The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result of the debate was overwhelming keep NSL E _(T+C+CVU) 09:18, 3 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Farris Hassan

[edit]

All anonymous IPs and new users are reminded that while their comments will be taken into account, the closing admin may choose to ignore your vote. New votes to the bottom please.

For clarity, discounted votes have been striken. All comments were taken into account. NSL E _(T+C+CVU) 09:18, 3 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Does this junior deserve an article? CG 07:10, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Keep Definitely keep! Who has the balls to go to iraq just for a school essay? I think this boy deserves great respect. I also appreciate the fact that he had the desire to get Information first hand and not from some manipulating media in the USA. Manu from Germany.
Keep - Personal judgments about the boy or his actions are irrelevant. It's verifiable, substantially covered news, and entirely the sort of thing that someone might look for in Wikipedia sometime in the future.
Delete - One major item I can't believe everyone is missing. Go back and view the video where his Mom is interviewed and the background video shows the mom in his room. In the background on a dresser, you will see an American Flag AND a Confederate Flag. With the folklore status this kid is getting, isn't anyone going to inquire as to why he would have this kind of offensive material in his room? I cannot believe no one has picked up on this? Am I missing something? This is a big deal. I don't think he deserves any credit. Brad in Seattle.
- So, we should delete the Robert E. Lee article as well? Nelson Ricardo 23:23, 31 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Keep - This boy has more courage than half the people there are articles about on this website. keep. - radi0head 04:37, 31 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Keep - It's been covered by major news sources, and it's a unique news story. Besides that, idiocy as monumental as Hassan's should be enshrined so that others learn what not to do. - JesseG 01:39, 31 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Keep it's an interesting story that is verifiable and has been covered by major news outlets. -- MisterHand 07:32, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Keep -- verifiable article. - Longhair 07:34, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Delete verifiable but not notable. even the news stories about it did not cover it as a news piece. Most of the content their reeks of vanity Savidan 08:12, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Delete. Might have been interesting if he had at least stayed in Iraq a bit longer, actually doing some "immersion journalism", but the only thing he apparently wrote – judging from the quotes in the CNN article – seems rather immature. u p p l a n d 08:56, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Keep since it's a developing story, or at least merge a bit to Pine Crest School. -- JJay 09:04, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
keep as per aboveJcuk 10:52, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Keep. "Does this junior deserve an an [sic] article?" Absolutely. How many 16 year olds travel thousands of miles unaccompanied into a war zone for a class essay? Unique story and verifiable. And absolutely do not merge into Pine Crest School. Cburnett 14:29, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Keep. Took some big balls to go over there. The fact that he made it that far is impressive. --Kross | Talk 14:58, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Not good enough reasoning for me to take vote into account. NSL E _(T+C+CVU) 09:18, 3 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Comment. This story is on the front page of many newspapers today. -- MisterHand 15:55, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
KEEP very news worthy and shows the courage and determination of American born of Iraqi heritage serving a good purpose in current affairs. Bnguyen 16:31, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Speedy Keep obviously. KI 17:55, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
- Speedy keep implies that the original AfD nomination was made in bad faith. Is that what you were implying? User:Zoe|^(talk) 23:17, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
- Not going to strike KI's vote, but not taking into account. NSL E _(T+C+CVU) 09:18, 3 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
"'Keep'", verifiable, notable. zellin t / c 18:57, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Keep Very newsworthy, verifiable. Arbiteroftruth 19:17, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
KEEP! KEEP! KEEP! It is considered vandalism to remove AfD notices from pages arbitrarily, but I really wouldn't blame anyone who did it on this article. It is on CNN.com as of now, and although not a real serious story it is definitely notable enough for an article on Wikipedia. NicAgent 19:47, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Keep After all, this is a true story, and who knows what might become of this kid in the future. This does not seem to be controversial. Professor water 20:15, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Keep - Verifiable, informative, and quite amusing as well. --Bletch 20:26, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
PLEASE KEEP!!!! - If I took an interest in Anime earlier in life, particularly 7th Grade, I would've attempted to run away to Japan, more or less like how Farris ran away to Iraq. It shows what might've happened to me on the way, or something like that. (minus the violence, as Japan is a much more peaceful country. But bad things would've happened to me nonetheless.) --Shultz 21:19, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Delete or, at best, merge with Pine Crest School per JJay. Wikipedia is not a news outlet. This would be appropriate on Wikinews but it's not yet appropriate for Wikipedia. This may be a brave kid who took great risks to do something very important, or he may be an incredibly stupid kid who risked his life to do something pointless. We just don't yet know which it is, and if it turns out to be the latter, it would not reflect well on Wikipedia. Tim Pierce 22:02, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
