View source for Wiki143:Do not disrupt Wikipedia to illustrate a point

<noinclude>
{{Short description|Wikipedia behavioral guideline}}
{{pp-move-indef}}
{{Confuse|Wikipedia:Disruptive editing}}
{{redirect|WP:POINT|Wikipedia policy about points of view|Wikipedia:Neutral point of view}}
{{subcat guideline|behavioral guideline|Point|WP:POINT|WP:POINTY}}
{{nutshell|When you have a point to make, use direct discussion only.}}
{{guideline list}}
</noinclude>
<section begin="intro"/><includeonly>
===Point-illustrating===
{{main|Wikipedia:Do not disrupt Wikipedia to illustrate a point}}</includeonly>
When one becomes frustrated with the way a [[Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines|policy or guideline]] is being applied, it may be tempting to try to discredit the rule or interpretation thereof by, in one's view, applying it consistently. Sometimes, this is done simply to prove a point in a local dispute. In other cases, one might try to enforce a rule in a generally [[Wikipedia:Reasonability Rule|unpopular]] way, with the aim of getting it changed. 

Such behavior, wherever it occurs, is highly [[WP:DE|disruptive]] and can lead to a [[WP:BLOCK|block]] or [[WP:BAN|ban]]. If you feel that [[Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines#Conflicts between advice pages|a policy is problematic]], the policy's talk page is the proper place to raise your concerns. If you simply disagree with someone's actions in an article, discuss it on the article talk page or related pages. If mere discussion fails to resolve a problem, look into [[Wikipedia:Dispute resolution|dispute resolution]].  

Practically speaking, it is impossible for Wikipedia to be 100 percent consistent, and its rules will therefore [[Wikipedia:Ignore all rules|never be perfect]]. If consensus strongly disagrees with you even after you have made proper efforts, then respect the consensus, rather than trying to [[WP:disruptive editing|sway it with disruptive tactics]].

Note that it is possible to ''make a point'', without '''disrupting''' Wikipedia to '''illustrate''' it.<section end="intro"/>

==Examples==
*'''If''' someone nominates one of your favorite articles for [[Wikipedia:Articles for deletion|deletion]]...
**'''do''' explain why the subject meets [[Wikipedia:Notability|inclusion criteria]], providing [[WP:RS|reliable sources]] to support your assertion.
**'''do not''' nominate an article for deletion that you don't really believe ought to be deleted, giving the same rationale.
*'''If''' you have nominated an article for deletion, and others favour keeping it...
**'''do''' participate in the discussion, basing your argument on [[WP:Policies and guidelines|policies and guidelines]].
**'''do not''' create an article on what you consider to be a similarly unsuitable topic, with hopes that others will make the same arguments for deletion.
*'''If''' someone deletes from an article information which they call "''unimportant''" or "''irrelevant''",  which you consider to in fact be important to the subject...
**'''do''' explain on the article's talk page why you feel the material merits inclusion.
**'''do not''' delete most of the remaining article as "''unimportant''".
*'''If''' you think someone unfairly removed a reference to a [[WP:SPS|self-published]] source...
**'''do''' explain why the use of the source in question was appropriate in that instance, or find a [[Wikipedia:Identifying reliable sources|better]] source for the information.
**'''do not''' summarily remove all references to sources which appear to be self-published.
*'''If''' you think someone unfairly removed "''unsourced''" content...
**'''do''' find a source for it, make the referencing clear if it was already present, or explain why the content in question [[Wikipedia:You don't need to cite that the sky is blue|shouldn't require a cited source]].
**'''do not''' summarily remove from the page everything which appears to be unsourced.
*'''If''' you feel that it is too easy to add misinformation to Wikipedia...
**'''do''' watch [[Special:RecentChanges|recent changes]] and fact-check anything that looks at all suspicious.
**'''do not''' [[Wikipedia:Do not create hoaxes|create an elaborate hoax]] with hopes of getting publicity for it.
*'''If''' you feel that a particular source does not meet Wikipedia [[Wikipedia:Identifying reliable sources|standards]]...
**'''do''' express your concerns on the talk pages of articles which cite it, or at the [[Wikipedia:Reliable_sources/Noticeboard|reliable sources noticeboard]].
**'''do not''' add even more references to the source, with hopes of provoking opposition to its use.
*'''If''' you think that the [[WP:Arbitration Committee|Arbitration Committee]] has conducted inappropriate [[m:CheckUser policy|CheckUser]]s...
**'''do''' express your concerns on one of the CheckUser policy talk pages or at a relevant Arbcom page.
**'''do not''' suggest another frivolous or inappropriate CheckUser.

==Important note==
{{Shortcut|WP:NOTPOINTy}}
A commonly used shortcut to this page is [[WP:POINT]]. However, just because someone is ''making a point'' does '''not''' mean that they are '''''disrupting''' Wikipedia to '''illustrate''''' that point. As a rule, editors engaging in "POINTy" behavior are making edits with which they do not actually agree, for the deliberate purpose of drawing attention and provoking opposition in the hopes of making other editors see their "point". Merely ''describing'' such hypothetical behavior is fine and does not go against this guideline. For example, ''saying'' {{xt|By that standard, we ought to remove all the cited sources on this page}} is okay, but ''actually doing that'' just to make a point is not.

==See also==
{{Wikipedia glossary}}
* [[Wikipedia:Arbitration policy/Past decisions#Civility/disruption/reasonableness|Past decisions by the Arbitration Committee regarding this guideline]]
* [[Wikipedia:Avoid instruction creep]], to minimize potential motivations for point-illustrating
* [[Wikipedia:Drop the stick and back slowly away from the horse carcass]]
* [[Wikipedia:Disruptive sanctions]]
* [[Wikipedia:Gaming the system]]
* [[Wikipedia:Tendentious editing]]
* [[Wikipedia:Wikilawyering]]
* [[Wikipedia:Sarcasm]]
* [[Wikipedia:No climbing the Reichstag dressed as Spider-Man]]

{{Wikipedia policies and guidelines}}