a samurai, but I first heard about Yasuke from Anthony Cummins, who believes that Yasuke is a samurai and even interviewed Lockley about it. I have done research outside of Wikipedia, and have less doubt about whether Yasuke is a samurai, but at the same time, more understanding what that means. The main problem being the usage of the term samurai and that the conventual wisdom on its meaning is being challenged by historians. Thomas Conlan has even said that the samurai class probably wasn’t a legally recognized class till the Tokugawa period. The majority opinion seems to me to be "Yasuke was a samurai*". Gitz and Regalia Symphony have both falsely said that I supported the RfC to depict Yasuke´s status as disputed. I have criticized both sides of the Yasuke is a samurai dispute, and have consistently opposed describing his status as disputed. I also criticized the double standard that Regalia Symphony has towards "reliable sources" and his interpretation of the "Weasel Words" policy. The fact that those two so little understand what I said, shows how much they truly paid attention.
As to the motion, I don't know whether it's worth the while to revisit it, since my proposal as to how to interpret it for the purpose of going forward, [[WP:BLPRFC#View by Sandstein]], seems to express a broad consensus. But it would certainly help if the Committee were to also confirm, as Carcharoth and Coren appear to do below, that ''continued'' action (especially with administrator tools) unsupported by express consensus is prohibited. <small><span style="border:1px solid black;padding:1px;">[[User:Sandstein|<font style="color:white;background:blue;font-family:sans-serif;">'''&nbsp;Sandstein&nbsp;'''</font>]]</span></small> 16:13, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
 
=== Statement by Pinguinn ===
;Reply to Mailer diablo's question: Yes. <small><span style="border:1px solid black;padding:1px;">[[User:Sandstein|<font style="color:white;background:blue;font-family:sans-serif;">'''&nbsp;Sandstein&nbsp;'''</font>]]</span></small> 16:13, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
I have not edited in this area but I am familiar with the nature of the dispute and why it is so contentious. This all started with Yasuke's inclusion in [[Assassin's Creed Shadows]] and his portrayal as a samurai in that game. Ultimately it all stems from online disputes about diversity in video games that have bled onto Wikipedia, in a manner similar to what prompted the [[WP:ARBGG|GamerGate case]]. [[Sweet Baby Inc.]] has been another page caught up in this "culture war".
 
The GamerGate case authorized discretionary sanctions for pages related to GamerGate or gender related controversies, which were later replaced by [[WP:GENSEX|GENSEX]] CT sanctions. Yasuke and related pages have not been eligible for any CT because despite dealing with similar issues related to a similar dispute, they do not relate to gender or sexuality. In my opinion some kind of CT designation for Yasuke or a wider area such as "culture war issues in video games" is needed. It could potentially solve the problems in this area without a full case. '''[[User:Pinguinn|<span style="text-shadow:0em 0em 1em #00FFFF;"><span style="color:#000000;">Pinguinn</span></span>]]&nbsp;[[User talk: Pinguinn|<span style="text-shadow:0em 0em 1em #00FFFF;"><span style="color:#000000;">🐧</span></span>]]''' 18:05, 16 September 2024 (UTC)
===Statement by Guettarda===
 
=== Statement by LokiTheLiar ===
This is almost identical to the last BLP case, except that it lacks the broader-scale disruption. Coffee had a reasonable expectation of being sheltered by the committee from the consequences of his/her actions.
My general impression as someone who has edited this area is very similar to Gitz and Pinguinn. A page about a minor historical figure that was previously pretty stable and unremarkable has suddenly gotten a lot of attention due to Gamergate-adjacent types, and as a consequence a whole host of new or inexperienced editors now want to remove the word "samurai" from the article in contravention of the sources.
 
When asked what sources support their position, they cannot give any and insist instead on [[WP:OR]] attempts to discredit the sources that disagree with them. Because of this, they lost an RFC on the issue already, and are now attempting to run a second RFC on the same issue <strike>under a month later</strike> under three months later. Furthermore, this has not been limited to just [[Talk:Yasuke]] but has spiraled out to all sorts of other noticeboards, which have very much failed to do anything serious about this problem, therefore ArbCom intervention is necessary.
Sandstein's actions were based on Coffee's use of admin tools. His prior edits to WP:PROD are beside the point, as is the whole issue of involvment in the last RFAR. Only Sandstein's prior involvement with Coffee is relevant; it was not raised, and I'm not aware of anything in it that would preclude his block of Coffee. OverlordQ's editing through protection is appropriate. [[m:Wrong version]] does not apply to policy pages.
 
I agree with Pinguinn's proposed solution of spinning out a second CT from Gamergate instead of just GENSEX. [[User:LokiTheLiar|Loki]] ([[User talk:LokiTheLiar|talk]]) 20:45, 16 September 2024 (UTC)
Blocking Coffee for editing through page protection to continue the edit war for which the page was protected in the first place would have been appropriate last week. Have things changed? Coffee's actions were inappropriate, for for this s/he was blocked. Nothing that warrants arbcomm involvement. Same is true for Sandstein's actions and OverlordQ's actions. The only reason to take the case is to clarify changes in the "social contract" (for want of a better word) under which the community functions, stemming from the BLP case. If the committee intends to shelter actions it approves of, then we need an explicit statement. And all admins need to know whether there will be repercussions for impeding editors who engage in otherwise blockable actions, while "doing the will of the committee".
 
@{{u|CaptainEek}} I do think "culture wars in video games" is a pretty good scope for any eventual CT, but would like to add the caveat that the majority of the recent disruption has been happening to Yasuke specifically. There were also some previous issues with [[Sweet Baby Inc]] but I think those have mostly blown over by themselves, though I'm not 100% sure. [[User:LokiTheLiar|Loki]] ([[User talk:LokiTheLiar|talk]]) 20:59, 17 September 2024 (UTC)
===Statement by Ks0stm===
I am for the most part uninvolved in this entire situation with BLPs having only made one edit related to the recent BLP drama, albeit with that edit being to indicate my support for unreferenced BLP prodding [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Requests_for_comment/Biographies_of_living_people&diff=prev&oldid=339402936 here]. That being said, I observe some key things about this whole wiki-meltdown over BLPs and the situation leading to this RfAr:
 
=== Statement by Masem (uninvolved) ===
#This BLP situation recently has caused a heavy amount of disruption across the wiki. I count [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard/Incidents&oldid=339546732#User:Rdm2376_starting_mass_deletions 1], [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard/Incidents&oldid=339546732#Unitanode_and_good_hand.2Fbad_hand 2a], [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard/Incidents&oldid=339546732#Mass-prodding 2b], [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard/Incidents&oldid=339546732#MickMacNee 3] ANI posts; [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard&oldid=339543650#Fixing_the_unsourced_BLP_problem:_it.27s_up_to_administrators 1], [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard&oldid=339543650#Requests_for_comment_regarding_biographies_of_living_people 2], [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard&oldid=339543650#Coffee_edit_warring_on_protected_policy_page.2C_now_blocked.3B_please_review 3] Admin's noticeboard posts; one [[Wikipedia:Requests for comment/Biographies of living people|request for comment]]; two Requests for Arbitration, one of which (MZMcBride 2) has been accepted; and one arbitration committee motion already. If something does not curtail this downhill spiral, a situation similar to a [[WP:BATTLE|wiki-war]] could (albeit unlikely) break out.
Not involved with any of the talk discussions but I am fully aware that there is the issue that Pinguinn has outlined, that there is a new wave of Gamergate type activity that a high profile video game is triggering, so it is not unreasonable to apply GG DS, as well to take input from new/IP with a lot of salt if they are trying to push against the established academic literature on a cultural figure.[[User:Masem|M<span style="font-variant: small-caps">asem</span>]] ([[User Talk:Masem|t]]) 23:23, 16 September 2024 (UTC)
#Coffee was within [[WP:BRD]]/[[WP:BOLD]] when he added the information...''however'', his actions could be taken as against policy on editing fully protected pages...a viewpoint that depends on whether or not one thinks consensus had already been reached at the RFC.
#Coffee was involved per involvement at the RFC and was ill advised in editing through the protection on those grounds.
#Sandstein was involved having expressed an opinion on the PROD issue, per [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Requests_for_comment/Biographies_of_living_people#View_by_Sandstein this] and support number 19 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Requests_for_comment/Biographies_of_living_people#View_by_Jehochman here]. Blocking under such a situation was ill advised.
#OverlordQ was involved per involvement at the RFAr concerning BLP deletion (as stated by MBisanz) and was ill advised editing through the protection, but he was under the header of [[WP:BRD]] when he did so.
 
--[[w:User:Ks0stm|<font color="009900" ><b>Ks0stm</b></font>]] <sup>([[User talk:Ks0stm|T]]•[[Special:Contributions/Ks0stm|C]]•[[User:Ks0stm/Guestbook|G]])</sup> 16:54, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
 
=== Statement by TznkaiRobert McClenon (Yasuke)===
The filing party has demonstrated that there are continuing disputes in this topic area that the community is not handling successfully. I think it is reasonably clear that the disputes involve conduct as well as content, and that conduct is preventing the orderly solution of content issues. Since the community has not been successful in resolving the disputes, ArbCom should take action. That action should include declaring the topic of [[Yasuke]], broadly construed, including video games featuring Yasuke, to be a [[WP:CTOPIC|contentious topic]]. I do not think that it matters whether the [[WP:CTOPIC|contentious topic]] is defined as a separate topic, or defined to be within the scope of [[WP:ARBGG|the Gamergate case]].
I told you so.
 
I think that ArbCom has two choices as to how to deal with this topic. The first is the "traditional" ArbCom approach of a full case with evidence, to identify the editors who have been the most serious contributors to the disruption, and sanctioning those editors, and then turning the topic over to the administrators at [[WP:AE|Arbitration Enforcement]]. The second approach would be to declare the topic to be [[WP:CTOPIC|contentious]], and to let the administrators at [[WP:AE|Arbitration Enforcement]] identify and sanction the offenders.
Well, perhaps I didn't in so many words, but my statement on the impropriety of the Committee using wording that commended one side's actions lends itself well the conclusion that an inevitable consequence of appeasing one group of partisans leads to continued ill conceived behavior fueled by self righteousness. It seems to me, its hard to approve of one and disapprove here. Coffee has led, and Sandstein refused to get out of his way. Coffee doesn't seem to have much patience for his fellow administrators who disagree with him, and arbcom gave him a pat on the back for it, so I think this sort of thing was a predictable consequence. The only people who had a chance of restraining him are his fellow ideologues, and I'm guessing they weren't around, or simply disinclined to do so.
 
My suggestion is that ArbCom should ask the administrators at [[WP:AE|Arbitration Enforcement]] whether they are ready and willing to identify and sanction the offenders, or whether they want a traditional evidentiary phase first.
Scott MacDonald of course, is right in that we should all go away, and that Coffee and those responding to him, and those who agree with any particular group of folks in that mess should sit on their damn hands and chill out. If no action is done however, this will however be the second time the committee has allowed hot feelings about the BLP war to excuse (or, in one case, commend) admins weaponizing their tools in an internal ideological dispute. The committee is not bound by its precedents, but they shape behavior anyway. Don't be surprised if this battle escalates.--[[User:Tznkai|Tznkai]] ([[User talk:Tznkai|talk]]) 18:43, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
[[User:Robert McClenon|Robert McClenon]] ([[User talk:Robert McClenon|talk]]) 05:15, 17 September 2024 (UTC)
 
:Another attempt to resolve this dispute besides those listed by the filing editor was a request at [[WP:DRN|the dispute resolution noticeboard]] on 14 September 2024: [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Dispute_resolution_noticeboard&oldid=1245701000]. This request was closed for various procedural reasons, as well as because an RFC in process appeared to overlap the DRN request. [[User:Robert McClenon|Robert McClenon]] ([[User talk:Robert McClenon|talk]]) 05:27, 17 September 2024 (UTC)
:Lest I appear that I am trying to take all the credit, there are plenty of statements now lost in the page history that warned of unintended consequences, I believe at least a couple from people nakedly sympathetic to the Committee's concerns.--[[User:Tznkai|Tznkai]] ([[User talk:Tznkai|talk]]) 18:51, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
::[[#Opinion by MickMacNee]]. I for one, think we should be worried about this reaction. I don't know what MickMacNee's history is, or his abilities, but I [[WP:AGF|take his statement at its' face value]]. With deference to his obvious anger though, I worry more about the people who do, or will feel the same as MickMacNee, but have not and will not make a statement. The shut out, insulted, discarded and trampled in the headlong pursuit towards a single goal. Wikipedia is too big to rely on the help of only those who are as gung-ho as you are, and radicals imperil their causes more than their opponents ever will. "Lead, follow, or get out of the way" is a bad motto, because to do any of those things, you have to trust whoever is doing the leading, and that trust is not engendered in self righteous fervor, except by those who already agree with you. You say that you want me follow or out of the way? I say you have not yet truly lead.
::It is surely inevitable that the Arbitration Committee cannot appease everyone. In fact, it probably can't appease anyone, and there are people that no matter how the Arbitration Committee acts or rules or drafts its motions, that will be upset and feel pushed out - perhaps some that even should be pushed out. That is no reason not to work at the margins to. Those who identify themselves as the (only) group which sufficiently cares about BLPs have in a very real sense, won. A little magnanimity never hurt anyone. You should ask for help. Transform the enemy into the ally. To quote [[User:Buster7]], "Treat other editors like they are in your home, not in your way."
::The BLP problem is huge. Unbelievably huge, and all the work cannot be done by a small group. It will take many many hours of work, and the loss of even one useful editor will be a cost that should be only reluctantly accepted. Even if the BLP problem is solved tomorrow in a snap, what then? Is enclyopedia saved, its quality ensured, its content consistent and reliable? How about the constant vigilance required to protect BLPs and the rest of the articles? Play the long game.--[[User:Tznkai|Tznkai]] ([[User talk:Tznkai|talk]]) 21:27, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
 
