"I believe that it is in the interests of freedom and civilized values globally that there should be a number of wikis, some hosted in America, and all with different hosting policies, to allow these extremely difficult and emotionally draining issues to be discussed." -- RichardDrake in WtcPoliticalWikiDebate

Actually, it's broader and even more important than that, as I have alluded to in various pages on WhyClublet - see, for example, my reflections on the strange and disturbing FourWaySynchronicity I experienced in January - and briefly here in the last year. (Brief both in words and time, as it is a view that for some reason has been mercilessly refactored out of Wiki on all previous attempts. This is something that I believe should be considered very carefully by all those who care about freedom of expression here.)

Ward and I both agree that wikis dealing with or willing to deal with polarizing topics such as bloody disputes between nations and their ideological and religious underpinnings almost certainly need different hosting policies from those originally inspired and largely delegated by Ward for this Wiki up to last year, say. My further claim is that none of us yet know the "best" policies, indeed that it is extremely unlikely that there is a single answer to that question, but many "local optima", depending on the community and scope. My firm view is that there should be maximum choice for the global "consumer" in this vital area, where, of course, each consumer in this case is also a potential or actual editor (assuming they meet the forum's entry criteria).

True freedom of expression is not for every wiki in the world to have the same, totally open rules. It is to have very widely different rules and hosts with very different opinions. It is also unreasonable to expect all possible views in areas of values and worldviews to be expressed equally fairly and in detail on every forum. A wiki hosted by the Taliban in Afghanistan - and we would all surely fully endorse their freedom to do that very thing, though the compliment might well not be returned, which is also important - is likely to have a different emphasis and set of rules from those of one hosted by KeithBraithwaite and RichardDrake in London. We might well be more open to contributions from women, for example. In fact, I do wish we had many, many more of those on WhyClublet. But that also illustrates, of course, the flip side of the freedom issue - women are and should be free to find more sensible and valuable things to do in this fragile world, where each of us has so little time to make any impact for good or ill.

It would seem appropriate to me that this signed contribution should not be edited except at the spelling correction level. It may be considered part of MetaWiki discussion by some. Please respect my right to place it in Wiki, where I have the greatest respect for the host and community of any wiki worldwide. I, of course, reserve the right to improve its style and clarity later. I will look out for any reactions. Thank you. -- RichardDrake

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To assert that "women are and should be..." is stating your own moral values.  Please understand the difference between what one believes to be true and what another believes to be true.  Certainly most of the "civilized" world understands that women ''should'' be "equals" to men, however even in the United States that is far from the truth.

''As far as I know compulsory wiki editing for women has not yet been introduced in any nation. Or have I missed something?''

I would equate the sentence that I quote with the debate (in the US, at least) surrounding guns or abortion; different groups of people have different ideas.  Who's right?  Let your own morality be the guide, and I wish people would stop trying to impress their morality upon me, but at the same time I realize that the people who do push their values on me are simply following their own set of values.  I cannot condemn someone for the act of following what they believe, no matter how despicable I find their beliefs.  I ''can'' try to "educate" others, however, but for many, their ingrained systems of value are simply set in brick.  -- TomPlunket

''How can you be sure that yours is not?''

''What would you suggest society do if it were discovered that you had acted on the basis that murder was not outside your system of values?''
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CategoryOffTopic