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Wikipedia is a collaborative environment. As such, in order to prevent chaos, there exist guidelines, policies, and, yes, some rules that all guide the culture here. Being a somewhat egalitarian environment, we all abide by the same guidelines; and if even when/if we don't, we are still bound by them.
If you are a new editor, this may seem confusing for a number of reasons. You may have come here under the assumption that it was a "free-for-all." In other words, simply make an edit and fix something you perceive to be invalid, wrong, or just missing. Then along comes another editor who reverts your precious change and quotes Wikipedia policy at you - a policy you didn't know existed and you don't understand. Worse, that policy may be the form of what you perceive to be "shouty caps" (such as WP:SHOUTING).
"What an arrogant jerk," you may think to yourself. "How can I be expected to know all these rules? There seems to be a mountain of them, and I simply cannot be expected to know them all. Can't I just make my edit to fix the bias in this article without being shouted at by arrogant editors who seem to control all of Wikipedia as their own fiefdom?"
No. It doesn't work that way.
This essay covers that culture, which will probably not apply if you are really just looking to make a few edits and care about little else. For editors who are seeking to participate in a more meaningful way within the project, this will hopefully bridge the gap that can exist for new or inexperienced editors.