 | This is an essay on the conduct policy. 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: It's pointless writing things that people aren't going to read. |
 | This page contains material that is kept because it is considered humorous. Such material is not meant to be taken seriously. |
One of the key aims of all Wikipedia talk pages is to build consensus. Of course, if you do work towards consensus, there's a danger that you may end up changing your own mind, rather than someone else's. As most people (sadly) tend to prefer to change other people's minds rather than their own, this is something we all tend to avoid. All of us.
So rather than discussing, it's tempting to pretend to discuss by ranting. And the better you are with words, the more tempting it is.
This is sad for two reasons:
- Ranting stunts your intellectual growth. In the extreme that you never change your mind, you remain an intellectual infant. Learning from your mistakes is a vital part of growing up.
- Ranting stunts Wikipedia.
- It contributes almost nothing (often absolutely nothing) to the discussion. The valid points it typically makes are most often lost in the noise.
- It is counterproductive. Other editors are discouraged from contributing constructive thoughts. Valid points made by the ranter are unfairly tainted by their inclusion in the rant.