View source for Wikipedia:Rouge editor

{{humorous essay}}
{{CabalDecree|1=no|shortcut=WP:ROUGEE}}
{{nutshell|Editors have been known to annoy another editor or admin, for having the audacity to {{em|actually [[WP:ENC|work toward building]] an encyclopedia}}, [[Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not|not]] being cogs in a bureaucracy, playing a MMORPG, arguing on a webboard, or making pals on a social networking site. Some editors really treat their time here as public-interest volunteer work, not a political sim, and this obviously just {{em|will not do}}.}}

'''Rouge editors''' (also known as '''rouge users''' or '''rouge non-admins''')<ref>No longer affiliated with the [[The Life of Brian|People's Front of Judea]].</ref> are a [[Wikipedia:Cabals|cabal]] of editors, governed by [[Wikipedia:Five pillars|the Five Pillars of Untruth]], who [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia is an encyclopedia|stand]] in [[Wikipedia:Purpose|the way]] of what must surely be Wikipedia's true purpose, which is to [[WP:LOCALCONSENSUS|make up]], [[WP:NOT#BUREAUCRACY|catalogue]], and [[Wikipedia:Discretionary sanctions|enforce]] as [[WP:Instruction creep|many obscure rules as possible]], then [[Wikipedia:Please do not bite the newcomers|brow-beat]] any so-called "intelligent" contributors mercilessly to [[Wikipedia:Etiquette|conform]] and [[Wikipedia:Editing restrictions|grovel]], until they [[Wikipedia:Editor retention|give up in disgust]] and leave the project to its proper, good-old-boys'-club [[Echo chamber (media)|echo chamber]]<!--Link to DAB page intentional; the echo-chamber meaning is #2, but the #1 entry is also pertinent.-->. No rouge editor has {{em|ever}} seen {{em|anything}} posted on [[Uncyclopedia]].

==How to identify rouge editors==
{{reduced pull quote|align=right|width=30%|text=If rules make you nervous and depressed, and not desirous of participating in the wiki, then ignore them entirely and go about your business.|source=The original formulation of what became [[WP:IAR]].<ref>By user {{User|Koyaanis Qatsi}}, at the historical [[Wikipedia:Historical archive/Rules to consider|Wikipedia:Rules to consider]], [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Historical_archive/RulesToConsider&oldid=277053 04:00, 18 September 2001 (UTC)].</ref><br />([[Wikipedia:Ignore all rules|perfected today]] to soulless economy by rouge admins)}}
Rouge editors are the non-administrative ''[[Yin and yang|yin]]'' to the ''yang'' of [[Wikipedia:Rouge admins|rouge admins]]. They annoy all admins, including [[User:Jimbo Wales|Jimbo]], as well as other editors, because – although not outright [[meta:Association of Anarchist Wikipedians|wikianarchists]] – they [[Wikipedia:Ignore all rules|just don't need]] no stinking<ref>''[[Treasure of the Sierra Madre]]''</ref> [[meta:Wikimobocracy|mob-rule]] permissions or admonitions. They may also be fairly easily [[Wikipedia:Harassment#Wikihounding|hounded]] into violating #2 of the [[Wikipedia:Trifecta]]; this is a good way to smoke them out.

Rouge editors differ from rouge {{em|admins}} primarily in [[Church of the SubGenius#Conspiracy and "Slack"|not having faith]] in the latters' [[WP:5EVIL|Five Pillars of Evil]].  And in being [[Wikipedia:Administrators#No big deal|powerless non-admins]].  And in probably [[Wikipedia:Don't-give-a-fuckism|not giving a damn]] about the [[Wikipedia:It's not the End of the World|crucial]] changes you and your friends [[Wikipedia:Ignore all dramas|demand]] in their behavior.

Rouge editors and rouge admins are, however, united in opposition to [[meta:Wikitroll|trolls]], [[Wikipedia:Vandalism|vandals]], [[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view|PoV-pushers]], [[WP:FRINGE|fringe nonsense]], [[WP:Verifiability|unsourced claims]], and [[WP:BOLLOCKS|total bollocks]]. They simply think you're probably in one of these buckets, and [[Wikipedia:Just drop it|really don't want to hear it]].

==The seriousness of the threat==
[[File:Rouge powder.jpg|thumb|left|There are many hues of rouge editors – {{em|and they could be editing Wikipedia right now}}, with more contentment and productivity than you!]]
Lack of [[Wikipedia:Administrators|administrative prerogative]] or other [[Wikipedia:User access levels|privileges]] doesn't stop the collective menace of rouge editors from editing {{em|millions}} of articles, in ways that sometimes [[Wikipedia:Ignore all rules|don't]] fully [[Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines#Adherence|adhere]] to the exact [[Law of triviality|letter of every rule]].

