User:Heimstern/Problem
 | This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
What is the real problem with Wikipedia?
I've thought about this a lot lately, and I'm beginning to see the answer: people's egos are what's wrong with Wikipedia. So many editors here think far too highly of their own thoughts and abilities and put too much emphasis on their own feelings (particularly negative feeling toward others). The result of this is that no real community can form from among the editors here.
How does this manifest itself? POV pushing is one way. When one's faith in one's own ideas becomes too great, it results in one dismissing the ideas of others. On Wikipedia, that tends to mean one seeks to make articles conform to one's POV with no regard for the views of others. This in turn tends to lead to edit warring, incivility or, most often, both.
Lack of respect for the thoughts of others in decision-making is very similar effect of egos. On WP:ANI, WT:RFA, as well as all over requests for arbitration, editors often fail to deliver so much as a modicum of respect for the opinions of others concerning how issues should be resolved. Disagreement is fine, but the rude dismissals we see so often are contrary to the collaborative spirit of Wikipedia.
A particularly harmful effect of our egos is grudge-holding. When another person offends us, it's natural that we should develop negative feelings toward that person. But when we refuse to let those negative feelings go after a time, we are allowing a grudge to build up. This is a manifestation of one's ego: one chooses to let one's own feelings reign when the right thing to do is to let go. The result of these grudges is a fragmented community without the camaraderie we need to function properly.
Of course, these criticisms could be made of almost any community, at least to some extent, so long as it consists of humans. Humans are by nature self-centered; indeed, this is quite arguably the greatest flaw of our species. Thus it should come as no surprise to us that our community suffers these flaws. Yet it should still be our goal to quell our own egos so that they will not get in the way of our community.