Jason Scott's The Great Failure of Wikipedia (the "Transcription of a presentation/speech given at Notacon 3, April 8, 2006") has recently appeared in the web and garnered considerable attention. Jason can hardly be called anything but a disinterested witness. The quote, here, is only a portion of a piece ("Wikipedia: J. S. on Essajay") with many wide ranging and intelligent observations on the Wikipedia phenomenon:
What is going on in all this, and which I am fearful is going to be missed, is how Wikipedia's Value System functions. "Honor Killings", "Circumcision", "Dog Shows", "Child Soldiers", "Abortion" ... there are thousands of events and values that people engage in every day that are completely inscrutable to a good portion of the rest of the people on the Earth. Sometimes you can see the logic and decide it's just not your cup of joe, but other times you see things that are allowed in one jurisdiction that would have "those people" turned into organ donors anywhere else.
Finally, the massive Wiki Behavioral Problem begins (only begins) to receive its due attention. The effects are pouring out of Wikipedia's virtual anti-Oz into the real world. It isn't becoming a problem. It has long been one.
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