I was recently browsing wikiHow and got some strange results. I found some of the topics with really inappropriate content. Particularly these articles: [ wikihow.com/Send-Dirty-Texts
] [ wikihow.com/Talk-Dirty
] I believe that these articles are highly sexual and create inappropriate texts and highly sexual images. Even these are legal CRIMES in some of the countries. Is wikiHow guiding to do a crime? Share your opinion.
OoT2D
2
I’ve also found Have Phone Sex and was suprised it wasn’t deleted as sexual. =p
Wikihow also has other topics like cheat on a test, lie, spank a child, and so forth. Wikihow is not forcing you to act upon these topics, it’s your chose.
The core of any community is consensus. We work together toward a common goal… and try to get along with everyone (or at least not irritate everyone) in the process. Our wikiHow community is far from being a homogeneous group. We edit from around the world. We hail from multiple cultural groups, multiple countries, multiple (or no) religions. Crafting a consensus on what is or is not appropriate under these circumstances is difficult (if not outright impossible).,. so I’m not at all surprised to find articles here that I personally am uncomfortable with. That’s not only human nature at work… but the variety of cultures and backgrounds at work here on the site. Given the above… I generally sidestep this sort of discussion and focus my editing efforts on the areas of my personal interest where I can be the most helpful instead.
Those articles are not sexual! Grow up! Legal crimes is a bit of a paradox!
@Savas_P
, I feel those articles are giving wrong information to the readers. We don’t know, the reader might be a minor or an adult. And it is a CRIME in some countries. Refer: [ lawguru.com/legal-questions/india-criminal-law/sending-dirty-text-message-illegal-729716360/
] [ expertlaw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91821
] [ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexting#Legal_issues
] … We are not here to help people make heinous crimes. Not all people refering to our guides are of same mind. They make take negative steps. My point is that we should’nt promote such topics. wikiHow should not publish such topics of legal issues, I believe.
Marina
7
Its illegal to wear some articles of clothing in certain places. Maybe we should delete ‘How to put on a bikini’?
What if someone does not how to put one on?
Marina
9
It was sarcasm. Just saying that something being illegal in one place doesn’t mean it warrants deletion.
In terms of legality, articles get deleted on the basis of being universally illegal. If we deleted an article based on it being illegal in a certain country, state, county or town, we’d probably lose several useful articles. For example, it’s illegal to pump your own gas in Oregon and New Jersey, yet, wikiHow still has an article on How to Pump Your Own Gas. Even though sending a dirty text message is illegal in India, there’s other countries where it’s legal. Also, as other people have pointed out, wikiHow is not making anyone do anything. It’s your choice as an individual. It’s up to the reader to know what the laws are where they live.
OoT2D
13
Wait…have phone sex isn’t sexual? So confused Xd
I did’nt found it very fair. I stated it earlier too, we don’t what kind of readers are going through our guides and what kind of mentality they have. Are we promoting CRIMES? I believe that none of the articles whether pumping gas or sending dirty texts should be there on wikiHow. Might be that someone accessing our guides is a minor. He might follow what he found on internet. We must not disrespect any country or religion, I feel.
system
15
What about everyone else? What about two people who actually love each other? A lot of laws don’t even make sense. Should we ban all the articles on getting a divorce because it is illegal in the Phillipines and the Vatican? Must we delete the article on frowning because it is illegal in Milan? By attempting to pander to everyone, we will eventually cater to no one.
I still read the forums occasionally, and I could not resist quickly asking a question which I’ve had for a long time.
I’ll use an example of something which every commonsense law-abiding citizen would agree is wrong, such as stealing from a store. So, as a thought experiment, let’s suppose that in a few obscure third-world nations, where government is very weak or even non-existent, it is not
illegal to steal. Since the {{nfd|ill}} tag requires that something be universally
illegal, would an article on “How to Steal” not qualify for deletion, since it is not illegal in a few nations?
system
17
The policy doesn’t state that the action must be illegal in every (including third-world) nation… it states that it “Must be banned in almost every country, state, and province.” We aren’t going to check to see if something is not illegal in a few nations. You are taking the term “universally” a bit too literally.
That was the exact answer I was expecting.
system
19
Again, we are not promoting crimes. If something is illegal, it is up to THE INDIVIDUAL not to do it, and know the laws in their state/country. Having an article about something is not promoting or suggesting that someone break the law. Quite frankly, it is not wikiHow’s responsibility to make sure people don’t break the law. If parents don’t want their children to see certain content on the internet, it is the parents’ responsibility to monitor and control their kids’ use of the Internet, not wikiHow’s.
Hibou8
20
And it’s completely illogical to delete something based on being illegal in one place when it’s completely ok in most. Dirty texting is allowed in most of the world, and plenty of consenting adults do it. Pumping your own gas is not only allowed but required in many places.
