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 | This page in a nutshell: "Anyone can edit" doesn't have to mean what you think it means. |
The 2007 animated film Ratatouille tells the tale of an anthropomorphic rat, Remy, and his nervous human friend, Linguini, as they work together to become chefs in a fancy Parisian restaurant. Remy is inspired by the celebrity chef Auguste Gusteau, whose motto "anyone can cook" is repeated throughout the film. It is through this principle that a common rat and a chronic underachiever are given the chance to revitalize Gusteau's restaurant and to once again make it the most celebrated eatery in Paris.
The two are pitted against the ruthless food critic Anton Ego. His derision of the "anyone can cook" refrain had dealt a severe blow to the restaurant's reputation, and the two chefs are faced with the challenge of impressing him when he returns. Remy prepares a dish of ratatouille, and Ego praises his work. Upon finding out that the chef was a rat, he comes to a realization. In his review, he says:
In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto, "anyone can cook". But I realize only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.
Just as anyone can cook, anyone can edit. Not everyone who edits Wikipedia will be great, or even particularly good at it, but we're able to find the people who are. Wikipedia has an advantage over other encyclopedias in its sheer number of contributors, but this is not just an increase in quantity. Projects like the Encyclopedia Britannica draw their talent from a narrow pool, and the vast majority of talented writers will never be able to contribute. These barriers to entry serve as quality control, but they come with a trade off by excluding the contributions of countless talented individuals. For Wikipedia, there are no barriers to entry, because we understand that anyone can edit.