This is probably the most controversial out of all the candidates so far. He's wikipedia longest serving Arb Com member, but been a tad inactive lately and he owns the infamous IRC administrator channel. What do you think about his chance of reelection. Also it would be interesting to start a new topic for each candidate running for elections, especially for Charles Matthews, Secret/Jaranda, Cool Hand Luke, and SirFozzie as those are the other four I believe will be the most discussed after Jdforrester.

agree - should this go in Editors or here? Also WJBScribe is a hot favourite.

I'll say a subpage of this forum, I don't see much controversy with WJBScribe compared towards the four listed above.

I think the Arbitration Committee is almost entirely irrelevant at Wikipedia. The committee is not "the leadership". It oversees only a handful of convoluted cases a year that generally have nothing to do with an encyclopedia's content. Most of these cases relate only to ridiculous trivial dramatic feuds. And even then, the Arbitration Committee tends to fudge a verdict, resulting in conditions that are little different to those if the players had never bothered bringing it up at all. Simply a tremendous waste of time.

The Arbitration Committee provides just another avenue for gameplayers to relieve their drama fixes. These annual elections in particular serve no purpose other than to provide a dramatic Carnival of the Absurd every year. This circus kicks up much negative drama that is clearly harmful to Wikipedia - with no net gain.

If people can't see this, then I suggest that they are so addicted to this crap they've lost all perspective, and should seek professional help.

I think it's very difficult for any Arb to get re-elected largely because it's almost impossible to be an Arb and not make enemies either because of something you've said or done during your tenure or because your mere participation in a committee that a) makes enemies no matter how competent it is and b) has generally been incompetent - means your re-election chances are sunk under the weight of collective responsibility. The only Arb at this point who I think could win a re-election is NYBrad but he's still early in his term and that could change by the time he'd actually have to run again.

I heard a hilarious rumour that he approached MI5 once he was on arbcom and essentially got told to piss off.

Here.


Unless the defendant is from the lower castes, in which case they march him up to scaffold.

I'm inclined to agree with Kato.

I don't give a shit about the arbcom; and I doubt they would give a shit about me.

For most of us writing the encyclopedia the arbcom is of no relevance whatsoever.

All credit to those who create the dramas that tie up the arbcom and their hangers-on with time wasting cases.

Nail, meet hammer.

There is the glimmer of hope that one day the ArbCom, or perhaps a member thereof, will seize the vacated reins of power and actually take a leadership role. But fundamentally ArbCom is just a drama sink; that was even its original purpose.

What you describe as "hope" is simply more irrelevant drama. Kato's position needs neither qualifications nor caveats.

Could you expand on this, Kelly. Was that view actually stated out loud by anyone?

Sorry, where is the glimmer?It all looks pretty gloomy from where I am standing, and I am one of the few fools here that beleived in the project. I so want to, still, but there are no leaders and those that could be are stamped on and destroyed by Jimbo's pets - I don't mean me, but so many others have good ideas and they are trodden into the mud by the henchmen. What is wrong with them - they are like cloned zombies with no fight or heart.

Giano

Sure, by Jimbo. Jimbo created the ArbCom so that he could be freed of the obligation to play a compulsory role in wikidrama. Its creation made Jimbo's participation entirely voluntary; he is free to set his own level of involvement.

This is an interesting thought. I believe if it's true, than Arbcom has a positive role as a quite efficient kookery sink.

Especially for admin produced kookery, the most dangerous kind.

In Editors, please. These numerous threads on every single Wiki-celebrity going are clogging up the wrong forum. Or just merge them all into one of the already numerous meta-threads on this election.