Wikipedia:Requests for comment/User names

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This page is for bringing attention to usernames which may be in violation of Wikipedia's username policy. Before listing a username here, consider if it should be more appropriately reported elsewhere, or if it needs to be reported at all:

• Report blatantly inappropriate usernames, such as usernames that are obscene or inflammatory, to Wikipedia:Usernames for administrator attention.
• For other cases involving vandalism, personal attacks or other urgent issues, try Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents; blatant vandalism can also be reported at Wikipedia:Administrator intervention against vandalism, which is sometimes a better option.

Do NOT post here if:

• the user in question has made no recent edits.
• you wish to have the block of a user reviewed. Instead, discuss the block with the blocking administrator (see also Wikipedia:Blocking policy § Unblocking).

Before adding a name here you MUST ensure that the user in question:

• has been warned about their username (with e.g. {{subst:uw-username}}) and has been allowed time to address the concern on their user talk page.
• has disagreed with the concern, refused to change their username and/or continued to edit without replying to the warning.
• is not already blocked.

If, after having followed all the steps above, you still believe the username violates Wikipedia's username policy, you may list it here with an explanation of which part of the username policy you think has been violated. After posting, please alert the user of the discussion (with e.g. {{subst:UsernameDiscussion}}). You may also invite others who have expressed concern about the username to comment on the discussion by use of this template.

Add new requests below, using the syntax {{subst:rfcn1|username|2=reason ~~~~}}.

Tools: Special:ListUsers, Special:BlockList

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Ebola (talk · contribs) (at WT:CHU/U)

Note. On past precedent, this discussion is taking place at WT:CHU/U. A user has requested to usurp this username but there is a concern that it violates username policy because it is a username "mentioning or referring to illnesses, disabilities, or conditions". Please comment there. WjBscribe 09:48, 27 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

• (Moved comment there.) -- Ben 10:15, 27 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

further comment moved to WT:CHU/U WjBscribe 00:45, 1 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

• Are we expected to comment on this here or can it be removed? Deiz talk 06:48, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

• I would say leave the notice up here until the discussion there has closed. Which might be any time now. -- Ben 07:13, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

ANigg (talk · contribs)

Possibly part of his/her actual name, possibly a blatant vio. Could be either one, but the user hasn't responded to a request for explanation. Bullzeye 15:42, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

• Allow Not a direct reference to nigger by any means and name could be Adam Nigg or plenty of other names with the inital A Nigg RyanPostlethwaite^{See the mess I've created or let's have banter} 15:46, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
• Allow I tend to agree, a google of the name indicates it is just an alias used. I don't think we can assume the big nasty n word, as it could be a language thing. I look forward to a response from this user, whose few contributions have been useful. I am reminded of a certain scene from Blazing Saddles though hehe. ^HighInBC ^{(Need help? Ask me)} 15:50, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
• Allow per Ryan and the assumption of good faith. Aecis^Brievenbus 15:50, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
• Allow per all. NikoSilver 16:01, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
• Disallow. Per policy on inappropriate usernames — "Fairly or unfairly, the line between acceptable and unacceptable user names is drawn by those who find the username inappropriate, not by the creator of the name." Assuming good faith, it is likely that the editor had no ill intent, however, the policy does not speak to intent of the editor, but rather the perception of others. My initial impression when I first saw the username was to associated it with the racial slur. From this RFC, it is evident that at least one editor had the same thought, and I imagine others would too. — ERcheck (talk) 18:35, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Macedonia (talk · contribs)

Last April, several admins agreed that country names ought not to be used as user names (here). Mac. was asked to change his username right after by admin Pschemp (here - as he also asked all other existing country usernames that agreed or were forced to rename), and later in December'06 by me (here), after especially having noticed the extreme nationalistic content of his userpage (even transwikied - now mostly deleted). The user's contributions are limited to nationalistic issues, plus numerous uploads of nationalistic pictures with false licenses. Also see Wikipedia:Requests for comment/Macedonia for more information on user conduct related to the username.

• Does the username "Macedonia" imply the official position of a contemporary region/country/province/ministry (not to mention a past thema/provincia/diocese/kingdom)?

• Is the fact that the userpage has been repeatedly and persistently used as a transwikied article for "Macedonia" a significant reason?