::I agree that "Was [[Yasuke]] a [[samurai]]?" is a content question, but it is a content question that Wikipedia does not answer, because the question is: "Do [[WP:RS|reliable sources]] describe [[Yasuke]] as a [[samurai]]?" The multiple RFCs on various forms of that question illustrate that there is [[WP:TE|tendentious editing]] with regard to that question, and that is a conduct matter that ArbCom should deal with, either with a full case or by delegating it to [[WP:AE|Arbitration Enforcement]].
===Comment by Birgitte SB===
::I agree with Captain Eek that the topic of conflict may be more generally "Culture wars in video games". For that reason, I think that a full case is in order, to identify both the scope of the conflict and the editors to be sanctioned. [[User:Robert McClenon|Robert McClenon]] ([[User talk:Robert McClenon|talk]]) 21:34, 17 September 2024 (UTC)
Quick and dirty has been the preferred type of action for long enough. I would suggest that this trend stop at Arbcom this time around.--<i><font color="#9966FF">[[User:BirgitteSB|Birgitte]]</font><font color="#CC99CC" size="2">SB</font></i> 18:46, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
 
=== Statement by Alanscottwalker ===
\
I just looked at the article, for the first time and to be clear the article does not say "is/was", it says "served as". It sounds like there could be several ways to support that from what is said above (perhaps consider dropping a note) but I suggest in part, understanding the dispute and the conduct is also being mindful of precise context. That said, I think it would be good for the committee to take this case so as to further the template for handling these off-wiki "culture wars" that have been and will be in the future (unfortunately) brought on-wiki. If the evidence warrants it, you may even want to think hard on formulating principles that specifically address "culture wars". [[User:Alanscottwalker|Alanscottwalker]] ([[User talk:Alanscottwalker|talk]]) 12:05, 17 September 2024 (UTC)
 
=== Statement by TheSeraphimblade Wordsmith===
When we handled the original GamerGate case, we really probably should have put in a remedy concerning video game "culture war" stuff in general, but the whole thing was such a godawful mess that I'm not surprised something got overlooked. I hope the current ArbCom will correct that, since clearly the disruption is spilling outside the GENSEX area. [[User:Seraphimblade|Seraphimblade]] <small><sup>[[User talk:Seraphimblade|Talk to me]]</sup></small> 20:14, 17 September 2024 (UTC)
I echo Tznkai's belief that the motion was not the best thing to do. Rather than remain neutral and carefully weigh all considerations, the Committee appeared to take sides with one of the extremes. In doing so, it emboldened that side to continue with a fanatical devotion now that "Arbcom and Jimbo approve." It would have been just as wrong for Arbcom to side with the anti-deletion group. This entire situation has been regrettable, but I feel that the best thing now is to issue an injunction to stop summary deletion of BLPs (unless there appear to be potentially libelous claims), and let the RFC work its magic. We'll get there, we just need some time. <span style="font-family:Courier New;font-size:3">[[User:The Wordsmith|'''The Wordsmith''']]</span><sup>[[User talk:The Wordsmith|Communicate]]</sup> 21:53, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
===Comment by Ikip===
Coffee should be desysopped.
 
=== Statement by Chaotic Enby ===
In the past three days Coffee has:
As the person who opened [[Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/IncidentArchive1156#Talk:Yasuke_is_a_complete_dumpster_fire|the first ANI thread on this topic]], I can see that the "dumpster fire" has kept repeatedly going in flames since then, and that arbitration remedies are definitely needed at this point. Given how far removed this topic is from GENSEX, it would make more sense to consolidate it and GamerGate into a new, separate CT. [[User:Chaotic Enby|<span style="color:#8a7500">Chaotic <span style="color:#9e5cb1">Enby</span></span>]] ([[User talk:Chaotic Enby|talk]] · [[Special:Contributions/Chaotic Enby|contribs]]) 04:30, 21 September 2024 (UTC)
{|class="wikitable" style="Font-size:70%;"
|-valign=top
!Policy
!Background
!Violation
!Result
|-valign=top
|[[WP:WHEEL]], [[Wikipedia:Administrators#Misuse_of_administrative_tools|WP:ADMIN]]
|Administrator [[User:Rdm2376|Rdm2376]] deleted several hundreds pages, [[Wikipedia:Administrators#Misuse_of_administrative_tools|in violation of existing policy]], despite repeated warnings from other administrators. Geni blocked [[User:Rdm2376|Rdm2376]] twice, 23:08, 20 January 2010, 00:09, 21 January 2010.[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special%3ALog&type=&user=Geni&page=User%3ARdm2376&year=&month=-1&tagfilter=&hide_patrol_log=1]
|Coffee wheel warred with Geni, unblocking [[User:Rdm2376|Rdm2376]], 00:18, 21 January 2010.[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special%3ALog&type=&user=Coffee&page=user%3ARdm2376&year=&month=-1&tagfilter=&hide_patrol_log=1]
|The previous arbcom, created by administrator [[User:Juliancolton]]. 1:52, 21 January 2010.[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case&oldid=339388380]
|-valign=top
|[[WP:WHEEL]], [[WP:PREFER]] [[Wikipedia:Administrators#Misuse_of_administrative_tools|WP:ADMIN]], [[WP:INVOLVED]]
|[[WP:Biographies of living people]] was protected <!--by [[WP:involved|involved]] administrator [[User:Lar|Lar]]. 02:13, 21 January 2010.[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Biographies_of_living_persons&diff=339077323&oldid=339073897]
 
===Statement by Just Step Sideways===
Per [[WP:PREFER]]: "Since protecting the most current version sometimes rewards edit warring by establishing a contentious revision, administrators may also revert to an old version of the page predating the edit war if such a clear point exists." was not followed.
Well since we're talking GamerGate I thought I'd pop in. It's been a while since the committee accepted a case that revolved around basically one single article, but clearly the community is struggling here and needs some help.
 
This doesn't fit under the current CTOP but I could certainly see expanding it in order to accomplish that.
Administrator Rd232 reverted to language which had been stable for 3 years, per [[WP:PREFER]]. 02:30, 21 January 2010.[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Biographies_of_living_persons&diff=339079597&oldid=339079470]-->
 
Although a different dispute, there are clearly some of the same underlying issues involving the toxicity that is sadly all too prevalent in gamer culture. We didn't go beyond the single issue at the time because it was a giant toxic monster that was consuming our lives and we just wanted it to be over. I volunteered to be a drafter exactly because my term was ending and I knew once that decison came out I'd be done, but a decade later I'm still not sure I'd volunteer again, and that's even given that I got the flu in the middle of the whole thing and as a result David did most of the actual work. [[User:Just Step Sideways|Just Step Sideways]] [[User talk:Just Step Sideways|<sup>from this world ..... today</sup>]] 20:22, 21 September 2024 (UTC)
Arbitrator SirFonzzie said: "Stop immediately. The next person who edits this through full protection should turn their mop in with it." 04:45, 21 January 2010.[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia_talk:Biographies_of_living_persons&diff=339096004&oldid=339095048]
|Coffee edited protected [[WP:Biographies of living people]]. 07:14, 21 January 2010.[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Biographies_of_living_persons&diff=339110425&oldid=339079597]
 
=== Statement by Silverseren ===
Coffee was that "next person".
I think we are long past the point where Gamergate needs to be a separate CT from GENSEX or we need some sort of broader CT covering this topic area. While Gamergate may have started with a heavy focus on sexism and harassment of women, it has broadened in the decade since into any and all kinds of bigotry. A lot of that recently does still involve things like attacking as many trans people as possible, yes, but it also has involved quite a lot of racism and a variety of general bigoted harassment that isn't covered specifically under GENSEX. [[Yasuke]] is only one example of many of this. And since the Gamergate group has also gotten significantly involved in general conservative culture war issues, such as anything involving [[Critical race theory|CRT]], [[Diversity, equity, and inclusion|DEI]], and anything "[[woke]]" in general, we really need a broader CT coverage area. [[User:Silver seren|<span style="color: dimgrey;">Silver</span>]][[User talk:Silver seren|<span style="color: blue;">seren</span>]]<sup>[[Special:Contributions/Silver seren|C]]</sup> 04:06, 22 September 2024 (UTC)
|
|- valign=top
|[[Wikipedia:WHEEL#Accountability|WP:ADMIN]], [[WP:PROD]]
|[[User:Hipocrite]] warned [[User:power.corrupts]] not to delete the PROD tag.[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Power.corrupts&diff=prev&oldid=339240943]
 
=== Statement by {Non-party} ===
I quote the PROD template.[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Power.corrupts&diff=prev&oldid=339258613]
Other editors are free to make relevant comments on this request as necessary. Comments here should address why or why not the Committee should accept the case request or provide additional information.
<!-- * Please copy this section for the next person. * -->
 
=== Ongoing problems surrounding Yasuke: Clerk notes ===
The PROD templates states: "You may remove this message if you improve the article '''or otherwise object to deletion for any reason.''' However please explain why you object to the deletion, either in your edit summary or on the talk page." ''(emphasis my own)''
:''This area is used for notes by the clerks (including clerk recusals).''
*
 
=== Ongoing problems surrounding Yasuke: Arbitrators' opinion on hearing this matter <4/0/0> ===
|Coffee then threatened to block [[User:power.corrupts]] for removing PRODs, 04:41, 22 January 2010.[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Power.corrupts&diff=339292069&oldid=339291318]
{{anchor|1=Ongoing problems surrounding Yasuke: Arbitrators' opinion on hearing this matter}}<small>Vote key: (Accept/decline/recuse)</small>
|
* '''Accept''' I would think that this could be resolved at AN(I), but it appears that it was not. Since the community got several bites at the apple but it has not been resolved, I am okay with ArbCom action here. Please remember that we are going to look at conduct, not content, issues. "Was Yasuke a samurai?" is a question only the community can resolve and then only through discussion. --[[User:Guerillero|Guerillero]] <sup>[[User_talk:Guerillero|<span style="color: green;">Parlez Moi</span>]]</sup> 07:12, 17 September 2024 (UTC)
|-valign=top
* '''Accept''' per Guerillero, with further emphasis that we would be looking at conduct of involved parties. [[User:Primefac|Primefac]] ([[User talk:Primefac|talk]]) 11:59, 17 September 2024 (UTC)
|[[Wikipedia:WHEEL#Accountability|WP:ADMIN]], [[WP:PROD]]
*I lean towards framing the issue more broadly as "culture wars in video games," but would be interested in hearing more from folks about whether that's a good scope or not. [[User:CaptainEek|<b style="color:#6a1f7f">CaptainEek</b>]] <sup>[[User talk:CaptainEek|<i style="font-size:82%; color:#a479e5">Edits Ho Cap'n!</i>]]</sup>[[Special:Contributions/CaptainEek|⚓]] 19:51, 17 September 2024 (UTC)
|[[User:Ikip]] warns Coffee about Coffee's behavior on power.corrupts's talk page.
*:I am open to it if we can describe the modern [[culture war]] in the west in a way better than "[[I know it when I see it]]" -- -- [[User:Guerillero|Guerillero]] <sup>[[User_talk:Guerillero|<span style="color: green;">Parlez Moi</span>]]</sup> 07:18, 18 September 2024 (UTC)
|Coffee threatened to block [[User:Ikip]] 12:57, 22 January 2010.[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Ikip&diff=339337251&oldid=339333449]
*::'''Accept''' clearly there's some issue here that we should solve. I lean towards a broad scope; I understand that "culture wars in video games" has some definitional issues, but I don't know that we have to nail down a definition yet. I suspect the discussion over how to phrase any potential CT will be a key part of the case. [[User:CaptainEek|<b style="color:#6a1f7f">CaptainEek</b>]] <sup>[[User talk:CaptainEek|<i style="font-size:82%; color:#a479e5">Edits Ho Cap'n!</i>]]</sup>[[Special:Contributions/CaptainEek|⚓]] 03:44, 22 September 2024 (UTC)
|-valign=top
*'''Accept''' - I'm also tentatively open to the scope including more than just this article's subject, though either way this issue in particular appears to be something that is ready for an arbitration case. - [[User:Aoidh|Aoidh]] ([[User talk:Aoidh|talk]]) 03:22, 20 September 2024 (UTC)
|[[WP:WHEEL]], [[WP:PREFER]] [[Wikipedia:Administrators#Misuse_of_administrative_tools|WP:ADMIN]]
|Administrator [[User:Malinaccier|Malinaccier]] protected [[Wikipedia:Proposed deletion]]. 00:34, 22 January 2010.[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Proposed_deletion&diff=prev&oldid=339256515]
|Coffee edited protected [[Wikipedia:Proposed deletion]] stating: "The consensus has not and will not change, ArbCom passed a motion that tells admins to be BOLD about this. Therefore I'm being bold and putting this back here." 07:55, 23 January 2010.[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Proposed_deletion&diff=prev&oldid=339499672]
|}
 
I fear this arbcom will justify the behavior here, so let me preemptively say: '''There is no mistake on Coffee's part here.''' Coffee is a veteran administrator, who knows the rules of page protection, wheel warring, and has an understanding of the arbcom ruling.
 
As mentioned above, this is Coffee's interpretation of the last Arbcom, when he edited a protect page to his own version:
:"The consensus has not and will not change, ArbCom passed a motion that tells admins to be BOLD about this. Therefore I'm being bold and putting this back here." 07:55, 23 January 2010.[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Proposed_deletion&diff=prev&oldid=339499672]
 
SirFonzzie wrote below: "certain members of the community mistook the recent amnesty for a license to force an agenda."
 
