Wikipedia:Other duck

This is an essay.

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.

I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them.
I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.
— Robert Heinlein

Duck swimming in water — Just as a little water doesn't bother a duck, a little rhetoric doesn't bother the savvy Wikipedian.

In Wikipedia speak WP:DUCK is generally used as a criterion for identifying a sockpuppet or the like. This isn't about that kind of duck.

If one expresses forthright viewpoints on Wikipedia, other editors tend to make unwarranted assumptions which lead to unfounded accusations. "Defending" yourself from them is work, which requires energy.

In the interests of efficiency, it's best to be the "other" duck. The kind that lets water roll off their back. Therein lies one key to Wiki-Happiness. This is not to say one does not have an obligation to follow Wikipedia policies, rather one should not worry very much about another editor's criticism of an action you made in good faith.