Wikipedia:Miscellany for deletion/User:Snowolfd4/Userboxes/Terrorism

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The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the miscellany page below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the page's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result of the debate was delete. ~ Riana ⁂ 13:49, 28 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] User:Snowolfd4/Userboxes/Terrorism

This userbox is equivalent to an attack template directed towards a particular ethnic group. It certainly can be seen as a sign of a negative attitude towards a political dispute. Furthermore, it shows that the user is unwilling to cooperate with an opposing party which can also reflect the attitude of the editor towards other Wikipedians. Wiki Raja 00:58, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

  • Comment
  1. This template directed towards a particular ethnic group? Are you trying to classified Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam as an ethnic group?? Nonsense! Even you categorized all the Tamils = LTTE (terrorists), I do not accept that.
  2. This shows that the user is unwilling to cooperate with an opposing party...and also reflect the attitude of the editor towards other Wikipedians? So are you telling me that there are terrorist supporters are editing in Wiki? --♪♫ ĽąĦĩŘǔ ♫♪ walkie-talkie 04:21, 21 September 2007 (UTC)
  • Delete - independently of whether this is directed at a single organisation or the whole ethnic group it supposedly represents in the civil war, it is first and foremost directed at a faction of political opponents here at Wikipedia. This box has no other purpose than to heat up a long-standing bitter and ugly dispute between two groups of editors aligned with the two warring parties in the Sri Lankan conflict. As such, it is unhelpful to the cooperative workings of Wikipedia. That's the only thing that's really of interest here. Fut.Perf. ☼ 05:26, 21 September 2007 (UTC)
I agree with your comments but please also understand although the conflict may have spilled into Wikipedia you still have people trying to work together as manifested by this project. Whose sole aim is to allow wikipedians to resolve their conflicts based on using Wikipedia rules and guidelines. Thanks Taprobanus 13:02, 21 September 2007 (UTC)
Fut.Perf, are you suggesting there are editors on Wikipedia that support terrorism? Because this userbox is not directed at individual editors. It only suggests I oppose terrorist attacks (and note, not just in Sri Lanka). For say an American editor, the userbox picture would probably have been a picture of 9/11. For a Spanish editor, 3/11. For me, given the countless attacks carried out by the LTTE, the word LTTE best illustrates that.
Userboxes help bring collaboration on Wikipedia. Anyone who wants know that there are other users with the same interests and are willing to collaborate on the same articles..
Note it has been said a million times both on Wikipeda and outside, that the LTTE does not represent Tamil people. Saying "LTTE" does not mean you are referring to an ethnic group. It is simply a organization with little support from the majority of Sri Lankan Tamils.
I also find it incredible duplicitous for editors to call this particular userbox "inflammatory, given the existence of hundreds of similar userboxes. I also have this userbox on my page.
In Memoriam: 9/11
Lest we forget…
Why don't you nominate that for deletion? Everyone knows a bunch of people celebrated when those planes crashed into the towers. That user box, to quote you, with the only change in bold,
..has no other purpose than to heat up a long-standing bitter and ugly dispute between two groups of editors aligned with the two warring parties in the war against terror/US "invasion" of Iraq. As such, it is unhelpful to the cooperative workings of Wikipedia.
How about this one,
This user supports the troops in Iraq.
Everyone knows there are countless Wikipedians who oppose the US presence in Iraq. Isn't that "inflammatory" against those editors? What about this one?
This user is American; recognized ancestry ends at the border.
Oh no, it's inflammatory against editors who are immigrants. Why not MFD it? And this one, which is "inflammatory" to Democrat editors
This user supports the Republican Party of the United States.