As Coffee's comments show, arbcom sent a powerful, empowering message to disruptive administrators like Coffee by giving them amnesty: our community rules don't matter, and administrators will be forgiven and rewarded for blatantly breaking our community rules. This is a sample of the future of wikipedia, a brazen, disruptive, "utter contempt"[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk%3AScott_MacDonald&action=historysubmit&diff=339067635&oldid=339066254] for all of our community rules. '''Thank you arbitration committee.'''
 
I also note: [[Wikipedia:Petition against Ignore All Rules abuse]]
 
===Comment by Lara===
Poor choice to make the edit on Coffee's part, bad block by Sandstein. I don't see that OverlordQ did anything wrong. Not sure why he's listed. Anyway, we've got momentum now, guys, don't kill it my doing stupid crap. RFC is going well, so wait for it to conclude.
 
50 lashes for 'em both, then everyone get back to work. We've got a BLP problem to ''finally'' get to fixing.
 
===Comment by Seddon===
 
I think we need to see some consistency in the committee, since they are ''supposed'' to be the stiching that pulls the comunity together when its tearing itself apart. Considering that we have just let a case go where we had admins self unblocking, mass deletion and discussion to support the BLP policy on wikipedia, you cannot now accept a case and judge an admin who clearly did have a consensus support from an rfc on thier side and respected both the block and the unblock restrictions.
 
In short:
 
* The blocks were mildly inappropriate mainly due to the involvement of the blocking admin.
* The original edits made to the protected page were hasty given that the rfc is still ongoing.
* The subsequent edits made after the block were again a bad move but again certainly not without merit based on the support in the rfc.
 
I'm not saying that anything that occured I support. I just hope that all the admins involved walk away from this realising what each one of did was severly lacking in clue and that it would be in their best interests not to repeat such actions in the future.
 
I think its safe to say that this can be put to rest, the admins learn a lesson, we all move on, allow the rfc to run its full coarse and finally secure a community supported method of solving the blp issue whilst we endlessly wait for some form of flagging.
 
===Comment by JoshuaZ===
 
There's no justification for this wheel-war in any universe. Even given the most pro-deletion interpretation of the ArbCom's prior motion, modification of a policy page does not in any way remove BLP problematic content. Editing through a protected page thus isn't even akin to the behavior which the ArbCom explicitly labeled disruptive earlier. This is a classic example of an extremely unacceptable wheel-war. [[User:JoshuaZ|JoshuaZ]] ([[User talk:JoshuaZ|talk]]) 23:56, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
 
: I'm deeply concerned by the statement by some Arbs such as Mailer diablo that they can't change or modify the prior motion because it would look like they are "flip-flopping." Frankly, this is ridiculous. Decent, mature humans admit when they have made mistakes and change accordingly. It might well be that in some places "flip-flopping" is a bad thing but we expect the people we elect to the ArbCom to have the minimal maturity to admit when they screwed up and act accordingly. It is all the more disturbing given the general pattern of how rarely the ArbCom has ever acknowledged that it has made a mistake (which as far as I am aware is exactly once and even then it was a ridiculous half- apology to the user in question who got screwed over). There seems to be a deep institutional problem here. [[User:JoshuaZ|JoshuaZ]] ([[User talk:JoshuaZ|talk]]) 18:12, 25 January 2010 (UTC)
 
===Comment by Cyclopia===
 
Copy-and-paste here the comments by Ikip and JoshuaZ , together. If the ArbCom wants to positively show that, indeed, it didn't gave people a green light to act in complete defiance of policy and consensus, it should desysop whoever continues to be rogue despite the current discussion. --[[User:Cyclopia|<font color="green">Cycl</font><big>o</big><font color="green">pia</font>]][[User talk:Cyclopia|<font color="red"><sup>talk</sup></font>]] 01:07, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
* By the way, I sincerely hope <strike>this [http://wikipediareview.com/index.php?showtopic=28263&st=400&p=217994&#entry217994 off-site remark by Scott MacDoc] is only a joke.</strike> <small>(He redacted it after I posted it here. Funny.)</small> this [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia%3ARequests_for_comment%2FBiographies_of_living_people&action=historysubmit&diff=340191004&oldid=340190839 blackmail-ish kind of comment] is only a joke. I know this is not ''strictly'' related to the case, but would ArbCom care to clarify that, in general, further <strike>"direct actions"</strike> "chaos" lacking consensus will not be tolerated? --[[User:Cyclopia|<font color="green">Cycl</font><big>o</big><font color="green">pia</font>]][[User talk:Cyclopia|<font color="red"><sup>talk</sup></font>]] 16:06, 26 January 2010 (UTC)
 
===Comment by Dank===
 
Protection policy is not my strong suit, but I'll tell what I know. [[Wikipedia_talk:Protection_policy/Archive_4#Protection_of_a_policy_page_in_the_.22wrong_version.22_is_an_endorsement|This]] is the only discussion I'm aware of where we talked about how protection policy applies to policy pages; it doesn't appear to me that people knew the answer to the question then, or know now. <s>At that time,</s> I searched all the [[WT:PROTECT]] archives and found zip on the subject, and I've just looked again and found nothing. I don't have a problem interpreting some of the recent edits through protection at for instance [[WP:BLP]] as disagreements and misunderstandings of whether we're supposed to protect a policy page in the "current version" or in the "stable version". It would be helpful to get some clarification on this.
:Also see the discussion on WT:PROTECT, [[Wikipedia_talk:Protection_policy#Wikipedia:Arbitration.2FRequests.2FCase.23Comment_by_Dank|here]], where we didn't get much farther than stating the problem. - Dank ([[User talk:Dank|push to talk]]) 15:46, 26 January 2010 (UTC)
 
===Comment by uninvolved Jayen466===
Collect, above, asked 'how many libel actions have ever been undertaken as a result of an "unreferenced BLP."' Given the protection Wikipedia enjoys under [[Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act|Section 230]], I believe the more appropriate questions are –{{quotation|1. How many BLP-related OTRS complaints are received each day at ''info-en-q''?<br />2. How many of these complaints relate to unreferenced BLPs vs. referenced BLPs?<br />3. How many of these complaints are justified?}}
 
In my experience, many libellous or unfair BLPs actually ''have'' references. They become libellous or unfair because some of the references are to poor sources (tabloids, blogs, inappropriately used primary sources) or because they give certain sources undue weight. In contrast, completely unreferenced BLPs are often harmless stubs on obscure footballers and the like – of course these would be better with sources, but they may not be the "real" locus of the BLP problem; I simply don't know. If the committee could provide the community with some data on this, it would help inform discussion and focus effort correctly. --'''<font color="#0000FF">[[User:Jayen466|JN]]</font><font color=" #FFBF00">[[User_Talk:Jayen466|466]]</font>''' 01:46, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
 
*A couple of OTRS volunteers have provided some complaints figures [[Wikipedia_talk:Volunteer_response_team#info-en_.28Quality.29_.E2.80.93_how_many_a_day.3F|here]]. --'''<font color="#0000FF">[[User:Jayen466|JN]]</font><font color=" #FFBF00">[[User_Talk:Jayen466|466]]</font>''' 16:02, 25 January 2010 (UTC)
 
===Comment by Wikidemon===
(nice graphic, Ikip!)
 
As a nonadmin editor I'm always uneasy when administrators start throwing their weight around outside of the limited realm of defined procedures where they're supposed to be doing so. I really think we need to throttle down on [[WP:IAR]], [[WP:BOLD]], grand pronouncements, and all the things that people sometimes call drama. Current policy is that BLP articles are not deletable solely for lacking a citation, and no pronouncement by Arbcom or [[capture the flag]] game to see who can force changes to policy pages will change that. Policy pages are reflections of policy, which is determined by consensus (with occasional interventions from Jimbo, the Foundation, and perhaps Arbcom). They are not embodiments of policy. So this is a silly game. Whatever the policy page says, that does not change policy.
 
Actually, what a silly issue this all is. Yes, BLP is important and 50K+ untended articles is a problem worthy of resolution. As the committee has noted in its comments so far, after getting a little bit of a kick in the shins we editors are rising to the occaion and doing something about it. Great. So why are the most respected, active leaders in our administrative corps getting in such a knot over this? Best to just take a deep breath, cup of tea, trout, or whatever you call it. The people on both sides are important administrators, whose contributions are very valuable to the project. We shouldn't lose anyone's goodwill or participation over an issue like this. I hope this is clear. I disapprove of some of the behavior here, but I also think it's just not worth making a big deal of it. - [[User:Wikidemon|Wikidemon]] ([[User talk:Wikidemon|talk]]) 03:46, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
 
===Comment by Hesperian===
We have the right to expect consistency from our ArbCom. In order to show consistency with recent rulings, ArbCom must
# Examine WP:PROD, and decide which version of that page they prefer;
# Issue amnesties to any users who behaved badly in promoting that version of the page;
# Issue vague threats to any users who opposed that version, regardless of how they behaved.
[[User talk:Hesperian|Hesperian]] 05:33, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
 
===Statement by uninvolved user ConCompS===
Although I may not be an administrator, almost anyone can voice their opinions/statements. [[WP:WHEELWAR]]ing is not good at all. I really think [[WP:PROD]] is the worst form of deletion method (others might say it's useful, but it's just my opinion). If there were to be consensus to completely scrap [[WP:PROD]], then only the two best deletion methods still stand: [[WP:AFD]] and [[WP:CSD]]. If something is under dispute, [[WP:RFPP]] would be that-away. Although there is a slim to none chance that protection would be accepted for any policy page (unless if it's under dispute and except for highly visible policies such as [[WP:VAND]], etc.), it would still be a chance for users to discuss. However, when it comes to administrators, any admin can edit every page.
 
A possible resolution to prevent such things like this: changing full protection to Administrative protection, where only [[WP:ADMINISTRATOR]]s, [[WP:BUREAUCRATS]], [[m:Stewards]] and the [[m:Founder]] can edit pages, and changing full protection to the point where only bureaucrats, stewards and the founder can edit pages. Full protection is not physically "full" because 4 user groups can edit a page. In my solution, full protection would only be accessible to bureaucrats before moving to the WMF levels (stewards and the founder).
 
If [[WP:PROD]] weren't to be in existence today, we probably would've been discussing something else. I also want to emphasize [[WP:IAR]] in this discussion. If an editor had been surprisingly PRODding every single page, that would be 3.1 million pages to clean out. In this case, if an unapproved bot decided to slap a [[WP:CSD]] or [[WP:PROD]] tag on every single page that isn't fully protected, we'd need another bot that has to be approved in order to clear out the mess that unauthorized bot would make. That would be 6 million (wasted?) edits.
 
<s>Tomorrow, I'm going to make an image depicting the series of events that have happened since the "willing to delete <s>60,000</s> 50,000 more unreferenced [[WP:BLP]]s" controversy (scandal?) started.</s>
 
@[[User:Coffee|Coffee]]: you are a very great administrator, and I believe that your contributions are essential to the project. In fact, a couple of months ago, I recall giving you a Real-Life Barnstar for your outstanding work in dealing with legal and suicide threats. ([[Kanye West]] alert) I'm gonna let you finish, but I'm going to support you (in serious form: I think what has happened so far has lead to sort of a "disaster". I honestly think that either a) [[WP:MEDIATION]] should have came '''before''' [[WP:ARBITRATION]] or b) you didn't deserve the block, because your actions were to defend the project). [[WP:STRESS]] will hit an editor once in a while with a debate like this. I'm mostly leaning towards b) on this one, because defending the wiki is crucial.
 
@[[User:Rdm2376|Rdm2376]], [[User:Lar|Lar]], and [[User:Scott MacDonald|Scott MacDonald]]: You guys can't just go around and deleting lots of unreferenced BLPs without [[WP:CONSENSUS]]. [[WP:IAR]] is <u>'''''not'''''</u> your getaway for this. Sure, they may be unsourced, but if there's a next time, you should either:
 
a) open a [[WP:RFC]] to discuss
 
b) go the old fashioned way by hitting [[WP:AFD]] or
 
c) just ignore it or be [[WP:BOLD]] and find some sources.
 
@[[User:Juliancolton|Juliancolton]]: collaborative environment.
 
Opinions on this statement can go on my talk page, or if it's serious enough to go to email, then email me. [[User:ConCompS|ConCompS]] <small>[[User talk: ConCompS|talk]]</small> <small>[[Wikipedia:Editor review/ConCompS|review]]</small> 05:44, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
 
===Statement by Wehwalt===
Aw gee. I just love to see what my fellow admins get up to while the rest of us are doing our meager parts in building an encyclopedia, wheel warring yet, and blocking in spite of involvement. No one looks pretty out of this, like a bunch of teenage kids arguing about how to describe the Jonas Brothers or something.
 
I agree in principle with Lar. Trout slappings are appropriate, if no larger fish is available short of desysoping, which would not be appropriate. ArbCom needs to put out the brushfires caused by its very appropriate motion disposition of the deletions case. It needs to do it fast.--[[User:Wehwalt|Wehwalt]] ([[User talk:Wehwalt|talk]]) 06:10, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
 
===Statement by uninvolved Keegan===
Stop.
 
Everyone. Administrators, editors, volunteers, functionaries, Arbitrators, casual observers: Stop.
 
It is evident, and has been for years, that biographies of living persons expresses an inherent flaw in our encyclopedic principle, as well as the legality involving libel and defamation. Toss in terrible prose to boot, if you choose.
 
The WMF is actively seeking to correct some aspects of this. Such action involves an inflexible global BLP policy as well as other recommendations for the English Wikipedia.
 
BLPs are a massive problem.
 
This action that has been rampant over this month has done well to get the community involved in a discussion. It has also had the detremental effect of making this a political shell game. Turning the BLP issue into wheel wars and arbitration cases do nothing, and I mean nothing, to come up with a comprehensive work plan for the project. I don't say solution, because there isn't one.
 
