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The BLP Zealot misuses the biographies of living persons (BLP) policy by applying it too stringently and to cases where it does not apply. The BLP policy essentially states:
Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced—whether the material is negative, positive, neutral, or just questionable—should be removed immediately and without waiting for discussion.
The BLP zealot misuses this in many ways. He takes the policy to apply to large, generic groups, possibly numbering in the millions. He would remove a statement like "British people are bad" under this policy—even "humans are bad" isn't safe with him. He would take the statement to apply to large organisations. He would remove a statement like "Microsoft is bad" under this policy.
The BLP policy can apply in certain cases when the subject is dead:
But material about the deceased may have implications for their living relatives and friends, particularly in the case of the recently deceased, so anything questionable should be removed promptly.
The BLP zealot would take the policy to apply to long-dead historical figures where the above provision cannot realistically apply. He would remove a statement like "Muhammad was bad" under this policy.
As the policy says, "Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced" must be removed. The BLP zealot would take this to apply to all contentious material, no matter how well sourced. He would remove a statement like "Roman Polanski was charged with having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl"[1][2] under this policy.
But the above activities are just those of a garden-variety BLP zealot. Some particularly extreme members take things even further. Some take the policy to apply to animals. The extreme BLP zealot would remove a statement like "Bo is bad" under this policy. The BLP zealot need not limit himself to animals though. He would remove a statement like "the Tree That Owns Itself is bad" under this policy. More extreme BLP zealots needn't limit themselves to living things though. He would remove a statement like "Judaism is bad" under this policy. He would remove a statement like "conservatism is bad" under this policy. He would remove a statement like "tables are bad" under this policy. He would remove a statement like "atoms are bad" under this policy. He would remove a statement like "words are bad" under this policy.
The BLP zealot can often be found editing articles on BLPs (unsurprisingly), and roaming the BLP noticeboard looking for articles to subject to his zealotry. He engages in extensive revert-warring to remove any negative material, no matter how well sourced. He reports his enemies to the BLP noticeboard. The BLP zealot himself doesn't add material to the article—he only removes it. If the BLP zealot had his way, the article would say, in its entirety, "Christopher Connor exists". The BLP zealot, while thinking he understands the BLP policy, has never added negative material compliant with the policy—because he has never added negative material at all—showing he only understands the policy in a deconstructive sense.
BLP-violating material, according to the BLP zealot
edit- ^ "The slow-burning Polanski saga". BBC News. 28 September 2009.
- ^ Cieply, Michael. "In Polanski Case, ’70s Culture Collides With Today". The New York Times. 10 October 2009.