User:Ivanvector/Don't abuse the no personal attacks policy
 | This is an essay on the Civility and No personal attacks policies. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
 | This page in a nutshell: It is not a personal attack just because another editor disagrees with you. Don't abuse the policy. |
Wikipedia has a strict policy against personal attacks against another editor. Wikipedia is a project of millions of editors around the world, from different places and cultures, working collaboratively to build an encyclopedia. While disagreements over article content are common and can sometimes be heated, it is important to always be civil with your fellow editors. The policy states: comment on content, not the contributor.
In working on a project with millions of people, you will encounter millions of opinions. Decisions in Wikipedia are normally based on consensus, which means a reasonable effort to satisfy every editor's concerns. That often means that discussion between several editors is necessary, and that sometimes leads to discussions where editors have strong opinions one way or the other. It is natural, then, for editors to debate, to comment on and evaluate each others' positions, in order to determine a common ground outcome which might not please everyone, but which everyone can agree on is the right course of action.
When discussions turn to debate, productive and civil content debates stay in the top three sections of Graham's Hierarchy of Disagreement, directly addressing points made and backing up arguments with established policies and guidelines. When you debate with another editor with strong opinions, it is natural to feel that the other editor is attacking your position, and it can feel "personal". But this is not a personal attack! Personal attacks are serious attacks against an editor, criticizing the qualifications of the editor without addressing the argument, or even crude name calling. The policy contains strong language that personal attacks may result in punitive action against the commenter.
Wikipedia relies on collaboration between editors with different opinions. When you threaten your fellow editors with the policy, it can have a chilling effect that makes other editors feel intimidated against engaging in productive discussion with you. Purposely using the policy to intimidate other editors makes the editing environment less civil, makes other editors not want to work with you, and is itself a form of personal attack. If you are getting nowhere in a dispute with another editor, you can ask for a third opinion, or try dispute resolution.
However, Wikipedia administrators do take real personal attacks seriously. If you have been personally attacked or insulted by another editor, see how to respond to personal attacks. Very serious conduct issues may be reported to the administrators' noticeboard for incidents.
But just because another editor disagrees with you is not a personal attack.