I'd like a one week moratorium on the issue in general, and in these requests for arbitration cases and request for comment in particular(s). There are far too many people that are dedicated to this project, with far too much esteem for each other, moving way too fast. We need a break, so let's see a motion on that.
 
:Now that I've been my diplomatic self, let us lighten up the place. <puts on joke hat> Can we not have a motion that is an Arbbot that replies to any post made with a revert and the summary "shut up" for a week?</takes off joke hat> This isn't change we have going on here, this is war. War doesn't resolve conflicts, it just pacifies it for a bit. Pacification is not a solution, and we need to work to that end. If we want to have an open, serious discussion about BLPs and Wikipedia there are about a hundred people that we need to get in a room together and have a managed discussion. The format that we enjoy has many benefits and many failures, and this debate is implicite in the current debate we have. Add the WMF's involvement, and it is even slower.
:Seriously, everyone stop. [[User:Keegan|Keegan]] ([[User talk:Keegan|talk]]) 06:19, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
 
=== Statement by Orderinchaos ===
 
This is what happens when Arbcom, rather than being a neutral arbiter, tries to solve cases by taking one side of the case without sufficient justification, and "commends" disruptive behaviour by one of the parties. Simple psychology would tell one that this would embolden the offenders, and piss off the other side. Hence ArbCom's role in this so far has been inflammatory - I realise that many of the Arbitrators have only just got on the committee a month ago, so in fairness, we should extend to them the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and solve this problem more constructively. In fairness to SirFozzie, there was no "mistake" to make - it was the only valid interpretation of the statement given by ArbCom two days ago.
 
As for Coffee's action, it was a blatant breach of [[WP:PROT]] and the short block on him was entirely correct. Using admin tools to further one's own side in a debate is the most basic violation of the expectations of an admin on this site; however, action should only be taken beyond the short block if it appears he intends to continue misusing the tools. [[User talk:Orderinchaos|Orderinchaos]] 07:02, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
 
: Re Mailer diablo's comment - I can respect that ArbCom does not want to be seen to be flip flopping, but sometimes it's just necessary to say "we stuffed up, sorry about that", and find a way forward which works for everybody. In my state in 1992 there was a piece of emergency legislation enacted to deal with juvenile offenders involved in high speed car chases after a number of news articles over some months, many of which focused on the death of two bystanders, a mother and a baby. The quick response was demanded by the community (including a candlelight "Rally for Justice" and inflammatory comments by a local shock jock), it was enacted in good faith, it had bipartisan support. But it was full of holes and had to be repealed two years later. This happens in the real world, there's no real reason why Wikipedia would be exempt. [[User talk:Orderinchaos|Orderinchaos]] 09:08, 25 January 2010 (UTC)
 
=== Opinion by MickMacNee ===
Too much Coffee is bad for you. I speak as an editor with vast experience, easily able to 'fix' 100 biographies I never created every single day until the end of time, or until somebody sorts their lives out and produces a proper solution, if only I wasn't being called a fucking moron for not having done it sooner. Not anymore. I told arbcom what kind of shit they were encouraging with their last motion. Well here it is. Sit in it. Smell it. That's not the 'sewers of BLP', that's the rotten stench of cutting off the only people who can fix the 'problem'. Have fun. I'll work on what I want to work on from now on, I'll leave fixing the real problem to you few arbs and the tiny tiny amount of activist admins who think they are the pedia. Get to it, you've got a hell of a lot to do. Although as we have seen for the last five years, you haven't got a bloody clue what to do, let alone what this site is actually for. You might be able to clear the pedia of anything you simply have never heard of, but that's a hell of a different proposition to creating an encyclopoedia of the world's knowledge. [[User:MickMacNee|MickMacNee]] ([[User talk:MickMacNee|talk]]) 16:18, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
 
===Statement by uninvolved Peter Cohen===
I thought hard about the uninvolved there. I think that arguably most of Wikipedia is involved as the actions of a few irresponsible individuals has had repercussions on thousands of editors as Wikiprojects put out panicked warnings ot their members about how much material might be lost.
 
Policy should be made by the community, not by Jimbo Wales, not by Arbcom, and not by a small number of rogue admins with axes to grind. It needs to be clearly laid down that a deletion procedure already exists, that it can be revised but only by consensus, that serious attempts should be made to involve the whole community in any decision to change consensus rather than to rush through new policies that only the dedicated followers of Wikidrama have a chance to comment on.
 
Any admins who try to panic the community into doing what they want by taking [[WP:POINT]]y actions should have their brooms taken away. Can ARBCOM now please open a case and take its time to consider things properly rather than let itself be panicked into repeating its previous action of passing a motion as crass as the one [[User:WJBScribe]] rightly criticises above. --[[User:Peter cohen|Peter cohen]] ([[User talk:Peter cohen|talk]]) 16:36, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
 
===A plea for sanity by Nsk92 ===
The august members of the ArbCom should accept this case and try to rectify the grievous error they made in passing the motion in the mass out-of-process BLP deletion matter. By appearing to approve unilateral abuse of IAR in non-emergency situations, rewriting BLP and [[WP:DEL]] policies and discarding a basic principle like [[WP:CONSENSUS]], ArbCom gave license to a few militant ideologues like Coffee and other self-appointed [[oprichnik]]s to run amok and create a tremendous disruption on the project. Before this book-burning campaign drives lots of long-term and hard working content contributors away from Wikipedia (I am just about to call it quits myself), and before too many easily improvable articles on notable subjects are deleted, the ArbCom needs to step back, re-examine the situation more carefully than a quick motion allows, and try to contain the damage inflicted by passing of the previous motion.
1) Let us take a look first at the supposed BLP emergency. IMO, the emergency is almost entirely fictitious, manufactured rather than real, and is largely driven by blind ideological fervor rather than by examining the data. Yes, we do have lots of unreferenced and poorly written BLPs. But these BLPs are in general, no more and no less of a problem than poorly written and poorly written articles on non-BLP subjects; both are an eye-sore, both require improvement and some sort of innovative thinking. But the argument that unreferenced BLPs are some kind of a "ticking time bomb" and that the sky is about to fall because of them is completely bogus. The only argument I heard to justify this apocalyptic vision is that in an unreferenced BLP under outwardly benign language something negative may be lurking. But is there any evidence that this is really happening to any substantial degree? Not at all. There is no flood or even a trickle of OTRS complaints about such cases. The only times where I have seen OTRS reports show up in AfDs and at talk pages is if there is controversial or negative material in the article, but ''it is well sourced'', and the article's subject still wants the material or the article to be deleted. The overwhelming majority of unreferenced BLPs are perfectly peaceful and benign, and quite often (probably in at least a half of the cases) are on notable subjects, easily improvable. Deleting these articles because of an irrational fear would be very damaging to the project. In fact, to the extent unreferenced BLPs are more problematic than other unreferenced articles, it is because unreferenced BLPs often tends to be too flattery and self-promotional, not too negative. Let us think about the worst case scenario. Let us say that really, in one out of 500 of these BLPs something negative is hiding behind some benign language, and the subject of the article notices it complains. What would happen then? I am pretty sure that the contentious material would be quickly removed from the article in response to an OTRS ticket, perhaps the article would be deleted, and that would be the end of it. Now, does this justify the massive hysteria-driven book burning campaign we are witnessing right now? Surely not.
2) In the absence of a true emergency, IAR should be treated as an ethos rather than a license to do as one pleases, with no regard for [[WP:CONSENSUS]] and for established processed. This is 2010, not 2002. The project has gotten too big, too complicated and it involves way too many people for the Wild West cowboy tactics, like those of Coffee and Scott MacDonald, to work. We have existing well-defined deletion processes, like CSD, PROD and AfD. There is every reason to use them, even aggressively use them if needed, to address the problem at hand. There is an RfC in progress on perhaps revising or expanding the scope of PROD or adding a new version of PROD. This process needs to be allowed to run its course for a sane and acceptable consensus outcome to emerge. Unilateral attempts to rewrite [[WP:DEL]] without consensus and without a proper process of deliberation should not be allowed. ArbCom should also get out of the policy-making business. That is not what you were elected to do. Any attempt to run Wikipedia by an administrative fiat of a small group of people, and a small group of [[oprichnik]]s acting on their behalf, cannot possibly succeed and can only drive a great many contributors away from the project. Now, get to work please! [[User:Nsk92|Nsk92]] ([[User talk:Nsk92|talk]]) 17:34, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
 
===Statement by Juliancolton===
Say it with me: ''"collaborative environment"''. &ndash;'''[[User:Juliancolton|<span style="font-family:Script MT;color:#36648B">Juliancolton</span>]]'''&nbsp;&#124;&nbsp;[[User_talk:Juliancolton|<sup><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:gray">''Talk''</span></sup>]] 18:50, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
 
===Statement by Durova===
A reliable measure of prejudice is how many mistakes a person gets forgiven. <font face="Verdana">[[User:Durova|<span style="color:#009">Durova</span>]]</font><sup>''[[User talk:Durova|403]]''</sup> 20:03, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
 
===Statement by Balloonman===
 
I'm with the people who lay the blame on ArbCOM's commendation for blatantly ignoring consensus. They SHOULD have heeded the advice provided by many people. If they felt they had to return the issue to the public for an RfC, that is fine. But by commending the actions of a policy breaker, you've basically said, screw the rest of the world. Is BLP an issue? Yes, but Arbcom's actions are unjustifiable. I am particularly disappointed with the members of the committee who expressed concerns about the speedy deletions, but decided to support a motion that explicitly commended those actions they found questionable. This action is fully expected in light of the committees last ruling which basically said there was no need to let a solution arise, but that BOLD actions would be protected and commended.---'''[[User:Balloonman|<font color="purple">Balloonman</font>]]''' ''[[User talk:Balloonman|<b><sup><small>NO! I'm Spartacus!</small></sup></b>]]'' 02:39, 25 January 2010 (UTC)
:Fitz writes that the actions here stem from a misinterpretation of the motion. Sorry, but the motion was pretty clear:
::''The deletions carried out by Rdm2376, Scott MacDonald, and various other administrators are a reasonable exercise of administrative discretion to enforce the policy on biographies of living people. '' --- EG the people who violated policy, caused disruption, and pissed off the community were right to do so.
::''The administrators who carried out these actions are commended for their efforts to enforce policy and uphold the quality of the encyclopedia, but are urged to conduct future activities in a less chaotic manner. '' ---EG that these people were not only in the right, but they should be commended for taking this unilateral action---they may be urged to do so in a "less chaotic manner" but the actions deserve commendation and praise, not a real warning.
::''The administrators who interfered with these actions are reminded that the enforcement of the policy on biographies of living people takes precedence over mere procedural concerns. '' ---Eg that people who oppose this motion and tried to adhere to policy/guidelines are in the ones who were in the wrong. That the administrators who insisted on adhering to community consensus, guidelines, an policeis are the ones who are at risk of beeing sanctioned in the future.
:The only natural conclusion of this, is that when it comes to BLPs ArbCOM is going to side with the BLP'ers even if their positions is radical and unpopular. That the people who are willing to take extreme actions, even when there is no consensus to do so, will be praised for their actions and the rest of the community be damned. Sorry, this is a natural interpretation of the motion ArbCOM passed. ArbCOM could have passed a motion referring this issue back to the community with stern warnings, but instead decided to dip its feet into judicial activism. Violating the law, even for a good cause, is still violating the law---and can invoke sanctions. Like WJBSCRIBE, I feel like ArbCOM should be listed as an involved party.---'''[[User:Balloonman|<font color="purple">Balloonman</font>]]''' ''[[User talk:Balloonman|<b><sup><small>NO! I'm Spartacus!</small></sup></b>]]'' 19:27, 26 January 2010 (UTC)
@Promethean, that is what the original violations were supposed to be... a wake up call... but with the green light of Amnesty waved in front of them, the actions continued after the RfC was initiated.---'''[[User:Balloonman|<font color="purple">Balloonman</font>]]''' ''[[User talk:Balloonman|<b><sup><small>NO! I'm Spartacus!</small></sup></b>]]'' 19:30, 26 January 2010 (UTC)
 
===Statement by Chunky Rice===
@Roger Davies - Yeah, you guys said further disruption would not be tolerated last time. And yet here you are, tolerating it. -[[User:Chunky Rice|Chunky Rice]] ([[User talk:Chunky Rice|talk]]) 15:12, 25 January 2010 (UTC)
 
===Statement by Cube lurker===
Before you passed the previous motion you were warned that it would be viewed as a liscence to continue with similar disruptive editing. You passed it and surprise surprise we have what we see now. Arbcom should not refuse to fix their past mistake just because some of you are afraid to admit you were wrong.--[[User:Cube lurker|Cube lurker]] ([[User talk:Cube lurker|talk]]) 15:18, 25 January 2010 (UTC)
 
===Statement by Clayoquot===
With respect, the "Hold pending development of the RfC" opinions of some arbitrators would make sense if the RfC was focused on the question of when administrators are entitled to edit through protection in order to change policy. But the RfC isn't going to shed light on that question, so I don't know what you are waiting for. I don't know if this is worth having a full case and I don't know if it's worth desysopping anyone over, but I suggest any "last chance" warnings that you give include names in order to be maximally effective at modifying behaviour. [[User:Clayoquot|Clayoquot]] ([[User_talk:Clayoquot|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Clayoquot|contribs]]) 05:55, 26 January 2010 (UTC)
 
