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id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading"><span class="mw-page-title-namespace">Wikipedia</span><span class="mw-page-title-separator">:</span><span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't poke the bear</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 4 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-4" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">4 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%88%D9%8A%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A7:%D9%84%D8%A7_%D8%AA%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%B2_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D8%A8" title="ويكيبيديا:لا تستفز الدب – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="ويكيبيديا:لا تستفز الدب" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:No_molestes_al_oso" title="Wikipedia:No molestes al oso – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Wikipedia:No molestes al oso" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikip%C3%A9dia:N%C3%A3o_cutuque_o_urso" title="Wikipédia:Não cutuque o urso – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Wikipédia:Não cutuque o urso" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tr mw-list-item"><a href="https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vikipedi:Ay%C4%B1y%C4%B1_d%C3%BCrtme" title="Vikipedi:Ayıyı dürtme – Turkish" 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<div id="contentSub"><div id="mw-content-subtitle"><span class="mw-redirectedfrom">(Redirected from <a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:BEAR&redirect=no" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:BEAR">Wikipedia:BEAR</a>)</span></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">"WP:BEAR" redirects here. For the WikiFauna, see <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiBear" title="Wikipedia:WikiBear">Wikipedia:WikiBear</a>.</div> <div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Essay on editing Wikipedia</div><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238436933">.mw-parser-output .ombox{margin:4px 0;border-collapse:collapse;border:1px solid #a2a9b1;background-color:var(--background-color-neutral-subtle,#f8f9fa);box-sizing:border-box;color:var(--color-base,#202122)}.mw-parser-output .ombox.mbox-small{font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em}.mw-parser-output .ombox-speedy{border:2px solid #b32424;background-color:#fee7e6}.mw-parser-output .ombox-delete{border:2px solid #b32424}.mw-parser-output .ombox-content{border:1px solid #f28500}.mw-parser-output .ombox-style{border:1px solid #fc3}.mw-parser-output .ombox-move{border:1px solid #9932cc}.mw-parser-output .ombox-protection{border:2px solid #a2a9b1}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-text{border:none;padding:0.25em 0.9em;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-image{border:none;padding:2px 0 2px 0.9em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.9em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-invalid-type{text-align:center}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ombox{margin:4px 10%}.mw-parser-output .ombox.mbox-small{clear:right;float:right;margin:4px 0 4px 1em;width:238px}}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output table.ombox img{max-width:none!important}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .ombox-speedy{background-color:#310402}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .ombox-speedy{background-color:#310402}}</style><table class="plainlinks ombox ombox-notice" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Essay.svg/30px-Essay.svg.png" decoding="async" width="30" height="36" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Essay.svg/45px-Essay.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Essay.svg/60px-Essay.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="35" data-file-height="42"/></span></span></td><td class="mbox-text"><div style="padding-top: 6px; padding-bottom: 5px;"><b>This is an <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Essays" title="Wikipedia:Essays">essay</a> on the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:List_of_policies#Conduct" title="Wikipedia:List of policies">conduct policy</a>.</b><br/><div style="font-size: 90%;">It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Policies_and_guidelines" title="Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines">Wikipedia's policies or guidelines</a>, as it has not been <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Consensus#Levels_of_consensus" title="Wikipedia:Consensus">thoroughly vetted by the community</a>. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints.</div></div></td><td class="mbox-imageright"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1252059228">.