User:Peteforsyth/Provocative behavior

Wikimedia Commons is a site with a serious purpose, and which relies on a diverse, international, and multilingual community to build and maintain it. While it is worthwhile for everyone to enjoy themselves and maintain good humor, there are times when one person's joke has the effect (whether intentional or not) of making another person feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or threatened. Differing cultural norms, idiomatic language, sarcasm that is difficult to detect, and other factors can exacerbate this kind of dynamic.

We should strive to conduct our communications and collaborative activities in a way that creates a welcoming dynamic for new contributors, and for those of any cultural background. In discussions (for instance, at the Village Pump, in deletion reviews, requests for comment, requests for adminship) it is important to keep the main focus on the decision or issue at hand, and keep idle commentary to a minimum. In particular, comments that denigrate, objectify, or otherwise demean a group or class of people can have a chilling effect on our collaborative environment, and should be avoided.

When members of our community make comments that do not serve to advance the discussion, but that are likely to cause other community members unnecessary discomfort, one or more of the following may be appropriate:

• Requesting that the user strike or remove the comment
• Striking or removal of the comment by another user
• Where a pattern exists, blocking the user from editing