User:BappleBusiness/Don't let dogs play basketball
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 | This page in a nutshell: The lack of a Wikipedia policy prohibiting an action doesn't mean that action should be tolerated. |
| “ | Ain't no rule says the dog can't play basketball. | ” |
| — Referee, Air Bud | ||
Unlike a youth basketball game, what we allow to be included on Wikipedia has global consequences. Wikipedia is more like a major league basketball game, where we can't let dogs (insanity) run around on the court (the encyclopedia). This is the Air Bud principle, which states: don't let dogs play basketball.
Policies and guidelines are not meant to be completely comprehensive of every possible editing scenario, and attempting this would be next to impossible. Wikipedia policies often draw bright lines that are simple for editors to follow. For example, edit warring on Wikipedia is often associated with the three-revert rule, but the policy actively states that's not the definition, just a convenient limit. Even if it was the definition, only abiding to the definition would defeat the purpose of the policy—to encourage discussion and sanction users who refuse to engage in consensus-making. Follow the spirit of the law.
Ignore all rules is usually taken to mean loosening or abandoning policies. But sometimes we need to strengthen their reach, or at least edit as if they are stronger than they're written, solely to stop insanity. This doesn't mean you should do whatever you want without regard to policy. But if a user makes an edit against common sense and you can't cite a policy to explain why their edit is wrong, revert their edit anyway.
On the off-chance that the dog is actually a decent basketball player and won't cause chaos, discussion should take place about letting the dog play. This is beyond the limits of common sense.