Edit wars on wikipedia!

MysticSang'ha · Jul 18, 2013

According to a few folks at Oxford, this list of 10 topics are ranked most controversial and subject to "edit wars" on wikipedia in the English language:

1. George W Bush
2. Anarchism
3. Muhammad
4. List of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. employees
5. Global Warming
6. Circumcision
7. United States
8. Jesus
9. Race and intelligence
10. Christianity

Dang, the WWE list of employees gets as more feuding over facts than global warming and Jesus?

But anyway, what i found interesting were that some hot-button topics were absent from a top ten list (abortion, for one) that would generate controversy.

Any other topics you were surprised to find included or excluded?

dust1n · Jul 18, 2013

Not too surprising to see Anarchism at No. 2. A little perplexed by number 4 though.

Tarheeler · Jul 18, 2013

I was going to say I was surprised the Israel/ Palestinian conflict wasn't on there, but then read this a few sections after the list:

They say that, in general, major religions and religious figures as well as articles related to anti-Semitism and Israel are highly contested in many languages. In particular: The articles Israel, Adolf Hitler, The Holocaust and God are highly contested in all the three language sets, they report.

LuisDantas · Jul 18, 2013

Some of the most sensitive subjects end up blocked to some degree, so there is that.

Kilgore Trout · Jul 18, 2013

I'm surprised the article on the Alaskozetes antarcticus, or the Arctic mite, isn't in the top 10.

LuisDantas · Jul 18, 2013

Kilgore Trout said:
I'm surprised the article on the Alaskozetes antarcticus, or the Arctic mite, isn't in the top 10.

People are weird, you know.

Revoltingest · Jul 18, 2013

MysticSang'ha said:
According to a few folks at Oxford, this list of 10 topics are ranked most controversial and subject to "edit wars" on wikipedia...
Dang, the WWE list of employees gets as more feuding over facts than global warming and Jesus?

It would matter more to me.

Sha'irullah · Jul 18, 2013

And Obama's religion is not up there? I declare shenanigans on this article

Mathematician · Jul 18, 2013

The online pro-wrestling crowd typically draws trolls and flamers. In fact many of their discussion forums have categories devoted to users dissing each other. Between 2000-2006 wrestling sites were in heavy competition. I used to own one worth $10,000 because it focused on extreme wrestling like ECW and Japanese leagues. We were constantly hacked by competitors.

Quintessence · Jul 18, 2013

Personally I am not really that concerned about the quality of pages that would end up on a top ten edits list like this. Why? Because all of these pages are being seen by many eyes. The "edit wars" that happen and go unnoticed are the ones that are really problematic, yes?

Father Heathen · Jul 18, 2013

I'm surprised that the evolution wiki article isn't constantly defaced via editing by creationists.

Sha'irullah · Jul 18, 2013

Father Heathen said:
I'm surprised that the evolution wiki article isn't constantly defaced via editing by creationists.

Truthful. Eric Hovind probably has a whole staff of people trying to do this

Revoltingest · Jul 18, 2013

Father Heathen said:
I'm surprised that the evolution wiki article isn't constantly defaced via editing by creationists.

A few years ago it was regularly defaced.
Pictures of unattractive genitals would appear in the articles.

LegionOnomaMoi · Jul 19, 2013

MysticSang'ha said:
According to a few folks at Oxford, this list of 10 topics are ranked most controversial and subject to "edit wars" on wikipedia in the English language:

Dang, the WWE list of employees gets as more feuding over facts than global warming and Jesus?

But anyway, what i found interesting were that some hot-button topics were absent from a top ten list (abortion, for one) that would generate controversy.

Any other topics you were surprised to find included or excluded?

Oxford's a real place? I thought that was just a mythical university like Hogwarts that the BBC made up.

I created an entire part of a page on the gospels that has gone untouched for years and I really need to update it, so I'm a bit surprised to find both Jesus AND Christianity on there. But the wrestling? Seriously? It's like soap operas for testosterone-driven guys. What about evolution? Or socialism/capitalism/all the -isms from politics and economics we have? WWE beat out those? I don't know which is worse, that evolution is less controversial than WWE employees or that it isn't (that is, granted I know how controversial evolution is given the number of creationists, it's pretty ******* sad that people care more about WWE than such important issues, whether I agree with their stand or not). Now, had it been whether The Princess Bride was one of the greatest movies ever, THEN it would be more important than science, politics, and religion. But as we acknowledge how great it is, there's no need.

Shermana · Jul 19, 2013

I once got in a furious edit war with someone on the article about Sula Benet about whether or not "Kaneh Bosm" as an ingredient of the Holy Anointing Oil was a certain plant that sounded like "Kaneh Bos". The original author felt the need to insist it couldn't possibly be such. They kept insisting that because the KJV didn't say it, it couldn't be true. Eventually the Wikipedia police ruled in my favor and then other editors came to expand on what I wrote and add links and sources.

True story!

crossfire · Jul 19, 2013

LegionOnomaMoi said:
Now, had it been whether The Princess Bride was one of the greatest movies ever, THEN it would be more important than science, politics, and religion. But as we acknowledge how great it is, there's no need.

:bow:

There seems to be quite a few fans of The Princess Bride here. :yes:

Penumbra · Jul 21, 2013

MysticSang'ha said:
According to a few folks at Oxford, this list of 10 topics are ranked most controversial and subject to "edit wars" on wikipedia in the English language:

Dang, the WWE list of employees gets as more feuding over facts than global warming and Jesus?

But anyway, what i found interesting were that some hot-button topics were absent from a top ten list (abortion, for one) that would generate controversy.

Any other topics you were surprised to find included or excluded?

I'm surprised that WWE is in the top ten. I'm also surprised that circumcision is in the top ten. I could see maybe top twenty, but it's ahead of evolution and abortion? I can see the race/intelligence article being controversial but I'm also surprised that would make it into the top ten.

9-10ths_Penguin · Jul 21, 2013

Mathematician said:
The online pro-wrestling crowd typically draws trolls and flamers. In fact many of their discussion forums have categories devoted to users dissing each other. Between 2000-2006 wrestling sites were in heavy competition. I used to own one worth $10,000 because it focused on extreme wrestling like ECW and Japanese leagues. We were constantly hacked by competitors.

Also - and I might be wrong - I get the sense that WWE is very interested in controlling its image.

Penumbra · Jul 21, 2013

Well now I've got to go look at this WWE page.

Penumbra · Jul 21, 2013

Wow their Return on Equity is terrible.

Edit wars on wikipedia!

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