- Muslim conquest of Persia (talk|edit|history|logs|links|archive|watch) (RM) (Discussion with closer)
A RM had been open on this article for quite some time. The sources clearly showed that WP:COMMONNAME favoured a move (see the first comments by me and LouisAragon), whilst not a single of those opposing comments (which were heavily WP:OR) actually attempted to rebut the WP:COMMONNAME argument, yet the RM was closed with no move made, which I consider a mistake. --HistoryofIran (talk) 13:27, 20 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
- Endorse.<uninvolved>. An easily defended "no consensus", almost couldn't be closed any other way, endless relisting is not a good idea. The support and oppose !votes were heavily talking at cross points, neither side persuading the other.
- I recommend that the proponents take a pause, minimum two months, before making a fresh nomination. In the fresh nomination, try to make a better nomination statement than was made last time. Address directly the issues that caused the participants to not be persuaded last time. --SmokeyJoe (talk) 01:40, 21 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
- Endorse. <involved>. The result was a clear no consensus, and the COMMONNAME arguments (that is common name, as opposed to the name used by many modern scholars, especially those of Iranian origin) were valid. -- Necrothesp (talk) 09:52, 21 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
- <involved> A question for those who would agree with the close: could you give a brief outline of what policy or policies the opposing editors invoked (explicitly or implicitly) that supported keeping the article's current name? (As you might be able to guess from my !vote in the RM, I was not able to find much of a policy-based rationale in the opposing arguments, but I'd be interested to hear others' interpretations.) Colin M (talk) 15:37, 21 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
- Endorse. (Uninvolved). There was no consensus here, plain and simple. I would advise those who support the move to spend more identifying evidence that addresses the WP:COMMONNAME concern when they revisit the issue in the future. Calidum 16:22, 21 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
- @Calidum: I'm a little confused by this comment. WP:COMMONNAME was pretty much exclusively invoked by editors supporting the move. Colin M (talk) 20:21, 21 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
- As I said in the RM debate, I think you do have to make a distinction between modern scholarly writing, which often tends to the PC (e.g. desperate attempts to avoid offending Iranians who want their country to be known as Iran throughout history, despite the reality that it is not), and common usage. In the latter, the country is usually referred to until at least the second quarter of the 20th century as Persia in English-language sources. And to my mind, that's what WP:COMMONNAME is all about. What most people call it in English-language sources (favouring those witten by native English-speakers and by those who do not have a political point to make), not what a few scholars call it. -- Necrothesp (talk) 09:37, 22 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
- Could you please come up with something that supports your bold theory regarding scholars tending to the PC? Few scholars? What is this then? [1] It's amazing how much OR there was in all the opposing comments, god forbid we actually follow the rules, I CBA at this rate (also, I thought Wikipedia wasn't a democracy?). --HistoryofIran (talk) 19:44, 22 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
- There are no rules on Wikipedia. There is only opinion and, following on from that, consensus. In this case, there was no consensus. And I was contrasting scholars (a tiny minority of the population) with the vast majority of people and they way they use the English language. Sorry, thought that was obvious. -- Necrothesp (talk) 10:41, 23 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
- So.. if some users throw in opposing WP:OR comments, then there's no consensus? Aight cheers for clearing that up, great to see that this system is working logically. Also, your comment is still WP:OR nonetheless. Anyways, regular people aren't experts in this subject, scholars, however, are. We use scholars as reliable sources, not random blokes. --HistoryofIran (talk) 15:45, 23 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
- No, it's not OR; it's opinion, expressed in a discussion. You know as well as I do that "Muslim" and "Persia" in this context are still extremely common. It's certainly not OR to say so (WP:OR is, incidentally, frequently misapplied, as you appear to be doing). No, we use common usage for article titles (whether that is by "random blokes" or scholars). If we only used names found in scholarly works to name our articles we'd be renaming many thousands of them. -- Necrothesp (talk) 09:23, 24 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
- OR, bold statements with nothing to back it up with, doesn't make any difference. You're coming with very bold claims which you still haven't backed up ("majority of people uses the current name", "scholars tending to the PC" etc), such as your latest one "If we only used names found in scholarly works to name our articles we'd be renaming many thousands of them." Even if that was the case, I highly doubt we can compare all cases with each other. Ultimately the proposed move is a "winner" by a huge margin, both per high quality scholarly works, and the numbers of them: no one has rebuted the WP:Common argument. HistoryofIran (talk)
- Endorse. (uninvolved) See quite a bit of editing in the RM that some might call tendentious, even bludgeoning. If something is worth saying, saying it one time is all that should be needed. Agree that the policy argument, while not explicitly used to rebut itself, could be seen as being thoroughly, although implicitly, called by some opposers. So Calidum is correct in that editors should have spent more time identifying evidence that addresses the WP:COMMONNAME concern and hopefully will do so in the future. There appear to be challenges with the current title and the proposed titles seen in the request. Would advise concerned and involved editors to strengthen their arguments and try again in three to six months from the RM's closure to garner consensus for a new title. P. I. Ellsworth, ed. put'r there 19:15, 24 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
- Spend more time identifying evidence that addresses the WP:COMMONNAME concern? How exactly if I may ask? --HistoryofIran (talk) 01:05, 25 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
- To editor HistoryofIran: my rationale was not aimed at any one editor in the debate. The applicability of the policy to the proposed and current titles appeared to me to be questionable to several involved editors. When this happens, it usually means that more time is needed to strengthen arguments. So a no-consensus outcome is appropriate. Strengthened args is usually the result of finding more independent secondary reliable sources to support an article title. P. I. Ellsworth, ed. put'r there 07:09, 26 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
- Independent secondary reliable sources? Just like those eight I had already listed? --HistoryofIran (talk) 15:48, 26 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
- Again, suggest you read the oppose rationales thoroughly and resubmit a move request in a few months with stronger arguments that might not be countered in that manner. Also, encyclopedias are not secondary sources, they are tertiary ones. P. I. Ellsworth, ed. put'r there 16:11, 26 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
- Thanks for your suggestion, I get that you're trying to help, but the the opposers rationales were all personal opinions/theories with no source whatsoever to support it. --HistoryofIran (talk) 16:34, 26 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
- Pleasure! and thank you for your opinion, with which I and other editors here disagree. P. I. Ellsworth, ed. put'r there 16:37, 26 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
- And everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but that doesn't change the fact that not a single opposer used at least one source to support their rather bold claims, which is my main gripe. --HistoryofIran (talk) 16:45, 26 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
- Yes, that was a weakness on the part of opposers. It might help to better understand their strengths if you read the essay, Wikipedia:Advice on closing discussions. There was much implied by the opposers, and that is what must be absorbed so that a stronger position can be taken in a future move request. By the time I'd finished reading the RM, I wasn't certain which of the titles, current and proposed, should be seen as the COMMONNAME. P. I. Ellsworth, ed. put'r there 20:52, 26 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
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