 | This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
 | This page in a nutshell: This is a small community, and everyone is bound to bump into everyone else at some point. Don't take it personally! |
In bumper cars, everyone gets their own small car and is free to drive around the crowded floor as they please. When the rubber bumpers of two cars meet, the cars bounce off each other, with the strength of the bounce being determined by the momentum of the cars. Some drivers enjoy bumping other cars, and may even speed up to make the collision more violent; others attempt to steer around other cars to avoid collisions altogether. However, it is nearly impossible to avoid being bumped in a game of bumper cars - control of the cars is limited, and as cars ricochet off other cars, they can be bounced into cars that weren't involved in the original collision. Bumper cars can be dangerous, as the force of the collision can be transmitted through the car bumpers and into riders' bodies. Whiplash, neck injuries, and broken bones may result.
Bumping into other editors edit
Editing Wikipedia, especially if you do it often, is a bit like driving a bumper car. On Wikipedia, every editor is free to wander the encyclopedia and edit as they wish. However, because the encyclopedia is full of other people doing the same, it is nearly inevitable that you will bump into other editors, whether from random chance, because you were both making for the same corner of the "floor", or because one or both of you enjoy bumping cars. Anyone who's been on Wikipedia for long enough has probably bumped their car into, or been bumped by, most other people on the ride, especially the people who ride the bumper cars daily. Most often, the bumps are just coincidental bumps - two editors with no particular like or dislike for each other touch bumpers by editing the same article or commenting on the same discussion, and then both editors go on their way, possibly not even having noticed who they bumped. Other times, the bumps are for fun - two editors who know each other might deliberately point their bumper cars at the same point and race to get there, or point their cars at each other and gleefully hit each other for fun.
Avoid whiplash edit
Sometimes, however, the bumping can be less pleasant - an editor may enjoy ramming others with their car, or might seek out someone who has bumped them previously to exact revenge. These collisions are the ones that may end in injury, and users should always be aware of the fact that just because it's a carnival ride doesn't mean people can't get hurt. Don't assume that anyone who bumps into you pointed their car at you, and don't get so angry at being bumped that you retaliate by ramming into them the next chance you get. Conversely, don't assume that two cars hit each other on purpose - one of them could very well have been ricocheting off another car.
Everyone bumps and is bumped at times, and one must always keep in mind that it's just the nature of the ride. If you want to edit Wikipedia and stay sane, you'll have to come to terms with the fact that we're all one big, incestuous, bumper cars family.