So, it's finally out
Coming from a background of prolific editing on Wikipedia, the recent controversy exposing a supposed cult of Wikipedia is perfectly hilarious. Wikipedia is massive. Very few people can truly appreciate the scale that it works on. But at the same time, there's a darker side to all the policy and bureaucracy that keeps it going, and it's been internally discussed to death — insiders are surprised that it took this long for people to notice.
But really.
With the systems, policies, procedures, committees, councils, processes and appointed authorities that run Wikipedia, a lot of intrinsic power goes around. While most serious contributors devotedly continue to contribute to the implied idealism, there are those with the communication and political skill to place themselves in the right place at the right time and establish even more apparent power. Out of these, a cabal inevitably forms; the rest, as they say, is history.
Official musings
So here it is: grammar, unreliable citations and all, an essay explaining the cult of Wikipedia. For background reading, try the links at the top of the page. Otherwise, read on to understand why Wikipedia is inevitably controversial.
A true Wikipedia cult
Cults are stereotypically mysterious organisations practising some form of seemingly suspicious or extralegal practise. According to the Princeton definition, a cult is a group of followers of an exclusive system of beliefs and practices. A somewhat more broad definition states that a cult is a religious group that denies the essential doctrines of Christianity. The cult we are discussing today is of a slightly different nature, however:
Information wants to be free
You will assimilate into our information
Resistance is futile
Although not as widely publicised as other cults, the quiet bureaucracy of Wikipedia has resulted in the formation of a group of disconnected and misinformed individuals that are effectively the makings of a fully-functional cult. The cult of Wikipedia, also known as the Secret Police or the Wikipedia Cabal, is a disorganised group of experienced Wikipedia contributors that provide excellent returns for investors in Wikia. The group believes strongly in freedom of information, distributed authority and the right to privacy.
Due to the nature of the group, maintained largely through IRC, private mailing lists and encrypted emails, the history of the cult remains largely unknown. The Wikipedia project operates on such a scale that requires an innovative approach to organisation; such a potentially controversial group fits the description perfectly. Decisions can be made quickly in a manner that requires little deliberation; nobody argues with the established authority. The world moves on.
So, we have a massive database of valuable information, some power-crazed administrators, some highly intelligent individuals and an obscure cult to manage it all. The problem with such a disorganised system of management is that individuals have very little understanding of the big picture, of what's going on; they do what they're told. As per the third reference up above ("Sad Truths"), this results in some pretty obsessive editors. Thankfully, we've got a secretive shadowy organisation working along happily in the background to deal with it all. Stand there and look pretty; we'll take care of the rest.