Megalomaniacal point of view
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MPOV, short for megalomaniacal point of view, is a variation on neutral point of view. It should not be confused with My Point of View, which is usually just abbreviated as POV, nor the much healthier multiple point of view.
MPOV is characterized not by a belief that your own personal viewpoints are correct and thus must be represented in Wikipedia—although those who hold a MPOV very often also believe this—but rather by the belief that your own personal viewpoints are neutral. This leads to the associated belief that you are a special expert on the topic, and have particular authority to dictate how the article should read.
Symptoms of MPOV
[edit]You may be suffering from MPOV if:
- You know you're acting in good faith, but assume many others involved are acting in bad faith.
- You believe that all other versions of the article are biased.
- You refer to your preferred version as the "NPOV version" in edit summaries.
- You believe it is necessary for you to repeatedly revert the article.
- You accuse others of conspiring to produce a bad version of the article.
- The other editors say you act as though the article is somehow yours.
- You threaten to quit Wikipedia for good if you don't get your way—yet you don't actually leave.
- You believe you are the only one editing from a neutral point of view, and everyone else is not.
- Upon reading this list, you are convinced that most of the people you deal with are suffering from MPOV.
The following symptoms have been observed in advanced cases:
- Accusing others of forming a cabal or conspiring against you.
- Accusing mediation or arbitration committees of pursuing a vendetta against you.
- Launching an appeal for the community to chastise a mediation or arbitration group for treating your case unfairly.
- Producing a website solely and exclusively about how Wikipedia is run by people who aren't interested in neutral content.