Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Wikipedia on Race

By Nicholas Stix

My first exposé on Wikipedia, or as I call it, The Pretend Encyclopedia, appears today in the pages of American Renaissance (AmRen), whose archives comprise the closest thing existing to a real encyclopedia of race.

Those who are not yet AmRen subscribers would do well to support this fine magazine, which published my exposé on the Knoxville Horror in its July 2007 issue. A free download of the entire issue is available here, as a one-time, introductory offer.

“Wikipedia on Race”:

• Is the most exhaustive survey of Wikipedia ever undertaken, taking over 18 months; the study of thousands of Wikipedia pages (articles and their “talk” pages; editors’ “user” and talk pages; rules and rules talk pages; administrative action pages; and revision history pages for all of the foregoing); comparing Wikipedia articles to top scholarship; and studying the huge literature about Wikipedia and Wikipedians;

• Is the first study of Wikipedia’s treatment of race;

• Discusses or mentions 26 different Wikipedia articles; profiles of many more articles were written but could not be included for reasons of space;

• Is the first study connecting the propaganda of the articles, including their revision histories, to the politics of the “talk” pages and the practices of Wikipedia’s ideological enforcers;

• The first extended study showing the editing tricks (in addition to good, old-fashioned prevarications) that Wikipedia’s ideological enforcers use to misrepresent racial reality, while concealing their mendacity from readers and other editors alike (e.g., fake citations);

• Cites some of Wikipedia’s most politically corrupt editors;

• Explains the true meaning of Wikipedia’s “non-negotiable” principles; and

• Contains unintended humor through quotes of Wikipedians.

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