Wikipedia:Unacceptable userspace material

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This Wikipedia page is currently inactive and is kept primarily for historical interest. If you want to revive discussion regarding the subject, you should ask for broader input, for instance at the village pump.

It has been suggested that this page or section be merged with Userbox policy poll. (Discuss)

1 Purpose
2 Background
3 Draft proposals
4 Alternative and previous proposals

[edit] Purpose

This page is to discuss a proposed policy on introducing a minimal set of content restrictions on userspace, with the specific aim of identifying polemical, divisive, or severely objectionable views or positions which are anathema to the Wikipedia project, basic tenets of Wikism, or to the project's overall communal health.

[edit] Background

This proposal is in response to a large debate which started on Jimmy Wales' talk page (User_talk:Jimbo Wales) in which he asks:

I wonder if you might consider... I wonder if you might consider simply removing your political/religious/etc. userboxes and asking others to do the same. This seems to me to be the best way to quickly and easily end the userbox wars. Userboxes of a political or, more broadly, polemical, nature are bad for the project. They are attractive to the wrong kinds of people, and they give visitors the wrong idea of what it means to be a Wikipedian. I think rather than us having to go through a mass deletion (which is what is likely to happen if the userbox fad doesn't go away), it will be better to simply change the culture, one person at a time. Will you help me?--Jimbo Wales 10:53, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

This sentiment has spawned a number of very hotly debated arguments involving:

regulation of userspace
fears of deletionism
concerns of subjectivity and arbitrariness
definition of template
misuse of [[:Template:]]space
server load from template overuse
regulation of Wikipedia user organization
etc.

This sentiment has been echoed and debated in such places as:

The core of the concern, as expressed by Jimbo, is that "polemical" userboxes (as well, presumably, as polemical user categories) foment divisiveness and balkanization in a project that is meant to and best operated by striving for WP:NPOV, WP:AGF, and mutual respect among contributors. However, "polemical" userboxes are also able to cause a situation of stalemate, where no one side is able to gain a majority by vote stacking, much like mutual assured destruction, and for this reason they are valuable.

The main problem is less a matter of what sort of templates we have, but what sorts of materials and methods are used with the end result of divisiveness and partisanship. This problem centers less on Templatespace and more on userspace, which is the means by which users identify and associate.

Jimbo also expressed concerns with a pedophilia-oriented userbox, which he summarily deleted on sight.

This proposal is an attempt to define polemical, divisive, and objectionable materials, the placement of which in a user's userspace is a means to an end of divisiveness, partisanship, and incitement or provocation, to eliminate the problems so identified.

[edit] Draft proposals

The following sorts of material are considered detrimental to the health of Wikipedia and the expression of any of these is thereby unacceptable on user pages or in userspace:

Please note that this is a proposed policy which is attempting to seek consensus, and therefore all of the following items are open for discussion, as are any potential additions.

[edit] Derogatory sentiment

Any personal attacks
Any form of bigotry, including racism, sexism, nationalism, homophobia, or other sentiments attacking or asserting superiority or inferiority of a person or group based on sexual preference or activity, age, religion, ideology, etc.