Wiktionary:No personal attacks

See also: Help:Interacting with other users

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This is a Wiktionary policy, guideline or common practices page. This is a draft proposal. It is unofficial, and it is unknown whether it is widely accepted by Wiktionary editors.

Policies – Entries: CFI - EL - NORM - NPOV - QUOTE - REDIR - DELETE. Languages: LT - AXX. Others: BLOCK - BOTS - VOTES.

Shortcut:
WT:NPA

Do not make personal attacks anywhere in Wiktionary. Comment on content, not on the contributor. Personal attacks will never help you make a point; they hurt the Wiktionary community and deter users from helping create a good dictionary.

Don't do it

There is no excuse for personal attacks on other contributors. Do not make them.

Consequences

Remember that disputes on talk pages are accessible to everyone on the Internet. The way in which you conduct yourself on Wiktionary reflects on Wiktionary and on you.

Many Wiktionarians remove personal attacks on third parties on sight, and although this is not policy it is often seen as an appropriate reaction to extreme personal abuse. Users have been banned from other sister projects for repeatedly engaging in personal attacks. Abusive edit summaries are also ill-regarded.

Being reasonable

Different contributors may not agree on an article. Members of opposing communities reasonably wish to express their views. Synthesising these views into a single article creates a better, more NPOV article for everyone. Remember to accept that we are all part of the same community as we are all Wiktionarians.

Examples

Specific examples of personal attacks include but are not limited to the following:

Accusatory comments such as "Bob is a troll", or "Jane is a bad editor" can be considered personal attacks if said repeatedly, in bad faith, or with sufficient venom.
Negative personal comments and "I'm better than you" attacks, such as "You have no life."
Racial, sexual, homophobic, religious or ethnic epithets directed against another contributor. Religious epithets are not allowed even if the contributor is a member of a purported cult.
Using someone's affiliations as a means of dismissing or discrediting their views - regardless of whether said affiliations are mainstream or extreme.
Profanity directed against another contributor.
Threats of any kind of legal action
Death threats or any threat of violence.
Threats or actions which expose other Wiktionary editors to political, religious or other persecution by government, their employer or any others. Violations of this sort may result in a block for an extended period of time which may be applied immediately by any sysop upon discovery. Sysops applying such sanctions should confidentially notify User:Jimbo Wales of what they have done and why.

Alternatives

Instead, try:

Discuss the facts and how to express them, not the attributes of the other party. This does not mean that you have to agree with the other person, but just agree to disagree.
Never suggest a view is invalid simply because of who its proponent is.
Explore issues in a less public forum like e-mail if a debate threatens to become personal.
Read Wiktionary:Dispute resolution.

Remedies

If you are personally attacked, you should ask the attacker to stop and note this policy. If they continue, consider following the Wikipedia:Resolving disputes process. Also, editors should be very careful not to define "personal attack" too broadly, or to do this too frequently. When in doubt, follow the dispute resolution process instead.

In extreme cases, an attacker may be blocked.

Suggest policy changes on the Talk page.

Community spirit

It is your responsibility to foster and maintain a positive online community in Wiktionary. Personal attacks against any user - regardless of the editor's past behavior - are contrary to this spirit.