I apologize for fooling you. This article is something of a social sciences test. You see, I've noticed that most of the deep, thought provoking articles on this board die out, having received 20 or less views, and often zero replies. These articles that tell of true, verifyable dangers to you, your friends, your families, or you countries. Some of them offer exciting news that could enrich your life, or help you or your loved ones...

But you'd never know, because you're all too busy looking at articles with titles like this one had. It makes me sick. This is supposed to be a board that "denies ignorance," filled with users who are "in the know" about things that The Man is trying to pull over on us, or that The Underdog has developed to help us common folk out. I keep reading, from so many people, about how they know all of this great information, and keep tabs on the real pulse of the world...

...yet the only pulse I see on here is the same thing, day after day: Black Triangles, Vampires, Aliens, Reptilians, and the Illuminati.

Good God people, is this what TV has done to you? Are you so utterly convinced that these are the only dangers left in the world worth knowing about??? Are the threats from these things so immediate and severe that you can't even be bothered to find out what is going on in the real world, right now, in your own country? Or do you simply come here for fantasy? For entertainment? For nothing but some brain candy and fluff reading to get you through a boring workday?

Please, someone let me know, because as much as I like ATS, I've just about given up on the veracity of it's readers. What is it? Apathy, Myopia, or Boredom? Because I'm begining to think the theme of ATS needs to be changed to "Deny Reality".

You had me concerned for a minute that your brilliant mind was hijacked by lizards and had to check out the post, and I agree with your analysis.

Any suggestions on what you'd like to discuss here? What real-life stuff are you referring to?

Yeah, some stuff on ATS is "way-out-there" IMO, but some is quite interesting. At least it gives me hints on what I want to research in my off-time.

Gotta take the bitter with the sweet.

[edit on 4-3-2005 by Partyof1]

I totally agree with thelibra's analysis, quite visionary really.

I think the problem comes from people wishing to sensationalize the board/community in general with various mythos.

The cure? There isn't a direct one. Sensationalism sells, frankly. And many posters here understand that, and wish to use that for whatever reason (reaction, point generation, controversy, what have you).

But there is some light at the end of the tunnel. From simply not choosing to add to the sensationalism, and choosing to keep posting topics, even when they go largely unnoticed. Think of it as archiving your thoughts and ideas for more serious research, because they do come, and they do search the threads.

It's rather obvious by both my post count and my points that I am not big on sensationalism. I read far more here than I write. But I think that is a beauty of these boards, it allows the more seasoned/rational/serious individuals to come and study, and share their thoughts with present, and future membership.

A lot of the people who make sensational/duplicate threads on here eventually stop posting such things. Either because they don't care/come here anymore, or because their taste for "ufology" matures.

But you're right, I normally look at the Least viewed and replied threads before I go to the 12+ page thread regarding alien babies, reptilian soul-suckers, orange aliens, worm people from inner earth, baby killing greys living in downtown Seattle etc.

That's just my personal view of it all. I love the ufo board for it's serious stuff; it makes wading through the sensational almost bearable.

Great post, by the way.

X


Actually, I almost didn't even click on this, because of the title. But then I saw the name and though "he's been around for a while, let's see what's up..."

[edit on 4-3-2005 by Xatnys]

I must say I am especially tired of the reptilian subject in particular. Much of it is just taken straight from sci-fi media, the whole reptilian penomena just seems to be so weak in terms of evidence and archived material, it kind of drives me a bit mad that so many people are willing to believe in epic underground wars between man and lizard purely because it might be more exciting than a factual story about typical ufo behaviour being caught on radar by military personnel. Even the MJ-12 documents can be backed up by the fact that there are many other references to it in previously published official US govt documents(I believe Gazrok made a post with the references posted) whereas the dulce book stands alone (with the exception of more unofficial stories). Please, let's not romanticize ufo's and aliens, it's the cold hard facts that attracted me to the subject in the first place, not the stories.

It's hard enough as it is for the ufo community when the general public associate the word ufo with funny little green men, but now we want to add laser-gun toting reptilians who are living beneath us to the list of things we believe are fact? This kind of thing discredits the ufo community and smells of disinformation or badly used active imaginations. Rant over.

(I know many of the people who visit these boards are firm believers in reptilians but this is just a personal opinion and I have a right to rant )

[edit on 4-3-2005 by owner]

Originally posted by thelibra
But you'd never know, because you're all too busy looking at articles with titles like this one had. It makes me sick. This is supposed to be a board that "denies ignorance," filled with users who are "in the know" about things that The Man is trying to pull over on us, or that The Underdog has developed to help us common folk out. I keep reading, from so many people, about how they know all of this great information, and keep tabs on the real pulse of the world...

Are you telling me you wouldn't check out a thread with a title like this? Of course people will view it more than others, mostly to see what nutjob is posting now. Most everything that get's started here as a topic has been covered multiple times over (especially in the alien forum), so anything that looks way out of the norm is going to attract attention. Rarely do we see an original thought provoking thread that has never been done before. Not that it never happens, but it's rare.