===Statement by largely uninvolved Badger Drink===
ArbCom referred the previous case to the community. The community is now handling it with the grace and dignity that any reasonably sentient being would expect at the time of the original request. I feel ArbCom should continue to let the community handle this in the community's low-key, highly-nuanced and eternally-tactful fashion. As Mr. Davies insinuates, opening a case would likely result in ArbCom being required to make some tough decisions, a process which we on Wikipedia refer to with the [[Dog-whistle politics|dogwhistle]] of "drama". Let us avoid such [[Dilemma|drama]]. [[User:Badger Drink|Badger Drink]] ([[User talk:Badger Drink|talk]]) 06:40, 26 January 2010 (UTC)
 
===Passing thought by Promethean===
Whilst I agree that the conduct listed above was outright stupid and beyond the bounds of common sense, I feel that this case has already served its purpose as a wakeup call to those involved, I doubt, in all honesty, that they will be so reckless again and any further action will be punitive and not preventative. [[User:Promethean|<b><span style="color:#FF0000;background:transparent">&nbsp; «<span style="color:#736F6E">l<span style="color:#736F6E">|<span style="color:#151B54"> Promethean ™</span>|</span>l</span>»&nbsp;</span></b>]] [[User_talk:Promethean| (talk)]] 07:03, 26 January 2010 (UTC)
 
=== Clerk notes ===
:''This area is used for notes by non-recused Clerks.''
*'''Recused''' As filer. '''[[User:MBisanz|<span style='color: #FFFF00;background-color: #0000FF;'>MBisanz</span>]]''' <sup>[[User talk:MBisanz|<span style='color: #FFA500;'>talk</span>]]</sup> 09:16, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
*'''Recused''' commented. '''[[User:Seddon|Seddon]]''' <sup>[[User talk:Seddon|talk]]</sup>|<sup>[[wmuk:Main_Page|WikimediaUK]]</sup> 23:21, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
 
=== Arbitrators' opinion on hearing this matter (4/5/0/4) ===
*'''Accept''', irritably. [[User:Steve Smith|Steve Smith]] ([[User talk:Steve Smith|talk]]) 09:20, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
*Comment - holding off on accepting for a while, but the message needs to get across that the amnesty recently passed was for the actions taken that led to this current sprawling discussion (which needed to happen). However, any actions taken after that point are not covered by the amnesty, and anyone continuing to try and force things through will be removed from the discussions (with or without any tools they have) to allow calmer heads to prevail. [[User:Carcharoth|Carcharoth]] ([[User talk:Carcharoth|talk]]) 10:36, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
**'''Accept''' - for two reasons: (1) To make clear that we mean it when we say further misuse of administrative tools will be sanctioned. (2) To have an open case available to add people to if they take similar actions. Those wanting to avoid being added to any case that opens know what they need to do - discuss things calmly and don't use admin tools to force the issue here. Even if a case is not opened here, I hope that the comments and trout-slaps here get the message across. [[User:Carcharoth|Carcharoth]] ([[User talk:Carcharoth|talk]]) 22:34, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
* Did the parties involved actually read the motion that was passed yesterday in full? - [[User:Mailer diablo|Mailer Diablo]] 14:15, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
** While a [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk%3ACarcharoth&action=historysubmit&diff=339510035&oldid=339486661 "polished" version] was discussed fresh from the oven I'm afraid it's moot at this point due to the issue of 'status quo' (referring to none other than the deletion process); All we can only do now is to apply band aid via clarifications, on areas where it may look potentially contradictory. - [[User:Mailer diablo|Mailer Diablo]] 15:08, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
** To amend the original motion to the a/m "polished" version would be seen now as flip-flopping on the issue - I would like to point out once again ArbCom's stand in that passed motion; An emphasis that the 'status quo' processes at that point of time is manifestly inadequate when dealing with unreferenced BLPs. - [[User:Mailer diablo|Mailer Diablo]] 21:08, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
** '''Decline''', trout-slap the parties involved in Handbags, and no supper until you all learn to discuss the matter [[WP:RFC/BLP|properly]]. - [[User:Mailer diablo|Mailer Diablo]] 17:35, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
*The motion certainly ''permits'' nothing, simply noted that deletion of unsourced BLPs in the absence of a proper procedure to do so was a reasonable step ''at the time''. Now that productive discussion is ongoing about how to go about this, further actions outside of consensus is, at best, ill-advised since it can actually ''harm'' the chances of solving this properly. I am not ready to sanction anyone ''yet'' given how frayed everybody's tempers are but further wheel warring or intemperate use of tools is not going to be tolerated.<p>''If'' the current discussion fails, ''then'' further action may be needed. &mdash;&nbsp;[[User:Coren|Coren]]&nbsp;<sup>[[User Talk:Coren|(talk)]]</sup> 15:48, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
*Now that a productive community discussion is underway, further silliness in the name of this issue is likely to be looked at very unfavorably. [[User:Shell_Kinney|Shell]] <sup>[[User_talk:Shell_Kinney|babelfish]]</sup> 16:44, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
* '''Decline''', per Scott. Guys, knock it off with the edit-warring and the hair-trigger blocks and let the RFC run its course, okay? [[User:Kirill Lokshin|Kirill]]&nbsp;<sup>[[User talk:Kirill Lokshin|[talk]]]&nbsp;[[User:Kirill Lokshin/Professionalism|[prof]]]</sup> 17:35, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
*'''Accept''' Comments here and elsewhere give the appearance that certain members of the community mistook the recent amnesty for a license to force an agenda. In my opinon ArbCom missed a chance to prevent that impression. What's done is done, including the amnesty. People who make grand gestures with administrative tools had better be ready to relinquish them. [[User:SirFozzie|SirFozzie]] ([[User talk:SirFozzie|talk]]) 17:47, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
*'''Hold''' pending a couple more days developments in the RfC and related discussions, with the recommendation that everyone display moderation of action, language, and tone in the interim. Meanwhile, every time I think I am getting close to posting my thoughts on this entire situation, I realize I've fallen behind developments once again. [[User:Newyorkbrad|Newyorkbrad]] ([[User talk:Newyorkbrad|talk]]) 22:03, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
*'''Decline for now'''. I think that this is indeed fallout from the motion, which left far too much unclear. I think that we should be giving fair warning that the normal rules apply. More silliness should be met with the normal response. [[User:Cool Hand Luke|Cool Hand]] ''[[User talk:Cool Hand Luke|Luke]]'' 22:12, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
*'''Hold''' per NYB. Let the RFC run a bit longer. Anyone acting contrary to allowing its conclusion in any form will be dealt with swiftly. Go look for articles to source instead of wheel+edit warring over policy pages which we can tweak AFTER the RfC's conclusion. [[User:Wizardman|<span style="color:#030">'''''Wizardman'''''</span>]] <sub>[[User:Wizardman/Operation Big Bear|<span style="color:#600">Operation Big Bear</span>]]</sub> 22:43, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
*'''Decline''': Not much will come from this case except as a new focus of drama. That said, further silliness will not be tolerated. &nbsp;[[User:Roger Davies|<span style="color:maroon; font-variant:small-caps">'''Roger&nbsp;Davies'''</span>]] <sup>[[User talk:Roger Davies|'''talk''']]</sup> 09:25, 25 January 2010 (UTC)
*'''Accept''':Enough is enough.<span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif"> — [[User:Rlevse|<b style="color:#060;"><i>R</i>levse</b>]] • [[User_talk:Rlevse|<span style="color:#990;">Talk</span>]] • </span> 21:00, 25 January 2010 (UTC)
*'''Decline''': A matter arising from a misinterpretation of the motion we passed - let administrators be warned that in the midst of community discussion on issues, unilateral amendments to policy are ''not'' going to be viewed favourably. Nonetheless, this rebuke notwithstanding, I don't see a matter requiring arbitration [[User:Fritzpoll|Fritzpoll]] ([[User talk:Fritzpoll|talk]]) 11:41, 26 January 2010 (UTC)
 
== Craigy144 ==
'''Initiated by ''' <b>[[User Talk:JzG|Guy]]</b> <small>([[User:JzG/help|Help!]])</small> '''at''' 18:51, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
 
=== Involved parties ===
<!-- use {{admin|username}} if the party is an administrator -->
*{{userlinks|JzG}}, ''filing party''
*{{userlinks|Craigy144}}
<!-- The editor filing the case should be included as a party for purposes of notifications. -->
 
;Confirmation that all parties are aware of the request
<!-- All parties must be notified that the request has been filed, immediately after it is posted, and confirmation posted here. -->
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk%3ACraigy144&action=historysubmit&diff=339002758&oldid=338945589]
* User emailed --[[User:AlexandrDmitri|-- Александр Дмитрий (Alexandr Dmitri)]] ([[User talk:AlexandrDmitri|talk]]) 19:59, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
 
;Confirmation that other steps in [[Wikipedia:dispute resolution|dispute resolution]] have been tried
<!-- Identify prior attempts at dispute resolution here, with links/diffs to the page where the resolution took place. If prior dispute resolution has not been attempted, the reasons for this should be explained in the request for arbitration -->
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/Incidents&oldid=339000864#Notification_and_review_request_of_block_of_User:Craigy144_for_copyright_violations ANI thread]
 
=== Statement by JzG ===
Craigy144 is an administrator. As the AN thread cited shows, he is currently blocked for systematic violation of [[WP:C|copyright policy]]. There appears to be consensus that this is incompatible with his status as an administrator. Separately, he is currently blocked for copyright violation.
 
I would request that the arbitration committee review this case speedily and decide whether a desysop is warranted, what other sanctions may be merited, and for what duration. Specifically, I think that if there is to be a discussion of any mitigation (e.g. a sincere belief that he was in the right), this is the right venue since this is distinctly sensitive and I don't think we need [[WP:PITCHFORKS]]. <b>[[User Talk:JzG|Guy]]</b> <small>([[User:JzG/help|Help!]])</small> 18:57, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
 
=== Statement by Tznkai ===
Barring the emergence of private issues the motion should probably be voted on on-wiki. Assuming the underlying facts are not at issue, the larger question is cut and dry: repeated copyright infringement is not consistent with even the lowest standards of good judgment and sense required of an administrator. Or an editor.--[[User:Tznkai|Tznkai]] ([[User talk:Tznkai|talk]]) 19:53, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
 
=== Statement by involved MLauba ===
To keep this brief, I reaffirm the statements I made at ANI and stand by them. I blocked Craigy144 after reviewing the first entries added to today's due [[WP:CP]] listing, finding [{{fullurl:User_talk:Craigy144|diff=prev&oldid=246477920}}the October 2008 warning] that an ODNB author had complained about copyright infringement, took note of both Craigy144's admin status and the fact that he had not edited since January 3rd.
 
At that stage, under the impression that there was an ongoing pattern not only of systematic copyright violation but also misuse of a Public Domain attribution template and a pattern of ignoring warnings, I decided to issue a block, selected an indefinite duration for it to ensure the block would still be in place when and if the user returns, and submitted my course of action for review at ANI.
 
I concur with the sentiments expressed by Guy and Tznkai that no matter what else goes down, the function of administrator on enwiki should not be maintained under the present circumstances until Craigy144 explains himself, acknowledges the issues, helps the cleanup effort arising from his actions, and spends editing time without further copyvio issues. I will also join the two aforementioned editors in recommending an expedited process with no drama.
 
For completeness, [[Wikipedia:Contributor copyright investigations/Craigy144]], once populated, will also be material to this request. [[User:MLauba|MLauba]] ([[User talk:MLauba|talk]]) 22:32, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
 
:Reply to NW / Risker's request: First warning is already listed above, [[Wikipedia:Contributor copyright investigations/Craigy144]] has just started but already identified, at the time of this update, 3 more issues. Further evidence & issues: [[User_talk:Moonriddengirl/Archive_19#One for you:)]], [[User talk:Moonriddengirl#Dictionary of National Biography and copyright issues]]. [[User:MLauba|MLauba]] ([[User talk:MLauba|talk]]) 10:41, 25 January 2010 (UTC)
 
=== Statement by Blood Red Sandman ===
 
Since initiators normally leave a statement and it was I who first emailed Arbcom, I feel obliged. Craigy is generally viewed by eveyone who has thus far commented at ANI as no longer suitable for being an admin. In the interests of dramah reduction, I shall now shut up, except to say: Alexandr! I never realised you could be found round Arbcom! [[User:Blood Red Sandman|<font color="red">'''Blood Red Sandman'''</font>]] <sup>[[User talk:Blood Red Sandman|<font color="red">(Talk)</font>]] [[Special:Contributions/Blood Red Sandman|<font color="red">(Contribs)</font>]]</sup> 12:48, 21 January 2010 (UTC)
 
:I have to say I am appalled that a user causing such active and major harm to the project be consider worthy to retain adminship. I urge everybody thinking otherwise to reconsider. The indef is only temporary until he acknowledges; one more violation and I will seek an indef ban. [[User:Blood Red Sandman|<font color="red">'''Blood Red Sandman'''</font>]] <sup>[[User talk:Blood Red Sandman|<font color="red">(Talk)</font>]] [[Special:Contributions/Blood Red Sandman|<font color="red">(Contribs)</font>]]</sup> 00:54, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
 
::Can I request a clarification on the current motion: If Craigy decides to respond and submit evidence, does xe automatically regain admin privs until such time as a full case or motion decides to remove them (or otherwise, although I would be appalled were that to happen), or will the privs remain removed unless and until an Arbom case or motion decides to restore them? [[User:Blood Red Sandman|<font color="red">'''Blood Red Sandman'''</font>]] <sup>[[User talk:Blood Red Sandman|<font color="red">(Talk)</font>]] [[Special:Contributions/Blood Red Sandman|<font color="red">(Contribs)</font>]]</sup> 18:27, 28 January 2010 (UTC)
 
:::@Newyorkbrad: Thank you. That is what I believed, but I wanted it to be absolutely certain. The last thing we need is the user to honestly think one thing, and Arbcom quite the opposite. [[User:Blood Red Sandman|<font color="red">'''Blood Red Sandman'''</font>]] <sup>[[User talk:Blood Red Sandman|<font color="red">(Talk)</font>]] [[Special:Contributions/Blood Red Sandman|<font color="red">(Contribs)</font>]]</sup> 21:27, 28 January 2010 (UTC)
 