• Is the precedent of April applicable, especially since all others were renamed, and since most other non-existent country/usernames were opened and their passwords scrambled?[1]

• Is the username "inflammatory" since its use is a controversial issue? (see United Macedonia, Macedonia naming dispute, Macedonia (terminology))

As a Greek, I am too biased to answer those questions, so I look forward for your input. NikoSilver 16:37, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

• Allow There is nothing in the policy against country names, and we are not ran by precedent. ^HighInBC ^{(Need help? Ask me)} 16:40, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
• Allow. The only policy this could possibly violate is "Usernames that promote a controversial or potentially inflammatory point of view," and I don't think that applies here. If he was called User:Macedonia is Greek or User:Macedonia is Slavic, then there might be a problem. But the name of the country/region itself is not inflammatory. Coemgenus 16:47, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Actually his former user page pretty much said "Macedonia is Slavic", as well as his POV pushing was generally in that direction.   /FunkyFly.talk_  17:07, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

POV-pushing is a separate issue. This forum only discusses usernames. Coemgenus 17:12, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

IMO, (and in that of most Greek/Bulgarian and other users) the name is "inflammatory". Still, if you don't think so, if we narrow our vision to policy says/doesn't-say arguments, I think we're missing the points. The points are that the particular user uses it in the most inflammatory ways possible, that the user has made his userpage look like an article repeatedly, that "a bunch of admins" agreed that use of country/usernames is inflammatory and asked/renamed/blocked/scrambled all others, and that's the only one around, so "it would be worthless to change WP:U just for one guy".[2] That's why I brought it here, because that one user has to be forced to rename by us, rather than the explicit content of the policy itself. NikoSilver 17:51, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

My point is that if User:Macedonia is doing something inflammatory in his edits, that is a subject for another forum. One of the ones listed at WP:ANI, perhaps. I don't really know. The only topic for discussion here is whether the username violates WP:U. Coemgenus 18:03, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I understand. It is "inflammatory", and so were User:Iran, User:France and all others that were blocked, plus User:Switzerland (of all!) and all others that were renamed. A "bunch of admins" says so.[3] NikoSilver 18:11, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

• Allow - I see no violation of the official username policy. -- Chrislk02 (Chris Kreider) 16:52, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
• Disallow - Controversial names should not be allowed. --   Avg    17:50, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • How is a country name controversial? It is not making any claims. ^HighInBC ^{(Need help? Ask me)} 17:56, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
    • It claims in every edit of his that it was done by Macedonia (take your pick which one from the dab article). "A bunch of admins" argues that all country-usernames are "inflammatory" [to add, especially countries over which there are controversial issues]. Therefore we have explicit WP:U violation. NikoSilver 18:01, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
      • I guess that is a good one to come here because i dont find it inflamatory making it an explicit non violation of WP:U. This is a situation where inflamatory is not cut and dry and I personally see absolutley no issue with a country as a name. whats next, cities, states, continents, places? I think it is a stretch personally. -- Chrislk02 (Chris Kreider) 18:05, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
        • Although my position is that countries should not be used as usernames, this is a different issue. Macedonia is not a country, it is a geographic area which a country has controversially adopted as its name. This is why this username is controversial in the first place. Please refer to Macedonia (terminology) for further insight on the subject.--   Avg    18:10, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
          • Actually, Avg, your name could be considered controversial. "AVG" is the name of an anti-virus software. I know this because I use it. Acalamari 18:24, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
            • Now, what if if found that to be controversial because I prefferd norton? While i dont really care, i think it is a good demonstration of how this scope of "inflamatory" or "controversial" has the capability to bhecome large. There are very few names out there that may not offend somebody. -- Chrislk02 (Chris Kreider) 18:29, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
• Allow, this seems as controversial as I am pretty. Also, it does not appear to violate WP:U. - CHAIRBOY (☎) 18:26, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • You have to go to a beauty contest then :-) or just go ahead and unblock e.g. User:Iran (and all others) who has the same reason for indef block in his block log:

 07:55, April 13, 2006 Pschemp (Talk | contribs) blocked "Iran (contribs)" with an expiry time of indefinite (username)

• • ...and User:France,[4] User:Italy, [5], User:Germany [6] and all others. NikoSilver 18:41, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
• Question: Isn't this situation already being addressed at Wikipedia:Requests for comment/Macedonia? Has that process ended? If not, shouldn't we wait on that result before deciding something here? Coemgenus 18:32, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Yes, and four (all) users there have agreed that he should "preferably change his username" too. However, I posted it here because that particular RfC is stalled due to the user being continually blocked for keeping to violate other policies. I suppose he won't ever answer there... NikoSilver 18:36, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
• Disallow. The user name is inappropriate, selected and used especially for propagandistic POV contributions, used to present a greatly distorted impression of the region.   /FunkyFly.talk_  18:41, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]