Some much-needed Wikipedia perspective

I've been carping about how Wikipedia is fatally flawed on political subjects--like the Israeli occupation of Palestine, or the Carter administration's support for Somoza and other human rights abusers, or the misuse of "antisemitism" to stifle discussion and dissent.  But I just ran across a gut-wrenching account that really puts the potential harm from Wikipedia into perspective and shows me just how trivial and provincial my own caveats have been:

For its part, the Encyclopedia of Arda has managed to avoid sinking to the levels of David Day and Wikipedia, but its incompleteness alone demonstrates the futility of trying to document Middle-earth. There are simply too few people who understand the material well enough to come together to form a communal project worthy of serious attention.

As matters stand now, it will take Tolkien fandom years to recover from the damage inflicted by Wikipedia.

If that doesn't bring a tear to your eye you must be some manner of cruel, heartless beast.

So the next time you think you have a problem, take a moment to compare it to the damage inflicted by Wikipedia on Tolkien fandom.  I think you'll find that your own cares feel just that much lighter by comparison.

Comments

[rd]

I can't beleive how my trust has been abused! It will take me years to recover for sure AND I never even though of myself formally as a Tolkien fan.