=== Statement by TenOfAllTrades ===
 
This case has reached the point where Wikipedia editors have to go through ''all'' of this individual's contributions with a fine-toothed comb to check for copyright violations. (That's nine hundred pages, and thousands of edits.) This isn't one or two isolated incidents, it's a serious lapse in basic standards of editor conduct. An ongoing lack of competence in adhering to this project's central aim &ndash; the creation of a ''free'' encyclopedia &ndash; raises fundamental questions about the soundness of this editor's judgement. An RfC is not required to determine that a desysop is warranted in this case; the ArbCom needs to bite the bullet here, not demand shrubberies. [[User:TenOfAllTrades|TenOfAllTrades]]([[User_talk:TenOfAllTrades|talk]]) 15:54, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
 
=== Statement by Xeno ===
 
Regarding Carcaroth's statement that Craigy144 "has not misused his administrator tools" - this may be splitting hairs, but one of the tools in the administrative toolset is ''autopatrol'' or ''"Have one's own edits automatically marked as patrolled"''. This includes the creation of new pages, bypassing the [[WP:New pages patrol|New pages patrol]] process which may have picked up on these copyright violations. Thus, I submit that administrative tools were abused (albeit passively). –<font face="verdana" color="black">[[user:xeno|'''xeno''']]</font>[[user talk:xeno|<font color="black"><sup>talk</sup></font>]] 16:00, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
 
=== Statement by NuclearWarfare ===
To me, it does not matter whether or not Craigy abused the tools. He has most definitely lost the trust of the community. If Craigy had been creating [[WP:CSD#G10|attack pages]], would we still be discussing this? Introducing [[WP:COPYVIO|copyright violations]], for an experienced contributor, is just as bad. <font color="navy">'''[[User:NuclearWarfare|NW]]</font>''' ''(<font color="green">[[User talk:NuclearWarfare|Talk]]</font>)'' 16:15, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
:I was speaking to Risker today, and she requested "more precise evidence...and the timeframes of when they happened, and when he was notified of them." If someone could put together a basic timeline, along with a couple examples of the copyright violations, that would be much appreciated. If not, I suppose I can do that in a few days. <font color="navy">'''[[User:NuclearWarfare|NW]]</font>''' ''(<font color="green">[[User talk:NuclearWarfare|Talk]]</font>)'' 05:01, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
 
=== Statement by involved Moonriddengirl ===
I am inclined to agree with those who feel that violations of copyright are inconsistent with adminship. In terms of timeframe requested by [[User:NuclearWarfare|NW]] immediately above, I assume that what's wanted here is proof that Craigy144 knew better but violated copyright anyway. I'll give a couple of examples.
 
[[User:Craigy144]] was clearly warned of copyright policy and violations thereof [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk%3ACraigy144&action=historysubmit&diff=246477920&oldid=245831744 in October 2008]. In that article, [[Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth]], we had received an unofficial complaint from the copyright holder. And yet in February 2009, he created [[Frances Anne Vane, Marchioness of Londonderry]]. The article has now been deleted and replaced with a stub, but (of course) contents are viewable by admins and there are explicit examples of problematic text at [[Talk:Frances Anne Vane, Marchioness of Londonderry]]. (I had no access to the article when I first reported the problem.)
 
There are other examples of copyright problems already in that [[Wikipedia:Contributor copyright investigations/Craigy144|CCI]]. I'm sorry I have not made much headway, I try to juggle through the whole lot of them, and I have not yet come back around to Craigy's. He's next in line for me after I spend a couple of hours on [[Wikipedia:Contributor copyright investigations/20100114]]. If it would be helpful to arbitrators, I would be happy to temporarily alter my working habits and focus more extensively on his for the next several days to help demonstrate the scope of the problem. There are additional challenges in reviewing print sources, obviously, but I have located some assistance with comparing the ODNB.
 
Even before that October 2008 notice, Craigy certainly seems to have understood that Wikipedia ''had'' a copyright policy when he deleted [[Nouvelle chanson]] as a "copyvio" in June 2008, yet that same month he created [[Hilgrove Turner]], which he claimed through attribution tag was copied from the 1885–1900 ODNB. At [[Talk:Hilgrove Turner]] I have presented evidence that this was untrue. Even those arbitrators who may not have access to the modern ODNB can easily observe differences in the text from [http://books.google.com/books?id=HBVbAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA1290&lpg=PA1290&dq=%22being+then+in+attendance+on+the+archduchess%22&source=bl&ots=LuY3wwdJSj&sig=RuyTP_nO04iRV16i-k1EfSo3Z48&hl=en&ei=19FYS8DdMsWslAfas_H9Aw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22being%20then%20in%20attendance%20on%20the%20archduchess%22&f=false the 1899 DNB]. A few days later, he created [[Sir Percy Loraine, 12th Baronet]] by copying content from the modern ODNB, but did not use the attribution tag. I can't help but wonder if he did that because he knew it would seem plausible that the one article was copied from the PD text based on the individual's date of death while the other one would not.
 
I'm sorry if such speculation is out of place. It is difficult to assume innocent error when the contributor was notified but continued the behavior and when the evidence of his deleting that one article suggests he should have been already aware of copyright policy. Too, Craigy seems not to have chosen to explain how his articles seem to have copyright concerns at any point. He does not seem to have replied to the 2008 notice linked above. When the next month, he was questioned again about copyright [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk%3ACraigy144&action=historysubmit&diff=254526445&oldid=254472347 here], he does not seem to have replied. (Not at [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?limit=50&tagfilter=&title=Special%3AContributions&contribs=user&target=Craigy144&namespace=1&tagfilter=&year=2008&month=12 article talk], not at [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?limit=50&tagfilter=&title=Special%3AContributions&contribs=user&target=Craigy144&namespace=3&tagfilter=&year=2008&month=12 user talk]). When another contributor pointed out the problem with that same article ([[Reader Bullard]]) [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk%3ACraigy144&action=historysubmit&diff=331664385&oldid=327674678 a little over a year later], he did not reply. In my working with copyright problems on Wikipedia — something I've done far too much of in the last 18 months or so — I tend to see people explaining and defending their edits when they believe that they are in the right. Sustained silence does not speak well.
 
And I think this constitutes the kind of "sustained or serious disruption of Wikipedia [that] is incompatible with the status of administrator"; the kind of "egregiously poor judgment [that] may result in the removal of administrator status." He violated policy and was told he violated policy; he did it again; his only response was to ignore conversations about it. --[[User:Moonriddengirl|Moonriddengirl]] <sup>[[User talk:Moonriddengirl|(talk)]]</sup> 18:17, 25 January 2010 (UTC)
 
=== Clerk notes ===
:''This area is used for notes by non-recused Clerks.''
Craigy144 has been advised that he may request temporary unblocking for the purpose of commenting here. [[User:AlexandrDmitri|-- Александр Дмитрий (Alexandr Dmitri)]] ([[User talk:AlexandrDmitri|talk]]) 22:52, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
 
Craigy144 has been advised of the case by email --[[User:AlexandrDmitri|-- Александр Дмитрий (Alexandr Dmitri)]] ([[User talk:AlexandrDmitri|talk]]) 20:01, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
 
Craigy144 has been advised of the motion on his or her talkpage and by email --[[User:AlexandrDmitri|-- Александр Дмитрий (Alexandr Dmitri)]] ([[User talk:AlexandrDmitri|talk]]) 18:31, 28 January 2010 (UTC)
 
=== Arbitrators' opinion on hearing this matter (0/3/0/6) ===
*'''Decline''' Normally I wouldn't vote until all parties had a chance to promote this statement, but the matter has already been brought to the attention of ArbCom, and we are considering possible responses and actions to this issue. [[User:SirFozzie|SirFozzie]] ([[User talk:SirFozzie|talk]]) 19:00, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
*'''Decline full case'''; in favor of handling this by summary motion. I do not believe that the underlying facts are in question, and absent a compelling explanation from Craigy144 they would justify a desysop. Hold this request open until Craigy144 has had the opportunity to provide an explanation or that it is clear that no such explanation is forthcoming. &mdash;&nbsp;[[User:Coren|Coren]]&nbsp;<sup>[[User Talk:Coren|(talk)]]</sup> 19:31, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
*'''Comment'''. Leaning towards accept as the evidence so far doesn't seem controversial but I would like to hear from Craigy144 first. On the face of it, this can probably be best dealt with by open motion here, unless compelling reasons to hear it in private are made. &nbsp;[[User:Roger Davies|<span style="color:maroon; font-variant:small-caps">'''Roger&nbsp;Davies'''</span>]] <sup>[[User talk:Roger Davies|'''talk''']]</sup> 20:06, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
*'''Handle by open motion''' after waiting for an explanation by Craigy144 [[User:Fritzpoll|Fritzpoll]] ([[User talk:Fritzpoll|talk]]) 20:09, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
*Per Fritzpoll. [[User:Steve Smith|Steve Smith]] ([[User talk:Steve Smith|talk]]) 21:56, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
*'''Hold''' pending a response from Craigy, although I agree this probably doesn't need a full case. Waiting to see what Craigy's response is before I decline/accept, although at the moment this definitely doesn't seem like full case material. [[User:Hersfold|'''''<em style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:blue">Hers</em><em style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:gold">fold</em>''''']] <sup>([[User:Hersfold/t|t]]/[[User:Hersfold/a|a]]/[[Special:Contributions/Hersfold|c]])</sup> 22:05, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
*<s>'''Hold'''</s> (for a few days, if necessary) so that we can hear from Craigy144. Clerks, please note that Craigy144 is currently indefinitely blocked; please ensure that there is a notice on his talk page advising him that he may request unblocking for the purpose of addressing this issue, should he prefer to do so onwiki rather than via email. [[User:Risker|Risker]] ([[User talk:Risker|talk]]) 22:34, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
:*As we have not heard from Craigy yet, and his contribution history indicates significant gaps between editing sessions, I will ask a clerk to email him to notify him of this case. Arbitrators have reviewed some of the contributions in question, and I believe that we should proceed in the near future. [[User:Risker|Risker]] ([[User talk:Risker|talk]]) 19:37, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
:::As all reasonable efforts have been made to contact Craigy144, and with appreciation for the information provided by Moonriddengirl, I concur that this should now proceed by motion. A full case is not required. [[User:Risker|Risker]] ([[User talk:Risker|talk]]) 19:51, 25 January 2010 (UTC)
*<s>'''Hold''' until we hear from Craigy and agree that this is unlikely to need a full case. [[User:Shell_Kinney|Shell]] <sup>[[User_talk:Shell_Kinney|babelfish]]</sup> 16:52, 21 January 2010 (UTC)</s>
**'''Handle by motion'''. It seems unlikely that Craigy144 is planning to respond given the various warnings and discussions about the issue that he's ignored for more than a year while continuing to edit and respond to other messages. I believe that persistent copyright violation and especially ignoring feedback over such an extended period of time merits desysop with the standard ability to reapply at RfA. [[User:Shell_Kinney|Shell]] <sup>[[User_talk:Shell_Kinney|babelfish]]</sup> 18:33, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
*'''Hold''' for now per comments above. [[User:Newyorkbrad|Newyorkbrad]] ([[User talk:Newyorkbrad|talk]]) 21:20, 21 January 2010 (UTC)
*Comment - waiting for Craigy144 to make a statement. He may not turn up for some time. I will note here that he has not misused his administrator tools, so if he responds adequately, I'm not seeing a reason to accept a case here, or take any action. A request for comments seems a better approach. The key here is to get Craigy144 responding to concerns. Ultimately, if he remains unresponsive to concerns, that would be reason to take action, as taking action based on the concerns expressed here would need a case to examine what took place, and to confirm or reject the verdicts reached earlier (I'm not contesting the verdict that led to the block, I'm saying that accepting that verdict without examining the evidence would not be right - and the CCI page shows there is potentially a lot to look at). [[User:Carcharoth|Carcharoth]] ([[User talk:Carcharoth|talk]]) 22:30, 21 January 2010 (UTC)
**'''Handle by motion''' (given that arbitrators have now looked at this in more detail to double-check the conclusions reached elsewhere) and leave further notices on Craigy144's talk page and also make attempt to contact by e-mail. Agree with Shell and Risker. [[User:Carcharoth|Carcharoth]] ([[User talk:Carcharoth|talk]]) 19:53, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
*'''Decline for now'''. He's blocked. If he does something crazy or doesn't offer any explanations for his actions, he can be desysopped, but there's no reason to act until he responds. [[User:Cool Hand Luke|Cool Hand]] ''[[User talk:Cool Hand Luke|Luke]]'' 22:33, 21 January 2010 (UTC)
 
===Motion===
*'''Enacted''' - [[User:Tiptoety|<span style="color:#4E562C;font-weight:bold">Tiptoety</span>]] <sup>[[User talk:Tiptoety|<span style="color:#FFDB58">talk</span>]]</sup> 20:38, 30 January 2010 (UTC)
Summary motion in lieu of a full case:
 
# '''Key principle''':<p>[[Wikipedia:Administrators|Administrators]] are trusted members of the community and are expected to lead by example and follow Wikipedia policies. Occasional mistakes are entirely compatible with this as administrators are not expected to be perfect though they are expected to learn from experience and from justified criticisms of their actions. However, consistently or egregiously poor judgment or sustained disruption of Wikipedia is incompatible with this trusted role and administrators who repeatedly engage in inappropriate activity may be desysopped by the Arbitration Committee.
# '''Summary of evidence''':<p>(i) Craigy144 has repeatedly posted text and images which do not fully comply with the [[WP:COPYVIO|relevant policies]].<p>(ii) Craigy144's actions have received much comment but he/she has failed to respond to it.<p>(iii) Craigy144 has not so far responded to this Request for Arbitration nor provided an explanation for his/her conduct.
# '''Remedy''':<p>Craigy144 is temporarily desysopped until such time as he/she provides the committee with a satisfactory explanation of his/her conduct.
 
