Insults and abuse don't belong in this wiki. Confronting bad ideas and faulty reasoning are encouraged, but personal attacks have no value. They are just noise.
So, whenever you see insulting language, it is acceptable to just delete it. There is no need to explain yourself nor to seek approval from other wikizens - just do it. If you think it necessary, you can note that you made a Rudeness Deletion, but that tag often just leads the offender to add more insults.
Don't Disagree By Deleting. The goal here is to remove noise that does not clarify the issues, not to remove alternative ideas. If the author makes interesting points along with the insults, try to leave the points intact.
If the insults are good-natured, humorous, or valuable in some way, there is no need to delete them.
"Insults and Valuable"? Did someone Disagree By Distorting?
There are many shades of gray, and lots of room for misinterpretation. For example, if somebody writes "What you are saying is nonsense!", some will consider it an insult, whereas others will consider it a request for clarification. A statement like "C++ is a horrible language. Why do all these lemmings use it?" will be seen as an insult targeted at people who like C++, and not simply an opinion about the C++ language. It is best to Assume Good Faith and to be tolerant of others' opinions and the ways they express those opinions. And if your own well-intentioned writings are deleted because they offended somebody, consider ways to restate your point.
There may be cases where it is valuable for the community to discuss an individual's shortcomings (for example, grossly inappropriate behavior, a pattern of abusive behavior, dishonesty, etc.). In such cases, the issues should be presented on a page separate from other topics, and accusers should be careful about any unwarranted attacks. Personal insults on such a page are candidates for deletion just like anywhere else.
Please bear in mind that as well as deleting insults, you can also make them (although somebody else will probably delete it).
But, what if they put their name beside their words?
After giving this quite a bit of thought, I am inclined to agree that it is desirable to delete insults. I have a lot of reasons for leaning in this direction and since I'm sure its not an exhaustive list, I thought I would start listing mine here, and request others to add to it. (It may even make sense to cluster the items under the headings of Pros & Cons).
Pros (for deleting insults):
I've been introducing my friends and associates to this wiki since I believe it has value. Frankly, I would not invite these people to my home, unless it is neat and tidy, so I am inclined to make the same efforts here.
The Fix Broken Windows theory may apply.
Insults effectively end any productive discussion of a topic. Rather than trying to address an insulting statement, delete it and allow the discussion to progress. I have found it is more effective to ignore someone than to argue with them. I have not checked, but suspect the Amish approach of "shunning" may be effective (even than just deleting).
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Cons (for deleting insults):
Freedom of speech & Censorship concerns.
Reduced emphasis.
Loss of the opportunity to help someone learn better than to be insulting.
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Alternatives to Delete Insults
A Way To Win, amongst others, is to convince the person who initiated the insulting remark to change the remarks himself/herself. This way, you have exercised your diplomatic skills (can go rusty), the person's ego is salvaged and his/her ability to contribute positively in future will be enhanced.
Use Rudeness Objection as a quick means to reduce future recurrence
What would be really cool is the ability to convert insults text color and/or background to something that is hard to read but still readable if the user wants to take time to read the noise.
People who have nothing better to do than leave insults on a web-site like this are to be pitied, and it would be diplomatic to ignore them. Or maybe set up a swearbox by Pay Pal.
See also Rudeness Deletion, Dont Delete Flamebait, Welcome To Wiki Please Be Polite, Critical Spirit
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See original on c2.com 