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Full Moon HariKari

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posted on Dec, 11 2016 @ 10:07 AM
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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.



posted on Dec, 11 2016 @ 10:16 AM
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Farewell.

I too have seen these boards turn into a cesspool over the years.



posted on Dec, 11 2016 @ 10:27 AM
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All Golden Ages end.

Await the next.



posted on Dec, 11 2016 @ 10:31 AM
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In recovery (drugs and alcohol) we have a lot of unique options. It's easy to become jaded. We like to say 'take what you need and leave the rest" I have been harassed for my opinion here......well hell, I'm from NYC!! I ain't going nowhere any howz!!

edit on 12 113111 1616 by WUNK22 because: Spell



posted on Dec, 11 2016 @ 10:49 AM
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a reply to: mythos

Stick around! We need more of the people who won't be demeaning to those they don't agree with.

I totally understand your post/rant, too much shouting not enough discussion. I respect your decision and when old Luna gives a big shine I shall donate some alcohol to the celestial bodies in hopes equilibrium will be attained!

You can't ask witchier than that... Can we?



posted on Dec, 11 2016 @ 11:22 AM
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What a great post.

Peace to you too.. but.. don't go!! We need you here!

Also, I'm sorry I came on the scene so late-looks like I missed out on all kinds of stuff which would have broadened my mind rather than the opposite



posted on Dec, 11 2016 @ 12:59 PM
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a reply to: mythos

Great post!

Take a break and come back some day. Zosi is right, one more reasoned voice is always welcomed. And if the reasoned voices drop out, the trolls will plant their flag and claim the space as their own.

Well, I am not having any of that!

Start some of your own threads, and moderate them yourself if you have time. Set the rules. No name-calling, no partisan bickering.

Wherever life takes you, peace to you and yours!



posted on Dec, 11 2016 @ 02:33 PM
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The root issue is not the presence of hate, but the lack of civility that has become an earmark of American culture. (Not limiting this phenomenon to the US, that's just where my current range of experience lies.)

My wife and I lived 25 years abroad for 25 years, returning to the US about 2005. The first thing I noticed then was the loss of the essential characteristic of civility, and it's only gotten worse since then.

Out of this spring all kinds of evil.



posted on Dec, 12 2016 @ 01:30 AM
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a reply to: mythos

There are answers to this problem.

None of them are to be found in the absence of members who value proper discourse though. Taking one reasonable voice from out of the choir of the righteous does not increase its volume, rather the opposite.




posted on Dec, 13 2016 @ 03:51 PM
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gratitude all for your feedback.

indeed, i understand your sentiment, TrueBrit. alas, i've other arenas to engage in discourse.

perhaps, if them Aliens finally show themselves, i'll be back.

until then,
Keep Questioning...

namaste, y'all




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