KEEP. To echo the valid points already mentioned. Themarcuscreature
Keep. A real-life Ferris Bueller story. The Dad is proud, the Mom is mad, and Farris is grounded until peace breaks out in Iraq. Plus the journalism teacher gets an object lesson in the impressionability of his kids. --Ancheta Wis 22:30, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Keep. This brave young American has gained a large amount of notability. -- OldRight 23:14, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Delete! Are you people kidding?! We will never hear anything about this kid again. His 15 minutes of fame are over. User:Zoe|^(talk) 23:16, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
- Should we delete every article on anyone you've never heard of? Nelson Ricardo 23:23, 31 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  - Where did I say I never heard of this kid? I read about him on the day the news broke. That doesn't make him notable. User:Zoe|^(talk) 21:07, 1 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Delete Non-notable. Let him do something with his life first. Then maybe... Atrian 00:46, 31 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Keep! He might have been a complete, immature idiot to run off to a war zone as an unattended minor, but it was still very brave and gutsy and definitely memorable. I'm not going to forget this one...and omg have you guys seen the interview with his mother? She was so mellow you'd have thought she was on xanax.
Keep As a fellow 16 year old journalist, I believe that Mr. Hassan was stupid, but if the local 11pm newscast, CNN and Wikinews are covering and not to mention the fact that he was somehow able to enter a country which is currently engaged and war and not only survive with the way he acted, then he is damn well sure, notable. --Saint-Paddy 04:29, 31 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Keep This kid's has been on every newscast I've seen today. I'm actually getting sick of hearing about him. Hence he's notable. After all, the Category:Kidnappings is full of people whose sole claim to fame is disappearing. (Side note, not related to my vote: He's a total idiot, but something tells me he's just crazy enough that we may hear from him again someday.) OCNative 05:24, 31 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Keep. He's been all over the news, and surely that makes him notable. Denelson 83 06:11, 31 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Keep. We've kept less. --King of All the Franks 06:29, 31 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Keep, of course! Neutrality^talk 06:50, 31 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Keep, for several reasons mentioned above. Lawyer2b 19:26, 31 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Delete, DELETE!!! DELETE!!! DELETE!!!! If this article stays than I too will be on Wikipedia, I'll be sure to let you know if I travel to Europe. And if I travel to the Mid East maybe I'll get a picture on my article too. Delete! What an embarrassment. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.230.21.94 (talk • contribs) 15:27, 31 December 2005
Keep. We have articles on Mary Ann Vecchio and the Tank Man... – ugen64 22:50, 31 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Keep Why not? The article is newsworthy, as are his exploits. This boy made it onto the BBC World News. He may be stupid, but he's admirable and inspirational. I was very surprised to see this article listed for deletion when I looked him up here. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.113.106.19 (talk • contribs) 15:58, 31 December 2005
Keep. The nominator did not even provide a reason for deletion. Nelson Ricardo 23:19, 31 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
- Sure they did: Hassan is a junior. No doubt the nominator is a senior, and therefore, like, totally more mature. -- MisterHand 00:03, 1 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  - MisterHand, like, you mean after, like, high school the totally most important identifying characteristic about a person is not their "year"? Lawyer2b 17:46, 1 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Keep per many of the other keep votes. Of course, I expected an article on this to land on AfD for some reason, but this should stay. --WCQuidditch ☎ ✎ 00:00, 1 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Keep - the story has been subject to extensive coverage throughout the world. This is exactly the sort of function which is so important to Wikipedia: documenting very timely information which could not be found in a print or traditional encyclopedia. BehroozZ 06:56, 1 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Keep --Greasysteve13 12:38, 1 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Keep - Notable and unique enough to warrant inclusion, though I must say I'm rather disappointed by the amount of people who think young Mr. Hassan is "brave" or a "hero". The people who are aware of the risks and go anyway (soldiers, aid workers, journalists, medics, etc.) ARE brave. Farris Hassan is just an irresponsibly naïve child.--RicardoC 22:03, 1 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Keep - this entry had good and thorough information. Sure, Farris was quite naive to go to iraq in the way he did, but he's an idealist and that could take him into doing some good work in his lifetime. of course, I would be grounding him for the rest of his high school career if I were his parents, but regardless! Keep this entry.
~~DELETE - the bulk of this article is an essay written by Hassan that is pretty emotive and pointless. The story can be found on WikiNews. It is not a historically significant event.~~
Strong keep, per all the arguments in the keep votes above. Academic Challenger 06:29, 2 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
KEEP- as stated in the keep comments above, it is a widely covered current event.

