THE WIKIPEDIA 'CORN NUTS' EDIT WAR (JAN-APR 2006)

COMPILED BY JONATHAN


Note:  The material collected below occurred in early 2006 and did not involve me.  I merely happened upon it while browsing.

(From the talk page behind wikipedia's "Corn nut" article)


The following was deleted ... it's totally inappropriate for Wikipedia.


Controversies

The crunching sound that is emitted when Corn Nuts are consumed is much louder than the average snack food and is considered by many to be disturbing.  Corn Nut consumers should exercise restraint when eating Corn Nuts in places of work or study or any other otherwise quiet environment.


I re-added the following bit. I disagree that it is "totally inappropriate" for wikipedia. Please provide a definition of what is "totally inappropriate" for wikipedia and define which parts of the statement fall under the "totally inappropriate" criterium. I have performed research on this topic, and the statement accurately reflects the results of my research. In fact, I believe I would remiss in not including the results of my research on wikipedia. If you have done your research and your results conflict with my results, then I believe that should also be included in the "Corn Nut" page. It would be a healthy debate, and would illuminate both sides of the "Corn Nut" consuption issue. If the argument is this information does not belong on the corn nut definition page, but is more suited for another wikipedia topic concerning appropriate and inappropriate locations to consume corn nuts (and other foods that many consider disturbing), I would see your point. For the time being, I am re-adding the text. Please note that I did trim it down to merely the factualy bits as to avoid this article receiving at POV flag.

24.97.210.40 14:14, 24 January 2006 (UTC)


Controversies

The crunching sound that is emitted when Corn Nuts are consumed is much louder than the average snack food and is considered by many to be disturbing.



Here is a supporting article http://www.themovieblog.com/archives/2005/09/corn_nuts_the_cinema_goers_bastard_confectionary_item_based_on_a_true_story.html


(Internet Archive of TheMovieBlog.com)

Corn Nuts: The Cinema Go-ers Bastard Confectionary Item (Based on a True Story)

You stupid, stupid person. Yeah, that's right: you. I realize that this is probably the first time you've been out of the house since the summer of '87, and I realize that you want to enjoy your movie as much as you did when you were twelve when you were finally figuring out how to pee without assistance, but that doesn't give you the excuse to assume you can carry your own little world with you whereever you go.

You see all those other people sitting around you? Well, they're actually sitting around you. And I know that in your mighty ego, they're insignificant to you, but they're still there. Kinda like your stink.

You see the ads and reminders for people to shut off their pagers, cell phones and other general noise makers? Well, just to hit your mug with a slap of reality that list also includes your wide-gummed flapper. Yeah your mouth. It's Big, Ugly and very annoying. And while I realize your mouth needs to be hard at work eating at an incredible pace to maintain such a large, middle-aged saggy ass, you need to learn how to do it without bugging everyone in the process.

Still don't know what the problem is?... Let me explain it for you in the nicest way I know how.. "What? I'm quietly sitting here eating my cornnuts"... Yeah, I'm talking about your cornnuts, you burnt out slag.

I'm serious. That crap you're eating? I can hear it in the back row. I know you didn't think it was a problem because you were too busy thinking about yourself, but it is. You, in your ignorance, have no idea those blasted hard kernels crunches like a hamster getting squished in between two bricks - right next to my head; but as fun as that is, if it needs done, I'll do it at home thank you very much.

What on earth goes though that absent head of yours when you decide to bring the loudest snack on earth to the cinema where silence on your part is considered the most wonderful thing ever? Did you figure we'd all think that you were a really cool person and fancy that everything you did as art? Cause it isn't.

Has it ever occurred to you why the confection stand DOESN'T sell them? Wait.. that's stupid, of course it hasn't. Silly me assuming you would've thought in advance. "But I'm hungry" Yeah? So are the homeless so go hang out with them. Even if they were a silent item, you'd still need a schooling on actually taking a bunch out of the bag at once so you aren't flagrantly crunching and reaching into the bag every 4 seconds. Literally. You obviously need a steady stream of food so take a bunch out of the damn bag! You just keep streaming your fist into the bag as if you were slowly beating your child.

Consider yourself the luckiest person alive for somehow becoming 1) romantically linked with anyone and 2) finding someone who's too deaf, stupid or frightened to tell you you're an ignorant fart. See all those people shifting in their chair in front of you? Tilting their heads looking halfway back in the theatre? I'll spell it out for you: you're pissing those people off and they're wondering who on earth could be as stupid as to trek cornnuts into a theatre. See that that other wise genius making a very loud Tsk..Sigh... while turning to look right at you? That means SHUT UP in 'Intelligent'.

There's a reason why theatres have squishy candies, pop and exit signs: So people will use them and if you insist on filling your vacuous hole with corn nuts, I suggest you use the latter if you can't figure out how to use the former. Now please, go and bear no children.


