Template talk:New Age beliefs sidebar

Template image

The image at the top of this sidebar is currently File:Rainbow Gathering Bosnia 2007.JPG, a large rectangular image captioned "Gathering of the Rainbow Family".

On articles like New Age Orientalism, Mayanism and Quantum mysticism that open with this template, this looks like a kind of infobox image, as if the Rainbow Family are being presented as an example of the article subject, when they're actually only indirectly connected.

I think some neutral image like File:Sanddunes Sunrise-cropped.png, which requires no caption and wouldn't be misleading on any of the articles that use this template, is more appropriate here. It's what other sidebars generally do. Belbury (talk) 15:39, 13 July 2024 (UTC)

As the interested editor who disagreed with my edit, what do you think, @Skyerise? Belbury (talk) 14:56, 14 July 2024 (UTC)

Sorry the Sunrise image is just too generic and new agey in the negative sense. I am open to another proposal. Skyerise (talk) 15:23, 14 July 2024 (UTC)

Got it. I thought it was okay as a neutral representation of the idea of a new age dawning, but if you think it's carrying other connotations that's fair enough. I drew a blank on anything beyond that rather literal interpretation of a new age dawning, I'm afraid I'm not that familiar with the movement. If you have anything in mind I'd be happy to mock it up and/or edit it to a banner size, if a suitable image doesn't yet exist for it.

If no generic image is possible, the template would seem fine without one. It does seem misleading to put a particular group photo as the main image on several schools of thought that they don't follow. Belbury (talk) 15:42, 14 July 2024 (UTC)

Per my previous comment I have now removed the image. I'm also open to another proposal. Belbury (talk) 16:33, 16 August 2024 (UTC)

And I have restored it. When two editors disagree, the template remains unchanged until the editor who want to change it can show a consensus for that change. See WP:BRD. Skyerise (talk) 19:29, 16 August 2024 (UTC)

I appreciate your feedback that you think the sunrise image is inappropriate and haven't attempted to restore that.

You haven't given a response on whether it's misleading to the reader to have articles like Mayanism and quantum mysticism illustrated with a sidebar showing a captioned photo of the Rainbow Family, a group who (if I understand correctly) do not follow either of those beliefs. The reader has no way of knowing whether they're looking at a generic sidebar image or one that's been specifically chosen, infobox-style, to illustrate Mayanism or quantum mysticism.

What do you think about that? Belbury (talk) 10:45, 17 August 2024 (UTC)

I think you need to go to WP:3O. Nothing you have said has convinced me that the current image is unsuitable. Skyerise (talk) 17:32, 3 October 2024 (UTC)

If you don't want to try to convince me that it is suitable, then okay, I'll do that. Belbury (talk) 17:39, 3 October 2024 (UTC)

Hi, I'm here in response to your request for a third opinion.

I agree that Rainbow Gathering doesn't seem to be a New Age group, and a picture of it is thus not appropriate to illustrate this template. I also agree that the sunrise image is too generic - if we're asking readers to spend time looking at an image at all, it should convey something about the subject, if only an aesthetic. Doing an image search for "New Age", the top results are a human figure meditating with a trippy color scheme. I would recommend using an image like that for this template; it's strongly related to New Age and seems compatible with the article it's going to be displayed on. Both Google and Duck Duck Go have filters that can find images in the public domain or with a compatible Creative Commons license, and they can be cropped if they are in the wrong aspect ratio. We also already have File:7 Chakras.JPG if we don't mind using that twice. -- Beland (talk) 00:53, 4 October 2024 (UTC)

Thanks for the response, I'll remove the image. Belbury (talk) 07:45, 4 October 2024 (UTC)