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutboxplain{float:right;margin:0 0 0 1em;border:1px solid var(--border-color-base,#a2a9b1);background-color:var(--background-color-base,#fff);padding:0.3em 0.6em 0.2em 0.6em;text-align:center;font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutboxleft{float:left;margin:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutlist{display:inline-block;border-bottom:1px solid var(--border-color-base,#a2a9b1);margin-bottom:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutboxplain ul{font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutanchordiv{position:relative;top:-3em}.mw-parser-output li .module-shortcutanchordiv{float:right}.mw-parser-output .mbox-imageright .module-shortcutboxplain{padding:0.4em 1em 0.4em 1em;line-height:1.3;margin:0}</style><div class="module-shortcutanchordiv"><span id="WP:BEAR"></span><span id="WP:POKING"></span></div><div class="module-shortcutboxplain noprint" role="note"><div class="module-shortcutlist"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Shortcut" title="Wikipedia:Shortcut">Shortcuts</a></div><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409">.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}</style><div class="plainlist"><ul><li><span class="plainlinks"><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:BEAR&redirect=no">WP:BEAR</a></span></li><li><span class="plainlinks"><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:POKING&redirect=no">WP:POKING</a></span></li></ul></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238436933"><table class="plainlinks ombox ombox-notice nutshell" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Walnut.png/30px-Walnut.png" decoding="async" width="30" height="30" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Walnut.png/45px-Walnut.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Walnut.png/60px-Walnut.png 2x" data-file-width="192" data-file-height="192"/></span></span></td><td class="mbox-text"><b>This page in a nutshell:</b> Some actions that may appear harmless or helpful, may actually be provocative and result in being growled at—or even <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mauled" class="extiw" title="wikt:mauled">mauled</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Male_kodiak_bear_face.JPG" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Male_kodiak_bear_face.JPG/220px-Male_kodiak_bear_face.JPG" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Male_kodiak_bear_face.JPG/330px-Male_kodiak_bear_face.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Male_kodiak_bear_face.JPG/440px-Male_kodiak_bear_face.JPG 2x" data-file-width="1600" data-file-height="1200"/></a><figcaption>Does he <i>look</i> like he wants to be poked? Bear: NO HUMAN DON'T POKE ME! *poke noise* GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!</figcaption></figure> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Dog_The_Teddy_Bear.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Dog_The_Teddy_Bear.jpg/220px-Dog_The_Teddy_Bear.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Dog_The_Teddy_Bear.jpg/330px-Dog_The_Teddy_Bear.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Dog_The_Teddy_Bear.jpg/440px-Dog_The_Teddy_Bear.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4000" data-file-height="3000"/></a><figcaption>Even the more harmless-looking variety might not appreciate being poked.</figcaption></figure> <p><a href="/wiki/Bear" title="Bear">Bears</a> are lovely creatures that often <a href="/wiki/Hibernation" title="Hibernation">hibernate</a> and are, for the most part, non-violent. However, when <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/poke#Verb" class="extiw" title="wikt:poke">poked</a>, bears can become quite <a href="/wiki/Angry" class="mw-redirect" title="Angry">angry</a>. As such, it's always best <b>not</b> to poke the bear. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc"/> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="Examples_of_poking" data-mw-thread-id="h-Examples_of_poking"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Examples_of_poking"></span>Examples of poking<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Examples_of_poking"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Don%27t_poke_the_bear&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Examples of poking"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li>Following editors to articles they are editing during an unrelated dispute</li> <li>Adding wikibreak/retired tags to userpages of other users without their consent</li> <li>Adding block templates to a blocked user's page or talk page if the blocking admin has not</li> <li>Having been asked not to (or otherwise knowing it is unwelcome), continuing to post on a user's talk page</li> <li>Fussing with another user's userspace</li> <li>Nominating all articles created by a user you have a dispute with for deletion</li> <li>Repeatedly informing others about past block(s) of a user you have a dispute with</li> <li>Telling an editor "I don't know how many times I have to say this" after having said it only once and receiving a reasonable response</li> <li>Suggesting an interaction ban over dispute with a new user, effectively topic-banning the established editor from their article niche</li> <li>Addressing an editor you're not on particularly good terms with as "dude"</li> <li>Implying an editor may have mental health problems with the patronizing assurance "There is no conspiracy here."</li> <li>Telling an editor holding a minority position with conviction "Perhaps you're not suited to working on a collaborative editing project."</li> <li>Supposing an editor who has irritated an Administrator is seeking "death by cop" or "suicide by Admin"</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:DBQ" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:DBQ">Suggesting to others that two editors in consensus over a point of contention with you are meatpuppets or sockpuppets</a></li> <li>Commenting to others about a proven editor whom you don't like "Wikipedia is better off without [that user]." (or its equivalent: "[That user] is not here to help build the encyclopedia.")