The frightening thing is, {{em|every new editor is a rouge editor}} until rounded up and [[WP:Noticeboard|verbally whipped into submission]]. All [[Wikipedia:You don't own Wikipedia|long-term regulars]] have a [[Wikipedia:Drama|duty]] to domesticate and [[WP:Ban policy|cull]] this herd.  Rouge editors are especially a [[WP:MERCILESS|threat]] to [[Wikipedia:WikiProject|WikiProjects]]' and [[WP:Good article|GA]]/[[WP:Featured content|FA]] authors' [[Wikipedia:No vested editors|rightful control]] over {{em|[[Wikipedia:Content ownership|their own]]}} articles.  [[Wikipedia:Don't smother conflict|Suppression]] of rouge editors by [[Wikipedia:Don't come down like a ton of bricks|ruthless enforcement of policies and guidelines]] is therefore [[WP:NOT#BATTLEGROUND|vital]], especially when you're certain [[Wikipedia:Wikilawyering|your policy interpretation is more correct]] or [[meta:The Wrong Version|your version of an article is the right one]].

Rouge editors, even after several warnings from admins, may just say, "oh, [[WP:IDIDNTHEARTHAT|I didn't hear that]]". This is especially frustrating for admins who have it out for the rouge editor and are deeply involved in the background of the dispute, and thus [[WP:INVOLVED|clearly know best]], and should treat any back-talk as [[Wikipedia:Disruptive editing|disruptive editing]]. Spokescreatures for the Rouge Editor Cabal have pledged to continue their passive-resistance [[WP:NOT#SOAPBOX|campaign]], of [[Wikipedia:Tendentious editing|tendentiously volunteering]] to edit without being hassled over trivial matters, until {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTDAY}}, {{#expr: {{CURRENTYEAR}} + 31}}. On this date, rouge editors plan to [[Immanentize the eschaton|immanentize]] the long-forseen [[Wikipedia:Imminent death of Wikipedia predicted|Wikiapocalypse]] with an [[Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration|ArbCom case]] involving all rouge admins at once,<ref>For precedent, see ''[[Pastoralis Praeeminentiae]]'' and ''[[Order 66 (Star Wars)]]''.</ref> although the editors promise to [[WP:Consensus#Decisions not subject to consensus of editors|ignore ArbCom]] regardless of the case's outcome. They will also vandalize the userpages of all rouge admins on April Fools' Day,<ref>Please note that April Fools' Day on Wikipedia is [[Wikipedia:Requests for comment/April Fools' 2|very serious business]]; consult [[Wikipedia:Rules for Fools]] carefully.</ref> [[Wikipedia:Gaming the system|and get away with it]].
{{clear}}

==Scarlet letters==
{{quote box|align=right|width=30%|title=Rouge Editor Cabal <s>motto</s> <ins>incantation</ins>|text=<span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: fantasy,cursive,serif;">{{nobreak|All hail [[Commons:Category:Lolcats|LOLcat]]!&nbsp;}} {{nobreak|And long live [[WP:IAR|IAR]]!}}&nbsp;</span><ref>[[Discordianism|<span style="color:#CCCCCC;">fnord</span>]]<!--Can you see it?--></ref>}}
To identify yourself as a rouge editor, just act like one and go about your editing business.  Or add one of the following userboxes to your userpage (or better yet to [[Wikipedia:User pages#Editing of other editors' user and user talk pages|someone else's]]):

{{tlx|User rouge editor}} gives you:
:{{User rouge editor|category=no}}
{{clr}}

<code><nowiki>{{</nowiki>[[User:UBX/rougeeditor]]<nowiki>}}</nowiki></code> yields:
:{{User:UBX/rougeeditor|category=no}}
{{clr}}

<code><nowiki>{{</nowiki>[[User:Adolphus79/UBX/RougeNonAdmin]]<nowiki>}}</nowiki></code> provides:
:{{User:Adolphus79/UBX/RougeNonAdmin}}
{{clr}}<br />

Note that {{tlx|User rouge wannabe}}, for rouge-admin hopefuls, is distinct (and not necessarily compatible, unless you are {{em|deeply}} rouge and [[WP:NOTHERE|just here for the entertainment value]]).

==A rouges' gallery==
Known instances of rouge editor grafitti, a.k.a. {{em|[[Wikipedia:Vandalism#What is not vandalism|vandalism]]}}!
<gallery class="center">
Image:Flogger_02.JPG|Who needs a mop?
Image:1984 Social Classes alt.svg|Prole and proud!
Image:Yet another lolcat.jpg|You disagree?
Image:Admnzlmao.png|lmao!
Image:Bad cat hides lolcat.png|What?
Image:Dammvippa.jpg|Who needs a mop?
Image:King (dog) 1959.jpg|Rouge editors only bow to the King!
Image:Assume good faith lolcat.jpg|Don't make us eat you.
</gallery>

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://catb.org/jargon/html/H/ha-ha-only-serious.html "Ha ha only serious", ''The Jargon File'']

==See also==
* [[Wikipedia:Nobody cares]]
* [[Wikipedia:Don't be a fanatic]]
* [[Wikipedia:Don't be high-maintenance]]
* [[Wikipedia:Cabals]]
* [[Wikipedia:List of cabals]]
* [[meta:Wikidynamism]]
* [[meta:Wikindividualism]]
* [[meta:Exopedianism]]
* {{section link|Wikipedia:There is no deadline|It's not a competition}}
* [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia does not need you]]

{{Wikipedia essays|humour}}
[[Category:Wikipedia cabal humor]]
[[Category:Rouge editors]]