And any of the below,
User:Politics rule/userboxes/Kim
This user supports the idea of preemptive use of force.
PC This user is Pro-Choice.
(Note I got all of the above from the same userpage)
And do you want to delete the following user box from my userpage too?
This user enjoys rock music.
Isn't it "inflammatory" to users who hate rock music?
I'm not preaching WP:OTHERSTUFFEXISTS here. Such userboxes are widely used and accepted on Wikipedia. This MFD is all about petty politics. And face it, if the userbox was about an issue related to, shall I say editors from the "Western hemisphere", this MFD wouldn't even exist. --snowolfD4 ( talk / @ ) 00:03, 22 September 2007 (UTC)
  • Delete per Fut. Perf: obviously inflamatory and apparently created only for that purpose. Duja► 08:50, 21 September 2007 (UTC)
  • Delete as divisive and inflammatory. utcursch | talk 15:39, 21 September 2007 (UTC)
  • KeepI don't see any discrimination here. I'm against terrorism. anyway, anyone can be a terrorist--Phoenix 15 19:02, 21 September 2007 (UTC)
  • Delete as per nom and Future Perfect at Sunrise as it makes the atmosphere more volatile.193.61.107.150 19:11, 21 September 2007 (UTC)
  • Delete as unhelpfully divisive and unlikely to foster encyclopedic collaboration. Eluchil404 21:08, 21 September 2007 (UTC)
On the contrary, this helps bring editors toghether to work on articles such as LTTE, Sri Lankan Civil War, Terrorist attacks attributed to the LTTE etc. --snowolfD4 ( talk / @ ) 22:34, 21 September 2007 (UTC)
Comment: Firstly, I do not know who you are trying to buy or win support from by comparing this to templates on 9/11 Memorial, Support of Troops in Iraq, Support for Republican Party, etc. Secondly, the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka is not comparable to the U.S. involvement in Iraq or the War on Terror. However, the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka where the GOSL are oppressing the Tamils of the Northeast is comparable to:
Also, another thing is that you will not see me putting your "Support for SL troops" template on MfD since that is not an attack template, regardless of my opinions. The bottom line is that your template is not making things better, but drawing more conflict which is not productive. A perfect example is the conflict already rising on this page. End of discussion. Wiki Raja 01:20, 22 September 2007 (UTC)
  • Keep This is the worst nomination I've ever seen. Just for the mere disagreements with other users without pointing out the rules which are being violated, MfDing to back fire. Sorry to say that. --♪♫ ĽąĦĩŘǔ ♫♪ walkie-talkie 07:36, 22 September 2007 (UTC)
  • Comment with regards to the various other userboxes mentioned above. The reason that this userbox is problematic and most of the others you mentioned are less so is its equation of LTTE tactics and terrorism. Whatever the truth of the situation "terrorist" has become a fighting word which is more trouble than it is worth in civil discourse. Thus a userbox that said This user opposes the partition of Sri Lanka would be unlikely to be deleted while this one, probably will. Eluchil404 07:41, 22 September 2007 (UTC)
Hmmm wise argument, then how about this UB? :D
This user believes separatists should burn in hell
In this, there is no direct accuse for a particular group,
This user opposes Terrorism.
--♪♫ ĽąĦĩŘǔ ♫♪ walkie-talkie 15:53, 22 September 2007 (UTC)
  • Delete If this is a cause of one more conflict on wikipedia, then I think it would be disgraceful to keep it. Hence I have decided to remove the userbox from my page and I will vote to delete it. I want to see peaceful coexistence on wikipedia not more sniping and other forms of abuse. Sinhala freedom 14:03, 22 September 2007 (UTC)
  • Delete - the issue here is that the box specifically directs to the LTTE. Granted, US Dept. of State as labeled them as a terrorist organization, but that's hardly unique to this group. If the box were a little more generic and didn't target a specific organization I would be open to further consideration. /Blaxthos 14:39, 22 September 2007 (UTC)
  • Comment Regarding the first userbox in red above, does this include the Kurdish separatists who were gassed by Saddam Hussein, or the Darfur freedom fighters in Sudan? What about the Zionists during the Roman occupation of Israel, or the early Americans who fought to separate from Great Britain during the American Revolution. Should they burn in hell too? Wiki Raja 03:28, 23 September 2007 (UTC)
  • Delete as userboxes should not express hatred toward any group of people (interpretation of Wikipedia:Userboxes#Potentially divisive words and Wikipedia:Userboxes#Content restrictions). If the reference to LTTE were removed, I would change my position. --Alksub 00:18, 24 September 2007 (UTC)
  • Keep, obviously gonna get deleted, though I think userboxes should be allowed to state personal opinions, and the deletion of this userbox would seem as though terrorism is being supported? I think LTTE link should be changed though, too direct. — jacĸrм (talk) 17:34, 25 September 2007 (UTC)
  • Delete, upsetting to people like me who support acts of terrorism. Lewis Collard! (baby i'm bad news) 17:56, 25 September 2007 (UTC)
Irony, while this UB may have had link changes take a look at what has cropped up immediately afterwards [1]. Sinhala freedom 20:28, 25 September 2007 (UTC)
The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the page's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.