</li> <li>Addressing an editor as "Friend", or offering them "friendly advice", when the opposite is meant</li> <li>Dismissing a user's considered thoughts out-of-hand by calling them "a wall of text" (or equivalently: "too long; didn't read")</li> <li>Using the <b>thank</b> tool to spam an editor</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="This_metaphor_could_mean_more_than_you_intended" data-mw-thread-id="h-This_metaphor_could_mean_more_than_you_intended"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-This_metaphor_could_mean_more_than_you_intended"></span>This metaphor could mean more than you intended<span data-mw-comment-end="h-This_metaphor_could_mean_more_than_you_intended"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Don%27t_poke_the_bear&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: This metaphor could mean more than you intended"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Be careful not to imply that a specific individual <i>is</i> a bear. In <a href="/wiki/Russia" title="Russia">Russia</a> "bear" may be a compliment, but elsewhere<sup>(<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/bear#bear_Noun_200">OED</a>)</sup> it can mean <i>a rough or bad-mannered person</i> and "like a bear with a sore head" means <i>very irritable</i>. Using "don't poke the bear" to hint that an editor is over-sensitive on a subject might not be true, and could be construed as a <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Civility#Personal_attacks_and_harassment" title="Wikipedia:Civility">personal attack</a>. You might also offend fellow editors if they think you are accusing them of "<a href="/wiki/Bear-baiting" title="Bear-baiting">bear-baiting</a>" – a <a href="/wiki/Bloodsport" class="mw-redirect" title="Bloodsport">bloodsport</a> which involved setting dogs to attack a captive bear.<sup>(<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/bear-baiting">OED</a>)</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="Analogous_phrases" data-mw-thread-id="h-Analogous_phrases"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Analogous_phrases"></span>Analogous phrases<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Analogous_phrases"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Don%27t_poke_the_bear&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Analogous phrases"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li>The Latin phrase <i>Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus</i> (the motto of <a href="/wiki/Hogwarts" title="Hogwarts">Hogwarts</a>) translates as "never tickle a sleeping dragon". <ul><li>Also, <a href="/wiki/Tickling_the_dragon%27s_tail" class="mw-redirect" title="Tickling the dragon's tail">Tickling the dragon's tail</a>, in the nuclear sense.</li></ul></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="See_also" data-mw-thread-id="h-See_also"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-See_also"></span>See also<span data-mw-comment-end="h-See_also"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Don%27t_poke_the_bear&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Civility" title="Wikipedia:Civility">Wikipedia:Civility</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Don%27t_be_inconsiderate" title="Wikipedia:Don't be inconsiderate">Wikipedia:Don't be inconsiderate</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Don%27t_stuff_beans_up_your_nose" title="Wikipedia:Don't stuff beans up your nose">Wikipedia:Don't stuff beans up your nose</a></li> <li><a href="https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_be_a_dick" class="extiw" title="meta:Don't be a dick">meta:Don't be a dick</a></li></ul>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: absolute;"></noscript> <div class="printfooter" data-nosnippet="">Retrieved from "<a dir="ltr" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Don%27t_poke_the_bear&oldid=1217507557">https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Don%27t_poke_the_bear&oldid=1217507557</a>"</div></div> <div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" data-mw="interface"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><a href="/wiki/Help:Category" title="Help:Category">Categories</a>: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_essays" title="Category:Wikipedia essays">Wikipedia essays</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_behavioral_essays" title="Category:Wikipedia behavioral essays">Wikipedia behavioral essays</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_culture" title="Category:Wikipedia culture">Wikipedia culture</a></li></ul></div></div> </div> </main> </div> <div class="mw-footer-container"> <footer id="footer" class="mw-footer" > <ul id="footer-info"> <li id="footer-info-lastmod"> This page was last edited on 6 April 2024, at 06:21<span class="anonymous-show"> (UTC)</span>.</li> <li id="footer-info-copyright">Text is available under the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_4.0_International_License" title="Wikipedia:Text of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License</a>; additional terms may apply. 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