posted on Dec, 11 2016 @ 10:07 AM
i have been a member of this community since 2008, having been led here by the Stephensville UFO incident (“it was big as a Walmart!” some fellow
exclaimed, ‘cause Walmarts have become a unit of measurement!).
over the years, ATS has been a viable & intriguing source of alternate news on a host of topics i found quite interesting. i was exposed to new ideas,
did informative research, had long held notions of mine challenged (ever a good thing), & even, once in a while, offered my 2 cents (probably worth
less than that).
there were always contesting perspectives on any given topic… but that is what i appreciated about this place. a bandying of ideas, a jostling of
minds, trials by community… that is how we nurtured authenticity & growth. that is how we supported both our Believers & our Skeptics & everyone in
between.
i certainly stray towards the Fox Mulder side of things, but where would he be without a Scully to keep him honest?
& yet, for the most part, this was a reasonably civil place. for all the wacky notions being discussed here (& i’m sure we’ve all seen some wacky
stuff) it felt… Safe.
of course, like any family, it got a little heated (the epic & infamous Galactic Federation of Light occasion comes to mind). & yes, some members of
our community are a little salty in their fervor. we Fringe Folk be a passionate lot. & yet, it felt like much of the jostling & bickering was akin to
a clan, a tribe… dare i say on some warm & fuzzy occasions, a family.
we were all part of the same community… Folks who Questioned. Seekers who wanted to know Truth… to Deny Ignorance.
the greatest form of Ignorance i have witnessed in this beautiful, pitiful world of ours is ~HATE~.
regretfully, i have seen its insidiousness seep into our forums more & more over the years. no longer were ideas exchanged in healthy rancor,
bolstered by facts & honest passion… but it became ok to debase another, to spew measures of vitriol at any perspective that did not align fully
with ours. it grew impossible to have a healthy & honest debate about some of the more contentious topics of our time. and yet, that is exactly where
we needed to have the most earnest debates. how are we ever to grow as a society if we shout “snip off” to half of it?
a whole lexicon of demeaning names has sprung up like fungus & it got to be that i couldn’t go near certain forums without tripping over a
“libtard” or a “SJW” or a “right-wing nut”. over & over again. as if we can dismiss a whole demographic of people (who have just as much
right to their ideas & perspectives as any other) with a derogatory slur.
Deny Ignarance? such tactics flaunt Ignorance.
there is enough ugliness in this world… to see a place i valued succumb to more of the same was disheartening.
for this reason, on the Full Moon (i’m witchy like that), i will sign off on my ATS account one final time & no longer visit (unless Disclosure
occurs, in which case, all bets are off).
((((i was going to deactivate my account, but found out i can’t. oh well, so much for dramatics.))))
no big loss to ATS, for sure… but certainly i shall miss the “good ol’ days” when i could delve into the shadowy corners of the human
experience & learn a thing or three.
i do not blame ATS. this vitriol has poisoned many of our social platforms. ‘tis a sign of the times.
i respect the Mods & realize they do what they can.
i respect many members of this community who continue to strive to offer valid, informed, curious & passionate perspectives. keep ‘em coming.
finally, do pardon the dramatics of this “rant”. i felt i owed it to the Spirit of ATS to explain my final departure.
peace to those who seek it... & especially to those who don’t.
remember, always, to Deny Ignorance. most especially… your own.