Mez: Pondering The Wikipedia Page -

In what Alt-Universe would the anoraks at Wikipedia open their doors to fans of Klaus Barbie for the page dedicated to Lyon, France?

It is both troubling and repugnant that Wikipedia is granting similar access to the fans of convicted killer Amanda Knox for her victim's page.

I am concerned here, first, about the Enchanted Glen Phenomenon, which is a psychological space wherein  normal laws do not apply and all rules are magically suspended.

The Milgram Experiment is just one example of this kind of this phenomenon. Cults, too, are closely associated with having this kind of effect on people sometimes. I believe we should be wary of allowing Cyberspace to develop into such a situation.

I would agree that the information about Knox appearing there should be "neutral," but I would also suggest that it should be minimal. Knox will be a rather young woman after she pays her prescribed debt to Society, at which point she is entitled to go on with her life and move it forward.

The question remains: will she be able to do that?

If previous cases are any indication, such as the Heavenly Creatures case, she may need to change her name, move to another country, and grow a mustache in order to be freed from the burden of her past and move on.

I don't want to get too myopic about the Perugia Case, but, at the same time, I feel a bit uneasy about simply turning it over to the Wiki Elves.

:: A Wikipedia editor writes about the evolution
of the article on The Murder of Meredith Kercher.

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