After 11 years, I have decided to semi-retire from Wikipedia. It is with deep regret that I do so. I have a passion for writing, research, organization, and the subjects which I write about, and I feel honored to have contributed to Wikipedia, and in turn, to public knowledge about a myriad of topics. There used to be a time in Wikipedia where editors suppported one another and built upon each other's edits. Unfortunately, Wikipedia has devolved into a culture of deletionism and my-way-or-the-highway approaches that fly in the face of collaboration, improving Wikipedia, good writing, furthering knowledge, and building consesus. It is a culture of bad faith where no matter what I do, I am immediately painted with some sort of subjective bias, as if I care nothing about knowledge, writing, collaboration, or Wikipedia. It is a culture of one-size-fits-all deletionism that promotes ignorance of the topics that are written about. I can no longer consistently contribute to Wikipedia in this atmosphere of hatred and ignorance.
I have been a member of Wikipedia since early 2006 and have made over 7,000 edits thus far. I usually edit articles on topics that are of interest to me. These generally include articles on my favorite music groups (Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Guns N' Roses), my local geographic area (Chicago metropolitan area and Northern Illinois), current events, and other interests. I hail from the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, United States.