~~--24.20.77.128 07:30, 2 January 2006 (UTC)~~[reply]

Keep as a memorable news item (seriously, his name one of the few I can recall that doesn't belong to a US Senator) AdamantlyMike 07:45, 2 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Delete - I agree with Tim Pierce that at best this should be merged with his school article. Just because this is on the front page doesn't mean it's notable enougg for a permanent article in an encyclopedia. On the fornt page of the 12/31/05 Wash Post is an article advising people not to use the "Just 2 beers, officer" line, and the evening news is riddled with stuff we wouldn't even dream of putting in the encyclopedia. Furthermore, giving this kid notoreity is only going to encourage other teens to do the same, and although he was brave, this behavior should not be encouraged, hence the current US State departent policy of advising civilians to not go to Iraq. To date, 40 civies have been kidnapped, 10 were killed and 15 are unaccounted for. Shaggorama 10:00, 2 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Keep - While I agree that Hassan's decision to go to Iraq was probably not the brightest, I believe he deserves his own article to show the world his inspiring story: how much the plight of the Iraqi people mean to him. In the face of the American "shock and awe" approach to foreign policy, we the American people need to show resolve to help. This story is such an example and has inspired me, a teen who has led a life similar to Hassan's. I haven't been able to find a blog on the subject: someone should really stop his parents from punishing him. Maybe his decision was risky and immature, but very commendable in its daring.
Keep - If Wikipedia thinks an article about Cardassian military ranks is worthy of an entry, than this certainly is.
Keep and take out most of his direct quotes, leave one or two Sethie 20:04, 2 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
~~KEEP- Even my 88 year old mother wants to meet this kid. If she's noticed, he's notable. The article doesn't seem to meet any of the deletion criteria as far asI can tell. Seattilina.~~
~~DELETE - Plain garbage, propaganda, too many holes. Too much innuendo, half-truths, outright lies. It diminishes the quality and reputation of Wikipedia.~~
Comment On one hand, this is an important story and has been for a week, and it would be an essential part of making Wikipedia a "time capsule" of our era's news/culture - part of the reason the Internet is so useful. It's a tale of the manifestation of the confusion created by government, media, and history, and how one student chooses to deal with it. On the other hand, the article is about a minor (privacy/legal issues - that's the one potential flaw I see), is subject to change very quickly, and needs edits. Dotcom703489 07:32, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Delete - Non-notable. Dave 03:32, 3 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Delete. Do we really want to support actions like this as a way to get a wiki article? Vegaswikian 04:29, 3 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
- I highly doubt Hassan's actions were motivated by the desire to get an article in Wikipedia. -- MisterHand 04:59, 3 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Keep, please. (sorry, misunderstood something about the Wiki guidelines)
Keep, current event and newsworthy. Euphrosyne 08:52, 3 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.