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. |
This page in a nutshell:
|
Users and readers of Wikipedia are a broad group that regularly participate in discussions about the content of Wikipedia and how it's created. Participants naturally care a great deal about the verifiability and accuracy of content, and so discourse is at times heated and abrasive. Sometimes, users or readers may say something which other users may find offensive.
This essay tries to define what is "offensive", something that has been the repeated focus of discussion. This is an essay and only reflects the views of this user. It does not aim to provide a 'bright line' that defines offensiveness, but rather help clarify that some statements are offensive, and provide some indication as to how they may be identified. This is not a policy or guideline, what is written here has no binding power, and users are free to agree or disagree as they please.
In general, speech that offends can be defined as speech that:
Speech may be offensive because of a number of reasons:
In general, users do not actively try to offend other users. Words or phrases used may have completely different meaning depending on a person’s social and cultural background and location. However, a number of signs may indicate speech that could be offensive to other users:
Some statements, such as those that relate to disputes about an idea or ideology, may offend some users. When these are on-topic, such statements are protected under the pillar Wikipedia is not censored.
If you have offended another user, consider that they might come from a different background. If the user says they are offended, it is likely this user is genuinely offended by something that was said. The beauty of language is that a thought can be communicated in a thousand and one ways. Why not say the same thing using one of the other thousand ways?
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. |
This page in a nutshell:
|
Users and readers of Wikipedia are a broad group that regularly participate in discussions about the content of Wikipedia and how it's created. Participants naturally care a great deal about the verifiability and accuracy of content, and so discourse is at times heated and abrasive. Sometimes, users or readers may say something which other users may find offensive.
This essay tries to define what is "offensive", something that has been the repeated focus of discussion. This is an essay and only reflects the views of this user. It does not aim to provide a 'bright line' that defines offensiveness, but rather help clarify that some statements are offensive, and provide some indication as to how they may be identified. This is not a policy or guideline, what is written here has no binding power, and users are free to agree or disagree as they please.
In general, speech that offends can be defined as speech that:
Speech may be offensive because of a number of reasons:
In general, users do not actively try to offend other users. Words or phrases used may have completely different meaning depending on a person’s social and cultural background and location. However, a number of signs may indicate speech that could be offensive to other users:
Some statements, such as those that relate to disputes about an idea or ideology, may offend some users. When these are on-topic, such statements are protected under the pillar Wikipedia is not censored.
If you have offended another user, consider that they might come from a different background. If the user says they are offended, it is likely this user is genuinely offended by something that was said. The beauty of language is that a thought can be communicated in a thousand and one ways. Why not say the same thing using one of the other thousand ways?