====Vote====
''(There being 17 arbitrators, two of whom are inactive, the majority is 8)''
;Support
:# &nbsp;[[User:Roger Davies|<span style="color:maroon; font-variant:small-caps">'''Roger&nbsp;Davies'''</span>]] <sup>[[User talk:Roger Davies|'''talk''']]</sup> 17:40, 28 January 2010 (UTC)
:# [[User:Steve Smith|Steve Smith]] ([[User talk:Steve Smith|talk]]) 17:44, 28 January 2010 (UTC)
:# Not being responsive to the concerns of the community about this is a reason to at least to request the administrator bits until such time as they do respond with a satisfactory explanation. [[User:SirFozzie|SirFozzie]] ([[User talk:SirFozzie|talk]]) 17:47, 28 January 2010 (UTC)
:# [[User:Risker|Risker]] ([[User talk:Risker|talk]]) 17:51, 28 January 2010 (UTC)
:# [[User:KnightLago|KnightLago]] ([[User talk:KnightLago|talk]]) 17:56, 28 January 2010 (UTC)
:# This is a necessary step given the time that has passed without a response since this matter was brought to our attention. By its terms, this action is without prejudice to our ultimate disposition if Craigy144 submits evidence later, within a reasonable time from now. [[User:Newyorkbrad|Newyorkbrad]] ([[User talk:Newyorkbrad|talk]]) 18:22, 28 January 2010 (UTC)
:#: Per Blood Red Sandman's request for clarification above, I think the motion makes clear that Craigy144 would remain desysopped, even after we hear from him, unless and until there is a further direction by the Committee. [[User:Newyorkbrad|Newyorkbrad]] ([[User talk:Newyorkbrad|talk]]) 21:10, 28 January 2010 (UTC)
:# Main problem is a lack of response to concerns over an extended period of time. [[User:Shell_Kinney|Shell]] <sup>[[User_talk:Shell_Kinney|babelfish]]</sup> 20:22, 28 January 2010 (UTC)
:# No reasonable explanation has been forthcoming. [[User:Mailer diablo|Mailer Diablo]] 06:11, 29 January 2010 (UTC)
:#<span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif"> — [[User:Rlevse|<b style="color:#060;"><i>R</i>levse</b>]] • [[User_talk:Rlevse|<span style="color:#990;">Talk</span>]] • </span> 11:24, 29 January 2010 (UTC)
:# [[User:Cool Hand Luke|Cool Hand]] ''[[User talk:Cool Hand Luke|Luke]]'' 17:31, 29 January 2010 (UTC)
:# Per Newyorkbrad. When there is no response, we cannot make a final decision, but if no response is ever forthcoming, this will effectively be the final decision. And to clarify Mailer diablo's comment, no response at all has been received, let alone one that is satisfactory or not. Another point: accusations concerning handling of copyright are among the most serious that can be be made on this project (in my view, ranking up there with serious threats and breaches of the policy on biographies of living people). It is the seriousness of such allegations that require both the periods of waiting that we have seen here, hoping for a response of some kind, allowing an adequate time to respond if a response is made, and the independent checks carried out by arbitrators and other editors (such allegations can never be taken at face value). Finally, a distinction should be drawn between direct copy-pasting and inadequate rewriting or paraphrasing. The latter is probably more common than anyone realises, even among long-time contributors - the standards of writing vary enormously on this project. One final point: I should disclose that I know the ODNB author that MLauba refers to above (the complaint from October 2008), though I don't think that point materially affects my vote here, or requires me to recuse. [[User:Carcharoth|Carcharoth]] ([[User talk:Carcharoth|talk]]) 22:07, 29 January 2010 (UTC)
 
;Oppose
:#
;Abstain
:#
;Recuse
:#
;Comments
*Noting here that the motion is carried. I will post to Meta to arrange the desysop. [[User:Risker|Risker]] ([[User talk:Risker|talk]]) 20:13, 30 January 2010 (UTC)
*Could a clerk please close this request and notify Craigy144 of the result? Thanks. [[User:Risker|Risker]] ([[User talk:Risker|talk]]) 20:20, 30 January 2010 (UTC)

Latest revision as of 02:28, 23 September 2024

Requests for arbitration

Ongoing problems surrounding Yasuke

Initiated by Yvan Part (talk) at 11:20, 16 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Proposed parties

Confirmation that all parties are aware of the request
Confirmation that other steps in dispute resolution have been tried

Statement by Yvan Part

Normal consensus building around the article Yasuke has completely broken down and the talkpage has become rife with endless debates about rules interpretations, bludgeoning and extreme entrenchment.
One example is a discussion around the replacement of one tertiary source which has led to a still going talkpage discussion (over 14000 words and over a month old) and the ongoing RSN mentioned earlier which itself seems to be leading nowhere due to general vagueness.
The ongoing RfC has been massively bludgeoned (over 30000 words in two weeks) leading to very few uninvolved editors participating. My own comment on it after it had been open for only a week was already very critical about the bludgeoning.
All of this leads to frequent ANI visits, either for obvious vandals, harassers and povpushers which are frequently attracted to the topic and led to the page being protected four times in the last five months ([1][2][3][4]) as well as three times for its talkpage ([1][2][3]) or between editors who have participated to discussions for a while and have apparently reached their boiling point against another. An assessment that the topic has problems is shared by uninvolved long time editors in offhand comments here, here and here and that additional remedies might be required.
Some of the problems spill over into connected articles such as Thomas Lockley, List of foreign-born samurai in Japan and Samurai which see some petty vandalism, pov pushing and edit warring though to a much lesser degree than Yasuke.

I also believe my complaint against Symphony Regalia in the most recent ANI section was not properly evaluated (reasoning provided here) but decided not to pursue further at ANI after making the decision to come to ArbCom.

Statement by BrocadeRiverPoems

I am commenting only to state that I wish to have no part in this. I do not wish to participate in editing the Yasuke article, or having anything to do with any of the ancillary elements of it going forward. As I am presently on a break and will be around infrequently, I wish to have nothing to do with whatever is discussed or decided here, and am providing whatever notification might be necessary from me to the effect of stating I will not be keeping up to date with this. After the ANI discussion, I concluded it would be better for me to simply WP:DISENGAGE from all things Yasuke, and I believe other editors more experienced than I held the same sentiment that it would be better for me to leave such contentious topics alone.--Brocade River Poems (She/They) 11:37, 16 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Edit: I am updating my statement to briefly comment on my activity as this is about conduct and not content. I created the second RfC because when I tried to add a tweet by Hirayama Yu saying Yasuke was a Samurai, it was disputed Special:Diff/1237845246 Special:Diff/1237846490 Special:Diff/1237849580 Special:Diff/1237850766 Special:Diff/1237852447 Special:Diff/1237852447. The result of the dispute was a compromise to create an RfC as users thought it was unfair to add Hirayama Yu without adding Goza, and it was agreed a second RfC would be needed to incldue Goza. It was requested by a disputing party who wanted to add Goza to wait at least a month before creating said RfC in case new publications came out or Goza retracted his statement. Special:Diff/1237866505 Special:Diff/1237869174 Special:Diff/1237877741. I was not trying to engage in a culture war or trying to disprove Yasuke as a samurai, the RfC was agreed upon for dispute resolution to try to include the compromise that was reached. After the time requested had elapsed, I created the RfC since the other parties had not done so yet. I understand the RfC and the argumentation that arose from it was far from ideal, but I just wanted to explain why I even made it. Regardless, I no longer wish to participate in Yasuke going forward, but do believe some contentious topic policy for Yasuke is advisable. --Brocade River Poems (She/They) 21:32, 17 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by Gitz6666

The problem with the article, as I see it, is that many editors (often IPs and newly created accounts) do not accept the outcome of the recent RfC, which concluded that Yasuke should be described as a "samurai". This has led to:

  1. Frequent attempts to remove the word "samurai" from the article, especially from the lead section.
  2. Long and tedious discussions on the talk page. Since there are no sources denying Yasuke's samurai status or addressing the issue in depth, most discussions revolve around the critical analysis of 16th- and 17th-century Japanese and Portuguese sources (e.g., here, here and in multiple threads). These discussions seem to be over now, but they went on for a long time despite various attempts to explain that this kind of source evaluation borders on original research. Secondly, the discussions concern whether to remove certain news sources (CNN, TIME, Smithsonian magazine) that refer to Yasuke as a samurai. Some editors consider these sources to be of lesser quality and want to remove them, even though they are not contradicted by academic sources (see second part of this discussion and the thread at RSN).
  3. A new RfC opened by an inexperienced user notewithstanding the lack of significant new sources. Some editors active on the article, who are interested in debating Yasuke's samurai status, supported this new RfC, resulting in another significant waste of time.

I have no opinion on what actions ArbCom might take to address these issues, but in the ongoing RfC, I proposed a one-year moratorium on new RfCs regarding the same topic [1]. If there were a consensus on this, I believe it would be very helpful. I expect that editors from the gamer community and neto-uyo will soon lose interest in the topic. Gitz (talk) (contribs) 12:55, 16 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by J2UDY7r00CRjH

I hesitate to agree to moratorium to the discussion of Yasuke because 1. the current dispute about the new sources has not been resolved and more importantly 2. if more sources come out the moratorium will be used to not include them. For background, the entire reason for the discussion is about whether to include specific points mentioned by mainly two sources. One source is a historian, Yuichi Goza, who according to his research page specializes in studying samurai [2], who said we should be cautious in saying Yasuke was a samurai because the evidence for it is only from one version of a manuscript not found in other copies. The other source is Thomas Lockley who said 'there is debate as to whether Yasuke truly became a "samurai," but it is believed that, at least for his lifetime, he was undoubtedly appointed as a vassal of Nobunaga.' Both these sources came out after the closing of the previous RfC. (One was published before but not yet translated.) To be clear, I am a proponent of adding the view that some historians believe there is not enough information to conclude whether or not Yasuke was a samurai to the article. The opposing view says that there are not enough sources to warrant their inclusion. Note that the majority of academic sources just say he served Nobunaga or was his retainer and do not discuss whether he was a samurai, and almost every source says there is little information about Yasuke in general. (see Talk:Yasuke/Archive 5 and search for "scholarly sources which mention Yasuke" for a list) To elaborate more on my point about more sources potentially coming out, just last week, a historian mainly of Chinese history wrote that "In the end, due to the absolute lack of historical materials, it is impossible to determine whether Yasuke was a samurai or not."(source in Japanese) One might argue that we shouldn't use that source because the author is not an expert in Japanese history specifically, but in general it seems likely to me that more reliable sources will write about this topic in the future. Lastly, the whole idea of making every change through an RfC is flawed because it requires uninvolved editors to read all the sources as a prerequisite, and in some cases to know the timeline of these sources. Edit: Just right now, I also found another source saying there may not be enough information, written by 渡邊大門, a PhD in history: [3], which seems to not be discussed here or ja wiki. I think that shows the sources have not been fully discussed, and there is no reason to preemptively end the discussion. edit2: and now another source just published by an official university newspaper today quoting an Assistant Professor, also mentioning that there is some ambiguity [4]

I am not sure what steps arbitration could take to resolve this dispute. Hopefully this background is helpful to someone who reads it. J2UDY7r00CRjH (talk) 15:18, 16 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by Rotary Engine

In the time since the case request was made, I have considered carefully what to write here.

Firstly, the Committee seems inclined to accept the request. I believe that is the right decision, and both thank the Committee for their decision and apologise for the burden in advance.

That the Community has been unable to find resolution on several aspects of this dispute is an important factor in the decision to accept, and, I suggest, where editor behaviour is the reason for that inability, that behaviour should be examined as part of the scope.

I am heartened by the acceptance statements of Guerillero & Primefac; that the focus should be on conduct of involved parties. I suggest that there is ample evidence that conduct has fallen short of our accepted standards, particularly as regards:

  1. misinterpretation &/or misapplication of core policy (WP:OR, WP:NPOV, etc)
  2. tendentious source selection
  3. bludgeoning of discussions
  4. derailing of discussions

I am disheartened, however, by comments which focus on external commentary by "Gamergaters" & Netto-uyoku.

While our article on Yasuke has been the subject of discussion in those groups; and there is evidence of IP editors & new accounts arriving to affect article content, to the extent that this has been disruptive, it has largely been dealt with using page protection & reverts of vandalistic edits. This aspect, while certainly present, is not what the Community has failed to resolve.

A narrative focused solely on external "culture war", and a case with a corresponding scope, would both ignore that there is an historical personage about whom there is diversity of opinion, and fail to address the significant issues of behaviour by established editors.

Where editors, new or old, make reasonable, policy aligned contributions to discussions, those contributions should be addressed in good faith. In some cases, they have not been.

I am particularly saddened by the withdrawal of BrocadeRiverPoems from the topic area. Though we have disagreed strongly at times, their contributions to this topic, while occasionally verbose, have been cogent and constructive. I apologise for any role I may have played in their decision to withdraw.

Again, I thank the Committee for their time & effort in taking on this case.

Rotary Engine talk 02:26, 23 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by Symphony Regalia

I agree with Gitz, Loki, and Pinguinn. The recent RfC was done excellently in my opinion, however Yasuke has been the target of the right-wing culture warrior crowd[5]. The main issues are:

1. That people who are convinced he isn't one, because they just know, or because they read it as a part of the aforementioned culture war over a video game[6] push the fringe POV that Yasuke was not a samurai in contrast to reliable sourcing.

