 | This is anessay on theconduct policy. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one ofWikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not beenthoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
 | This page in a nutshell: Don't be a hypocrite: the disruptive behaviour of another editor does not excuse your own. |
Don't call the kettle black. The kettle may or may not be black, but attacking it for its blackness will only draw attention to your own blackness, which in turn undermines your position.
It happens quite often on Wikipedia that an editor makes a post to remind others ofcivility but writes it in an uncivil tone. Occasionally, someone will call other people names while at the same time reminding them to not makepersonal attacks. And of course there are always those thatassume that others aren't assuminggood faith, or people in an edit war that claim that no, it's theother party that's edit warring.
The hypocrisy is simply staggering. "Yes, but they started it" is a poor excuse and will not shield you from any of the consequences of your behavior. Just don't do it. Also remember thata mote and a beam are not the same size, and try not to be the beam.
When reminding another user of a policy or guideline regarding behavior, it is well-advised to consider whether you yourself have been following the rule in question. Otherwise, tediousargumentsabout arguing are likely to ensue.
This phenomenon is quite common with the "test the limits" crowd. Often, users will go out of their way togame the system, making changes which are against thespirit, if not theletter of the law. This user will, often purposely, goad other Wikipedians into response with an aggravating propensity tobend the rules, and will of course immediately accuse the other Wikipedians of incivility. This type of user ranges from the more intentional to the morebenign.
Users are encouraged tokeep a cool head and discuss on talk pages first.
