This article may at first appear to be off-topic for A Voice for Men but given the heavy feminist bias in the online encyclopedia that anyone can edit we felt publication of this article was warranted. –Ed
The organization behind Wikipedia is not well known. This organization, the Wikimedia Foundation, holds 501(c)(3) status and is the legal structure that maintains the many wiki projects. The feminist bias in the English Wikipedia is well established, not the least because of its complete disinterest in addressing feminist edit-a-thons. Feminist edit-a-thons are conducted entirely in the open and involve feminists working together to introduce further feminist bias in the English Wikipedia. Some feminist professors have even given credit to students for adding feminist bias to Wikipedia. Meanwhile, the Wikimedia Foundation stands by and does nothing.
At this point, the feminist and leftist bias inherent in the Wikimedia Foundation is there for all to see.
Another Wikimedia Foundation project is Wikiquote. Wikiquote offers a Quote of the Day. At the time of publication the Quote of the Day is from American political commentator entertainer Bruce Springsteen:
I don’t think anybody truly knows where we’re going from here yet. It depends on too many unknowns. We don’t know where the COVID virus is going to take us. We don’t know where Black Lives Matter is going to take us right now. Do we get a real practical conversation going about race and policing and ultimately about the economic inequality that’s been a stain on our social contract?
And of course, nobody knows where our next election is going to take us. I believe that our current president is a threat to our democracy. He simply makes any kind of reform that much harder. I don’t know if our democracy could stand another four years of his custodianship. These are all existential threats to our democracy and our American way of life.
There’s a lot to be said for being a 501(c)(3) organization. The English Wikipedia notes:
A 501(c)(3) organization is a corporation, trust, unincorporated association, or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code.
Exempt from federal income tax. That’s a big deal. An organization that didn’t have to pay income tax could potentially amass vast wealth. Indeed, Wikipedia has this to say about the organization that maintains it:
As of 2020, the foundation employs over 300 people, with annual revenues in excess of US$109.9 million.
Yes, vast wealth indeed.
Next time The Wikimedia Foundation runs banner ads on the English Wikipedia asking for money I’m going to go to this page and screen capture it with the ad at the top.
Of course it can’t all be about a having a headquarters in a highrise in San Franciso, or jetting around the world to conferences. There are rules. Quite strict rules as it happens. For example the IRS has this to say on the topic of 501(c)(3) organizations:
Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.
Absolutely prohibited. Directly or indirectly. Sounds pretty broad. And strict.
Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity. Violating this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes.
At this point it’s worth reading Mr Springsteen’s quote again, clearly and proudly displayed as a Wikiquote Quote of the Day. And this isn’t unique.
Quote of the Day – September 21, 2020
What fascinates me — mesmerizes me — isn’t so much Trump himself as the American government he’s crafted: a major world power with no policy, no consistency, and no idea what it’s doing. — Stephen King
Quote of the Day – September 20, 2020
My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed. –Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Quote of the Day – September 8, 2020
Donald Trump is the most dangerous president in the modern history of our country and he must be defeated.
Tragically, we have a president today who is a pathological liar and who is running a corrupt administration. He clearly does not understand the Constitution of the United States and thinks that he is a president who is above the law. In my view, he is a racist, a sexist, a homophobe, a xenophobe and a religious bigot, and he must be defeated, and I will do everything in my power to make that happen. –Bernie Sanders
Quote of the Day – September 7, 2020
Donald Trump’s hold on history loosened, and may be breaking. In some new way his limitations are being seen and acknowledged, and at a moment when people are worried about the continuance of their country and their own ability to continue within it. He hasn’t been equal to the multiple crises. Good news or bad, he rarely makes any situation better. And everyone kind of knows. –Peggy Noonan
Quote of the Day – September 5, 2020
We cannot allow Donald Trump to redefine the Republican Party. That is what he is doing, as long as we give the impression by our silence that his words are our words and his actions are our actions. We cannot allow that impression to go unchallenged.
As has been true since our beginning, we Republicans are the party of Lincoln, the party of the Union. We believe in our founding principle. We are proud of our illustrious history. We believe that we are an essential part of present-day American politics. Our country needs a responsibly conservative party. But our party has been corrupted by this hateful man, and it is now in peril. –John Danforth
Quote of the Day – August 29, 2020
The damage inflicted by President Trump’s naiveté, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate. … President Trump proved not only unable, but unwilling to stand up to Putin. He and Putin seemed to be speaking from the same script as the president made a conscious choice to defend a tyrant against the fair questions of a free press, and to grant Putin an uncontested platform to spew propaganda and lies to the world. … No prior president has ever abased himself more abjectly before a tyrant. Not only did President Trump fail to speak the truth about an adversary; but speaking for America to the world, our president failed to defend all that makes us who we are — a republic of free people dedicated to the cause of liberty at home and abroad. American presidents must be the champions of that cause if it is to succeed. Americans are waiting and hoping for President Trump to embrace that sacred responsibility. One can only hope they are not waiting totally in vain. –John McCain
Quote of the Day – August 28, 2020
I have joined the political arena so that the powerful can no longer beat up on people that cannot defend themselves. Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it. –Donald Trump
This one is a little different from the others. The person who suggested it made it clear it is intended to hold President Trump accountable for his actions.
In contrast to quotes about President Trump, quotes by and about Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have a much more positive slant:
Quote of the Day – August 21, 2020
We must rekindle the fire of idealism in our society — for nothing suffocates the promise of America more than unbounded cynicism and indifference. We must reclaim the tradition of community in our society. Only by recognizing that we share a common obligation to one another and to our country can we ever hope to maximize our national or personal potential. We must reassert the oneness of America. America has been and must once again be the seamless web of caring and community. –Joe Biden
Quote of the Day – August 12, 2020
People in power are trying to convince us that the villain in our American story is each other. But that is not our story. That is not who we are. That’s not our America.
Our United States of America is not about us versus them. It’s about We the people!
And in this moment, we must all speak truth about what’s happening.
Seek truth, speak truth and fight for the truth. –Kamala Harris
I have posted Quotes of the Day only from August 2020 and September 2020 but a very clear bias is evident.
I served on the board of directors of a United States 501(c)(3) charity for four years (2011-2015) and I would have been concerned if a project operating under our fiscal sponsorship had made clear and consistently politically biased remarks such as these. Of course, this is for the IRS to judge. Were they to receive any complaints about this matter I am sure they would investigate.
