User:Aneris/On Bias

Everybody is here for a reason and everybody has interests and knowledge. All of this together can be seen as a bias. This description is typically pejorative and applied by someone else who disapproves of the interests and opinions of someone else. Don’t be fooled by this. What should matter is whether (a) something is true, and whether it (b) fits with the mission. Nothing else matters.

As you have noticed, there are some people who almost exclusively document single issues whether it’s Alt Med or GamerGate, and that is fine. But some people go around and accuse other people of having bias, and it’s clear that they protect certain individuals or subjects, where A and B are pushed to the background and other editors are manipulated into thinking something was wrong with one subject or the other. But calling “bias” is a vapid thought terminating cliché. What does it even mean? Its content is that some behaviour is somehow wrong, but not on the grounds that it violates A or B, it’s just wrong and you must see it as such. Don’t be fooled. Think for yourself.

Imagine the following scenario. You join a project which is about collecting cards. This is the mission, and everybody seems to agree on it. Sometimes people say this undertaking is not conducted orderly, but in a joking manner. Fine, let’s collect in a joking manner. Maybe that’s item C. Trutfully, missional and in a joking manner. Fine.

To your surprise, you find out that most spades are missing. As far as you are concerned, this area needs most work. Other people have hearts, diamonds and clubs covered well. But as you set onto collecting spades, a few individuals react hostile. They have “reasons” that how you do it is wrong. Somehow. It’s never explained why exactly. Spade bias! You seem to follow every rule, and yet there is clear resistance.

Of course, as someone who has knowledge about spades, you know that they are controversial. And you knew that beforehand. And you even told everyone that you know it’s controversial to collect spades, and if this project really thinks that spades are off-limits, why don’t they go ahead and make it a rule? Why not adjusting the mission statement so that it says: we collect cards, except spades. It’s very easy to do that.

But somehow nobody wants to come right out of the gate and write it down. Instead a few people play these games. They pretend they want to collect everything, but as soon you collect a spade, they again have some issue. Over time, this annoys everyone else. Why is this spade user always causing trouble? Why can’t they fit in, quietly, and maybe collect hearts or diamonds. If you think that, and I’m sure some do, ask yourself where the problem is really located.

As such, be more critical. Don’t accept extra rules bully users want to impose, and ask yourself that maybe they are the problem. Maybe if they have such a problem with collecting spades they are wrong in a project that set out to collect all cards. They will tell that there are rules, there is a project-wide bias of sorts, the addition C, and ergo they are right. But you see, this is nonsense. One can collect spades in a joking manner, if this is the requirement. Instead of weaseling around, these users should openly state what they want and expect, and for which reasons and make their case out in the open.

But ultimately, as of now, it all comes down to what is established. And this is mission and truth, and joking. The feelings or extra demands imposed by some people and their various manipulation techniques should be dismissed. Be critical. If there are other, extra rules next to A, B and C, demand that they are discussed.

Thanks for reading.