2. This is mostly in the form of new users drawn here by culture war issues removing mentions of "samurai" and replacing them with sometimes racially derogatory terms, calling him a "bodyguard" or a "retainer", endlessly conducting WP:OR on talk pages, or starting redundant RfCs.

The Yasuke article saw an absurd amount of vandalism when said video game trailer came out and if anything I think general sanctions (not unlike Gamergate sanctions, perhaps a category for culture war subjects based on diversity) would be potentially appropriate to prevent continued disruption. That being said, as mentioned editors were indeed able to establish a very clear RfC consensus[7], so I do think that demonstrates overall that the community was able to come together.

I'm not sure what the threshold for a full arbcom case is, but my recommendations would be:

  • EC protection on Yasuke.
  • A moratorium on redundant RfCs, as well as stricter enforcement of the recent RfC consensus which is frequently disregarded by new users and culture war vandals.

As for Yvan Part's comment toward me, it was indeed heard and editors did not find it convincing[8]. Yvan Part is a new account that was created the day the trailer for the video game featuring Yasuke was released, and within 2 hours of account creation went on to argue on Yasuke-related talk pages to push the fringe POV that he is not a samurai[9].

On July 1st, one day after the previous RfC closed with an overwhelming consensus, Yvan Part demonstrated intent to violate it and called it disgusting[10].

On August 2nd Yvan Part went on to attempt to sidestep the RfC consensus by adding "despite the ambiguous definition of samurai during this period" to water down the assertion in an undue fashion[11]

On August 6th Yvan Part outright removed "samurai" from the lede in violation of the spirit of the RfC[12]. This was opposed by me and he did it again with a misleading edit summary, calling it a "slight modification"[13].

On August 20th he attempted to remove "samurai" from the lede yet again in violation of the RfC[14].

Vandalism on the article is overall down which is a good thing (though that might change in a renewed news cycle), but I do think the above behavior is a strong of example of why EC protection and/or stronger RfC enforcement would be useful. Cheers Symphony Regalia (talk) 01:17, 17 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by Tinynanorobots

I think that there are some inherent difficulties with writing an article about Yasuke, he has received little academic attention until recently, and there are few academic works about him. The primary sources about him are few, so that means that it is relatively easy for an editor to have read all the primary sources, and the temptation to feel that one is an expert on Yasuke after an hour’s reading is there. Additionally, a lot of the terminology is vague and broad, both in the primary sources as in the secondary sources. For example, some secondary sources describe him as a spear bearer, others as a sword bearer, but most as a weapon bearer. There is, however, little information, at least in English, detailing what these roles are besides the obvious literal interpretation. Another problem I have realized, researching for this article and for the Samurai article, is that terminology used for Samurai history is unclear. When translated to English terms, the meanings don’t quite match up, and some words don’t have strict conventions. When the Japanese words are used, it is hard to look up the meaning without knowledge of Japanese. The word retainer can be the translation of several Japanese words, at least some of which have different meanings. The word that is probably the most difficult is samurai. Several experts have said, in the context of Yasuke, that the word was ambiguous or vague during this period. Even during the Edo Period, its meaning seems to have varied from domain to domain.

It also doesn’t help that the main researcher, Thomas Lockley seems to have overlooked some questions that he could have answered, but also doesn’t communicate clearly. The fact that his book contains both fact and fictional dramatization is the biggest example, but he also makes statements that can be interpreted different ways by different editors. It doesn’t help that misinformation has spread in certain online echo chambers about him, that is both slanderous and stupid. So it can hard to determine what is factual.

This whole process is made more difficult by the single-minded focus on Yasuke´s status as a samurai by some editors. This group of hardliners, oppose any changing of Yasuke´s status as a samurai, but interpret every change as touching Yasuke´s status. One sees this in the response to attempts to remove repetition and clunkiness from the lead. diff Small uncontroversial changes were undone, based on association with controversial changesdiff. Added to this, interesting interpretations of Wikipedia policy were asserted in chat, such as that "scholarly" was a weasel word, in the context of which sources were more appropriate/reliable.diff The extremity to which the focus on samurai status and neglect of the bigger picture of the article is visible in the lead. A recent example was that a sentence was repeated twice in a rowdiff.

I think there was a problem with WP:OR, there was certainly a problem with using the talk page as a forum, but that stopped in July. I think that a lot of what is being considered OR, is a comparison of different secondary sources, with an occasional use of primary and tertiary sources. I also think it is appropriate to use one’s basic knowledge of the time period as a starting point for investigation. Of course, this should be followed up by sources.

It also appears that the Yasuke page has a bad reputation among editors that aren’t directly involved in it. This is probably due to the culture war going around. The assumption here is that every editor who wants to make a change is a gategamer and Japanese nationalist, and thus their edits are suspect. New editors are especially suspect. This seems to go against assume good faith and welcome newcomers. Editors such as myself are assumed to believe that Yasuke is not a samurai, just because we seek compromise, try to change sources, or otherwise improve the article. In retrospect, this explains why Regalia Symphony followed me to the Samurai article and reverted my edits. My edits didn’t appear to me to be related to Yasuke, but they were related to (insufficient, imho) arguments against Yasuke being a samurai. This also explains how Regalia Symphony could so easily use flimsy and shifting accusations to save himself during the ANI. RS especially has tried to use policy and proposed sanctions to stop discussions that he views as against the RfC. This happened at the cost of discussion and consensus building.

As I started this article, I was unsure if Yasuke was a samurai, but I first heard about Yasuke from Anthony Cummins, who believes that Yasuke is a samurai and even interviewed Lockley about it. I have done research outside of Wikipedia, and have less doubt about whether Yasuke is a samurai, but at the same time, more understanding what that means. The main problem being the usage of the term samurai and that the conventual wisdom on its meaning is being challenged by historians. Thomas Conlan has even said that the samurai class probably wasn’t a legally recognized class till the Tokugawa period. The majority opinion seems to me to be "Yasuke was a samurai*". Gitz and Regalia Symphony have both falsely said that I supported the RfC to depict Yasuke´s status as disputed. I have criticized both sides of the Yasuke is a samurai dispute, and have consistently opposed describing his status as disputed. I also criticized the double standard that Regalia Symphony has towards "reliable sources" and his interpretation of the "Weasel Words" policy. The fact that those two so little understand what I said, shows how much they truly paid attention.

Statement by Pinguinn

I have not edited in this area but I am familiar with the nature of the dispute and why it is so contentious. This all started with Yasuke's inclusion in Assassin's Creed Shadows and his portrayal as a samurai in that game. Ultimately it all stems from online disputes about diversity in video games that have bled onto Wikipedia, in a manner similar to what prompted the GamerGate case. Sweet Baby Inc. has been another page caught up in this "culture war".

The GamerGate case authorized discretionary sanctions for pages related to GamerGate or gender related controversies, which were later replaced by GENSEX CT sanctions. Yasuke and related pages have not been eligible for any CT because despite dealing with similar issues related to a similar dispute, they do not relate to gender or sexuality. In my opinion some kind of CT designation for Yasuke or a wider area such as "culture war issues in video games" is needed. It could potentially solve the problems in this area without a full case. Pinguinn 🐧 18:05, 16 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by LokiTheLiar

My general impression as someone who has edited this area is very similar to Gitz and Pinguinn. A page about a minor historical figure that was previously pretty stable and unremarkable has suddenly gotten a lot of attention due to Gamergate-adjacent types, and as a consequence a whole host of new or inexperienced editors now want to remove the word "samurai" from the article in contravention of the sources.

When asked what sources support their position, they cannot give any and insist instead on WP:OR attempts to discredit the sources that disagree with them. Because of this, they lost an RFC on the issue already, and are now attempting to run a second RFC on the same issue under a month later under three months later. Furthermore, this has not been limited to just Talk:Yasuke but has spiraled out to all sorts of other noticeboards, which have very much failed to do anything serious about this problem, therefore ArbCom intervention is necessary.

I agree with Pinguinn's proposed solution of spinning out a second CT from Gamergate instead of just GENSEX. Loki (talk) 20:45, 16 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@CaptainEek I do think "culture wars in video games" is a pretty good scope for any eventual CT, but would like to add the caveat that the majority of the recent disruption has been happening to Yasuke specifically. There were also some previous issues with Sweet Baby Inc but I think those have mostly blown over by themselves, though I'm not 100% sure. Loki (talk) 20:59, 17 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by Masem (uninvolved)

Not involved with any of the talk discussions but I am fully aware that there is the issue that Pinguinn has outlined, that there is a new wave of Gamergate type activity that a high profile video game is triggering, so it is not unreasonable to apply GG DS, as well to take input from new/IP with a lot of salt if they are trying to push against the established academic literature on a cultural figure.Masem (t) 23:23, 16 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]


Statement by Robert McClenon (Yasuke)

The filing party has demonstrated that there are continuing disputes in this topic area that the community is not handling successfully. I think it is reasonably clear that the disputes involve conduct as well as content, and that conduct is preventing the orderly solution of content issues. Since the community has not been successful in resolving the disputes, ArbCom should take action. That action should include declaring the topic of Yasuke, broadly construed, including video games featuring Yasuke, to be a contentious topic. I do not think that it matters whether the contentious topic is defined as a separate topic, or defined to be within the scope of the Gamergate case.

I think that ArbCom has two choices as to how to deal with this topic. The first is the "traditional" ArbCom approach of a full case with evidence, to identify the editors who have been the most serious contributors to the disruption, and sanctioning those editors, and then turning the topic over to the administrators at Arbitration Enforcement. The second approach would be to declare the topic to be contentious, and to let the administrators at Arbitration Enforcement identify and sanction the offenders.

My suggestion is that ArbCom should ask the administrators at Arbitration Enforcement whether they are ready and willing to identify and sanction the offenders, or whether they want a traditional evidentiary phase first. Robert McClenon (talk) 05:15, 17 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Another attempt to resolve this dispute besides those listed by the filing editor was a request at the dispute resolution noticeboard on 14 September 2024: [15]. This request was closed for various procedural reasons, as well as because an RFC in process appeared to overlap the DRN request. Robert McClenon (talk) 05:27, 17 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I agree that "Was Yasuke a samurai?" is a content question, but it is a content question that Wikipedia does not answer, because the question is: "Do reliable sources describe Yasuke as a samurai?" The multiple RFCs on various forms of that question illustrate that there is tendentious editing with regard to that question, and that is a conduct matter that ArbCom should deal with, either with a full case or by delegating it to Arbitration Enforcement.
I agree with Captain Eek that the topic of conflict may be more generally "Culture wars in video games". For that reason, I think that a full case is in order, to identify both the scope of the conflict and the editors to be sanctioned. Robert McClenon (talk) 21:34, 17 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by Alanscottwalker

I just looked at the article, for the first time and to be clear the article does not say "is/was", it says "served as". It sounds like there could be several ways to support that from what is said above (perhaps consider dropping a note) but I suggest in part, understanding the dispute and the conduct is also being mindful of precise context. That said, I think it would be good for the committee to take this case so as to further the template for handling these off-wiki "culture wars" that have been and will be in the future (unfortunately) brought on-wiki. If the evidence warrants it, you may even want to think hard on formulating principles that specifically address "culture wars". Alanscottwalker (talk) 12:05, 17 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by Seraphimblade

When we handled the original GamerGate case, we really probably should have put in a remedy concerning video game "culture war" stuff in general, but the whole thing was such a godawful mess that I'm not surprised something got overlooked. I hope the current ArbCom will correct that, since clearly the disruption is spilling outside the GENSEX area. Seraphimblade Talk to me 20:14, 17 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by Chaotic Enby

As the person who opened the first ANI thread on this topic, I can see that the "dumpster fire" has kept repeatedly going in flames since then, and that arbitration remedies are definitely needed at this point. Given how far removed this topic is from GENSEX, it would make more sense to consolidate it and GamerGate into a new, separate CT. Chaotic Enby (talk · contribs) 04:30, 21 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by Just Step Sideways

Well since we're talking GamerGate I thought I'd pop in. It's been a while since the committee accepted a case that revolved around basically one single article, but clearly the community is struggling here and needs some help.

This doesn't fit under the current CTOP but I could certainly see expanding it in order to accomplish that.

Although a different dispute, there are clearly some of the same underlying issues involving the toxicity that is sadly all too prevalent in gamer culture. We didn't go beyond the single issue at the time because it was a giant toxic monster that was consuming our lives and we just wanted it to be over. I volunteered to be a drafter exactly because my term was ending and I knew once that decison came out I'd be done, but a decade later I'm still not sure I'd volunteer again, and that's even given that I got the flu in the middle of the whole thing and as a result David did most of the actual work. Just Step Sideways from this world ..... today 20:22, 21 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by Silverseren

I think we are long past the point where Gamergate needs to be a separate CT from GENSEX or we need some sort of broader CT covering this topic area. While Gamergate may have started with a heavy focus on sexism and harassment of women, it has broadened in the decade since into any and all kinds of bigotry. A lot of that recently does still involve things like attacking as many trans people as possible, yes, but it also has involved quite a lot of racism and a variety of general bigoted harassment that isn't covered specifically under GENSEX. Yasuke is only one example of many of this. And since the Gamergate group has also gotten significantly involved in general conservative culture war issues, such as anything involving CRT, DEI, and anything "woke" in general, we really need a broader CT coverage area. SilverserenC 04:06, 22 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by {Non-party}

Other editors are free to make relevant comments on this request as necessary. Comments here should address why or why not the Committee should accept the case request or provide additional information.

Ongoing problems surrounding Yasuke: Clerk notes

This area is used for notes by the clerks (including clerk recusals).

Ongoing problems surrounding Yasuke: Arbitrators' opinion on hearing this matter <4/0/0>

Vote key: (Accept/decline/recuse)