Posted by Wormwood at September 23, 2005 02:16 PM


(The "Corn nut" talk page)


Your "supporting article" is a rant by one person, not a source. There is no evidence supporting that the sound is "much louder". This "controversy" does not belong in this article. IMHO this is not a proper source see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:RS Skidude9950 03:32, 1 February 2006 (UTC)


(Edit history notes from the edit war, Jan-Apr 2006)


(deleted controversies, see talk page)

(restored)

(Controversy STILL isn't supported by reliable source. It's opinion.)

(restored)

(rv vandalism (let's just revert the whole thing, it's irrelevant))

(restored)


(The offending passage in the article was then restored and expanded to:)


Controversies

The crunching sound that is emitted when Corn Nuts are being consumed is considered by many to be disturbing. The law library at UC Berkeley has gone so far as to specifically ban the consumption of cornnuts in the library.

External links


(Internet Archive of UC Berkeley Law Library 2006 food policy)

Food Policy

You can eat and drink in the Main Reading Room so long as you limit your intake to quiet, non-odoriferous foods. No loud food, such as carrot sticks, apples, or cheetos, and no smelly foods, such as garlic infested anything, sauerkraut, etc. And of course, no cornnuts or nachos, which violate both the no loud food and no odoriferous food rules. If you spill, please clean up your mess. Go to the patron services desk to get paper towels, etc.

(…)  Please follow these simple rules and don't make us have to become food and drink police. Not many libraries allow food or drink of any kind, because the potential for damage to the books and computers is great. But we want to make your study time as comfortable as possible, so we are stretching the rules. We need your cooperation to keep this up.

(On the "Corn nut" talk page)

Please do not revert my changes unless. I am adding a factual item that relates to corn nuts to the corn nuts page. Actually, two factual items: 1. Cornnuts are louder than the average snack food and 2. People find this to be disturbing. If you feel this content should be in another topic, I am open to that discussion. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 207.104.144.2 (talkcontribs)

This information has already been decided to be irrelevant by Skidude and I; if you have any new arguments for adding it they should be brought up at this talk page prior to inclusion of the information in the article. TheJabberwock 05:17, 17 March 2006 (UTC)


Skidude and you did not deam the information irrelavant - you just mentioned that I should have some suporting articles, which I do have, and which there are many. Please tell me why you think this is irrelavent - these are facts about corn nuts that I am trying to include on the cornnut page. These facts may not shed a positive light on corn nuts, but they are facts none the less.

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 207.104.144.2 (talkcontribs) 13:00, 17 March 2006 (UTC)


Because the facts are unencylopediac, and irrelevant to an encyclopedia. They do not fit wikipedia:notability criteria, since they neither are "known outside of a narrow interest group or constituency" nor contain "particular importance or impact." As I said, this needs to be discussed here before you add anything to the article. TheJabberwock 00:44, 18 March 2006 (UTC)


I think this needs to be discussed before you remove anything from the article. This anoyance factor of cornuts is documented, is widely accepted, should be of particular importance to cornnut consumers.

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 207.104.144.2 (talkcontribs) 12:00, 24 March 2006 (UTC)


Additions need to be discussed, not deletions. TheJabberwock 04:54, 25 March 2006 (UTC)struck by TheJabberwock 05:31, 1 April 2006 (UTC)


That is a completely arbitrary rule. Look Jabberwock, there is a fact about corn nuts, a fact this is somewhat unique to corn nuts, a fact that is backed up by many sources, that I am trying to add to the corn nuts page. It is not nonsense. It is a fact: corn nuts crunch louder than the average snack food. This loud crunch has caused irritation to people in quite environments. What is your problem with this?

Here's my user page - contact me directly if you'd like to talk about this.Jerod Schultz 00:06, 1 April 2006 (UTC)


You're right, that is pretty arbitrary in retrospect. I take it back. See comments on User talk:Jerod Schultz. TheJabberwock 05:31, 1 April 2006 (UTC)



(On Jerod Schultz's user talk)


Hi Jerod,

Sorry if I've seemed arbitrary in my discussions with you. As you may know, Wikipedia has a big problem with [vandalism], especially by anonymous users. When you readded the "Controversies" section without discussion, I assumed that this was silly vandalism, and started acting accordingly. If I have been mistaken from the start, my apologies. I take your creation of a username as a sign that you are interested in contributing positively to Wikipedia, so welcome! (…) If you have any questions, check out Wikipedia:Questions, ask me on my talk page, or place {{helpme}} on your talk page and someone will show up shortly to answer your questions.

In regards to Corn nut: the problem is not the factual accuracy of the information, it's the relevancy. Few people care about UC Berkeley's snack policy. If there is a real controversy, there will be news articles or blogs related to it. Until then, I think it is better to present only the information that most people would want to see when they look up corn nut.

Thanks again for contributing to Wikipedia. I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian.

 TheJabberwock 05:35, 1 April 2006 (UTC)


(Postscript:  On April 8, one week after the reversion war ended, somebody deleted the entire article and replaced it with the word 'poop'.)