Somebody edited a recent question of mine. The change is substantial enough to change the intent of the question. I wanted to ask a different question than what somebody edited my question to say.
Here are some related facts of this matter.
- It was done without my consent.
- It was not done by a moderator. (And I would not want a moderator to make this change anyway.)
- I don't agree with the change.
- As best I can tell, my original question complies with the guidelines for what is appropriate to ask in this forum. (i.e. - It is about US legal theory and doctrines regarding free speech and harassment, and the guidelines specifically allow for discussions on "Legal terms and language, doctrines and theory".)
- The answers posted after the change clearly don't address what I wanted to ask. Nor do they provide the information I wish.
Even if my post does not comply with guidelines for this forum, I think it sets a bad precedent for somebody else to change it. When somebody changes my post, they are basically saying what question I wanted to ask. They are putting words in my mouth, and trying to say what my own intentions are.
If a question does not comply with the guidelines, isn't it better to say how it does not comply, and allow the author to change it on their own? That allows the author to speak with their own words. Nobody can speak for me with the same authenticity that I can speak for myself.