Wikipedia:Don't retaliate

This is an essay on civility.

It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints.

This page in a nutshell:

Retaliation is NEVER the solution.
If you get mad on Wikipedia, try walking your dog.

Sometimes you might get personally targeted. Sometimes you might get reverted. If these and other similar things happen, it's not a good idea to retaliate. Retaliation can get you in bigger trouble, especially if you've been prone to getting mad at other people on Wikipedia, and had gotten blocked for it before. And if you revert back, that 99% of the time ends up in a edit war. When you get mad on Wikipedia, or actually anywhere online, sometimes you need to back away from the horse carcass, and take your dog for a walk. If you don't want to walk (say it's too hot/cold) try doing something else. Talk with your family, or your friends. Take a nap, or just take a break. It's just not a good idea to get mad at someone, and retaliate.

Steps for responding to attacks

Don't retaliate.
DON'T retaliate.
DON'T RETALIATE. (Get the point?)
If the edit in question is clearly a attack, bring it up at ANI. If it's being reverted, discuss it on the reverter in question's talk page. Do NOT discuss it like:

"Your revert [[1]] was completely bullshit. You need to get off Wikipedia and edit something like 4chan."

If you find yourself typing something like this on Wikipedia, take a break. Discuss it more like:

Why did you revert [[2]]?

Steps for responding to attacks

See also