Wikipedia talk:Don't be inconsiderate

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This is slight revision of the Wikipedia:Don't be a dick essay which was created by Phil Sandifer Jan 2005 and became a popular if controversial essay. The essay was soon moved off Wikipedia to Meta, and there have been occasional discussions related to either removing the soft redirect or renaming the essay because of the use of language. The philosophy of the essay is widely appreciated, though the title and the language have led to the philosphy being undermined and the essay being misused as an insult masquerading as reference to Wikipedian policy. In addition to the shock and disquiet of the use of a juvenile insult to convey a meaningful and considerate philosophy, there is the vagueness of the expression itself, especially in countries outside of the USA where "dick" has a different meaning - in the UK for example, the slang "dick" when applied to a person means a contemptible person rather than an abrasive or inconsiderate person as understood in the USA. The essay is largely as I found it on Meta, though with the word "dick" replaced with "inconsiderate", and some links removed. SilkTork *SilkyTalk 10:11, 30 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It's strange how just changing one word can make such a vast improvement. I think this essay deserves wider recognition - I would strongly support replacing WP:DICK with it, both here and on Meta. Terraxos 23:57, 10 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]