Ol' Jimmy Wales gave a lecture at Stanford, and the video found its way out onto the net. There's one part where he's talking about you (or so it seems):

We've got this one guy, I always joke...you know there's a movie stereotype. It's the cop, he's kind of a rogue cop, right? He's always breaking the rules, the sergeant's yelling at him, they'd fire him, but he's just too damn good. [laughter] We've got a couple of those guys. Who, they're out there on the front lines dealing with really annoying trolls. And they actually patrol and look for these and they revert and they block and they ban people.

And I get tons and tons of complaints about this abusive administrator and...you get ten complaints about an administrator and you research all ten of them and you realize...okay, this guy's complaining that he got banned and he wrote "fuck you" eighteen times in an hour. [laughter] I'm not so sympathetic, right?

At the same time, this same administrator is a little bit harsh with people. Much harsher than I would be, much harsher than other people would be, so we kind of ask him "could you please be a little nicer to people, but please don't stop doing what you're doing, otherwise we would have to deal with these people."

A transcript of the whole thing is available at Commons:Jimmy Wales lecture at Stanford University on 2 9 2005. There's also some links that will take you to the actual video. -- Cyrius|✎ 01:36, 13 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Talked with him on IRC, he was referring to you. Had the following to say:

<jwales> yeah, RickK is like an action movie hero to me. I don't see how he can do it.

<jwales> Cyrius: yes, I really hope that my comments (which I haven't read or seen) are not taken badly by Rick. I like to make this joke about him being an action hero, and I really do mean that I think his role is important.

-- Cyrius|✎ 04:14, 13 Feb 2005 (UTC)

'-( Sigh. RickK 06:27, Feb 13, 2005 (UTC)

Man, I was just coming here to transcribe the same thing... you're an Internet celebrity! silsor 06:58, Feb 13, 2005 (UTC)

Please don't leave, I appreciate you, and I know many other people do too. foobaz·✐ 07:23, 13 Feb 2005 (UTC)

"Of all the words / Of tongue or pen / The saddest of these: / It might have been." (John Greenleaf Whittier). We will miss you. Whether you decide to come back is your own choice. Whatever your decision may be, I wish you well. Neutrality^talk 07:31, Feb 13, 2005 (UTC)

Rick, you might consider seeing a psychiatrist/psychologist/therapist/someone else available for talking about cognitivity in this strange world we live in. To interpret Jimbo's comments -- which most people, including himself, interpret as WELCOMING -- as hostile and UNWELCOMING is delusional. God bless. 24.146.23.211 (Unsigned)

We will miss your insults and your bans. Take care. —Cantus…☎ 11:28, Feb 13, 2005 (UTC)

Don't leave Rick... please... who else will delete the trashy stuff off the Wikipedia? Who else will fill the VFD with the necessary votes to remove articles? *cry* We will miss you. Please come back to us. -- AllyUnion (talk) 16:35, 13 Feb 2005 (UTC)

I just posted to Rick's user page, and now I will also post here on the user talk page. I am so very sorry that my remarks hurt Rick's feelings, because they were not intended to do so.

RickK is an action hero to me as I said in IRC above. The story could be expanded, and deserves to be expanded, and so I will do so here.

I get more complaints about RickK than I do about any other administrator. This is not even close. And when I investigate those complaints, as I said in my story, in all cases I have checked it turns out that the complainant is totally and completely in the wrong. In many of those cases, I find that Rick is much stricter than I would have been -- but I'm a softie as is well known.

He deals with trolls, vandals, the worst of the worst. And he does a great job of it.

I did not mention Rick by name, but the reason so many people identified him as the source of the story is that he is to *many* people in the community an action hero. He does the dirty work so we don't have to. We wouldn't be comfortable dealing with that kind of crap.

It will sadden me greatly if what I intended to be a tribute ends up interpreted differently. Whether this happened because Rick finds the analogy in and of itself offensive (he might! and I take it back if he does!) or if my off-the-cuff presentation gave the wrong idea (it might! I was speaking without notes off the top of my head!), I want him and everyone else to know how much I admire and support his work. Period.

Rick, again man, I'm really sorry.

--Jimbo Wales 07:46, 13 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Damnit, this is my fault. I posted the text here because I thought it was mostly positive and funny. -- Cyrius|✎ 16:58, 13 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Do not give in to a would be dictator. This is a wiki. Jimbo has no right to dictate over GFDL.