User:TRiG/Suggestion for policy on raunchy pictures
Some Wikipedians suggest that images on Wikipedia should never be hidden, on the basis that Wikipedia is not censored. I have seen someone say that if someone follows a link to oral sex or something similar, they know what they're going to get.
I can only assume that the extremely prominant Random Article link on the Main Page of Wikipedia had somehow escaped this person's notice.
(Also, we should be aware that some people don't know what words like autoeroticism or, say, autofellatio mean, and may decide to look them up here (despite the policy that Wikipedia is not a dictionary). And, though there is currently no picture on the Venus Butterfly page, please imagine the surprise someone could have being suddenly confonted with that!)
I suggest, then, that images which may be considered shocking should be given appropriate tags, and should be hidden until clicked on. I chose the word shocking carefully. It is less broad than offensive. After all, almost anything may be offensive to some people.
I've called this page Suggestion for policy on raunchy pictures, but it is not only sex which could shock some people.
I would suggest the following tags:
- Nudity (male, adult)
- Nudity (female, adult)
- Nudity (child)
- Sex (this also could be subcategorised)
- Violence (graphic, with blood or obvious injuries)
- Violence (suggested)
- Dead body or bodies
Any other suggestions can be added here:
- C'mon guys, think of something.
Subsequent to this, I would suggest that another thing that Wikipedia is not is a supplier of pornography. Not, at least, to unsuspecting people, I hope. And don't forget that in some jurisdictions it's illegal to download porn: in most jurisdictions, if you're under eighteen.
And another thing, while I'm at it.
Please be aware of the difference between a picture caption and an image alt text. The alt text is there for the blind or visually impared using screan-reader software, or for people on text-only browsers. Yes, Microsoft Internet Explorer makes it appear as a bubble on the image, but that's an amusing vaguary of one browser, not the function of the tag. The alt text should describe the image. The caption should explain the picture.