Thelibra, your reasoning is flawed, however your point is valid. I checked this thread out because it had the trademarks of a troll, which can be amusing. Normally however as i expect you intended this to look like, I wouldnt check out a genuine reptilian/ET thread because undoubtedley it'd be nonsense. In the same breath it is true that important events/news doesnt always get the same level of attention, so that is true. But then this isnt primarily a current events board now is it.

Before I get into all the replies, thank you, to each of you, for restoring my faith in some of the community here. Perhaps a few of us can try and bring ATS back to actual conspiracy related news, and less of a tabloid.

Originally posted by SomewhereinBetween
You had me concerned for a minute that your brilliant mind was hijacked by lizards and had to check out the post, and I agree with your analysis.

(grins) I am many things that end in "-ant" but "brilliant" is not one of them. I just started to feel like one of my best friends (the forum) had started to lose its grip on reality...

Originally posted by Partyof1
Any suggestions on what you'd like to discuss here? What real-life stuff are you referring to?

Well, in this particular thread, perhaps a way to turn things around, and make the legit news stand out more. Perhaps this thread could be used as a link to good, legit, informative threads that don't read like something out of the Weekly World News.

Originally posted by Xatnys
I think the problem comes from people wishing to sensationalize the board/community in general with various mythos.

The cure? There isn't a direct one. Sensationalism sells, frankly.

I guess what bothers me is that this is supposed to be a forum of people immune to the sensationalism, but still leave themselves open enough to consider that something buried within the media coverage may have greater meaning.

I myself will, about once a year, indulge in a copy of The Weekly World News for no reason but to laugh at the ridiculousness of the articles.

It's almost like dessert, after a year or so of listening to NPR, watching CNN, local news, and other credible news sources, a bit of brainless fluff can be fun.

But when you eat nothing but dessert, all the time, every day, the body gets soft, fat, and unhealthy. The same applies to the tabloid posts that dominate the forum nowadays. And those like myself, who prefer a "healthy meal" of reading, sometimes never see the best posts, because they are buried under so much crap. And don't even get me started on what it's like to post a serious thread, and watch it disappear forever, with single-digit views...

Originally posted by owner
Please, let's not romanticize ufo's and aliens, it's the cold hard facts that attracted me to the subject in the first place, not the stories.

It's hard enough as it is for the ufo community when the general public associate the word ufo with funny little green men

You raise a fine point here. Many of us here walk the fine line between skeptic and believer. We try to keep an open mind about the alien, the parnormal, the x-projects, and so forth, but at the same time, try to maintain enough grip on reality not to go the complete other way. Believing in everything is just as bad as believing in nothing.

It is my belief that this forum was created for the "skeptical believer", but has been overrun by would-be tabloid journalists who are just as brainwashed as the people they rant against.

Originally posted by mpeake
Are you telling me you wouldn't check out a thread with a title like this? Of course people will view it more than others, mostly to see what nutjob is posting now.

Honestly, no... I wouldn't. The title alone is enough to dissuade me. I can slip a CD into the computer (or failing that, close my eyes) and enter any world of fantasy I want, where anything I want to happen, happens. But finding good, serious conversation about conspiracy-related topics that the average person might overlook is almost impossible. For a while, and not that long ago, it was going really strong on ATS... then, for the last 2 weeks, I've seen nothing but tabloid topics make it past double-digit views, or 1st-page posts.

Originally posted by picard_is_actually_a_grey
In the same breath it is true that important events/news doesnt always get the same level of attention, so that is true. But then this isnt primarily a current events board now is it.

Specifically the UFO board? No. But I'm referring to all the boards on the ATS Forums. The only reason this post is in Aliens and UFOs is because it had to go somewhere.


So, Everyone, what can we do about it? What, specifically, can be done to change things back?

I suggest these points:

• Without readership to threads, there can be no replies.
  
• Without replies, a thread never gets "bumped".
  
• Without "bumps", a thread dies out.

Thus:
If you refuse to reply to a tabloid topic, it dies out, and ignorance is denied. If you reply to a serious topic, it lives and ignorance is denied.

Conclusion:
I suggest an unofficial organization of ATS users, who refuse to reply to the tabloid tripe, and commit themselves to replying to more serious topics, even if they're less entertaining.

How does this sound?

Its mostly the new people who start the silliest and useless threads. I wish I was the owner of this board so that I could delete a lot of them.

I do actually find some of these posts amusing, you know the kind of the human race are from mars, that was destroyed by the Andormedians 10 million years, so they had to evacuate and go to the third rock from the sun and became cave men.

Or indeed the the Queen is a shape shifting reptillian who sacrifies babies and has a secret neclace she keeps in her drawer with their heads on it, that she wears as frisky get-up for her reptillian husband who lives under her bed.

But, then I think, if there are indeed shape shifting reptillians, people with psychic powers, other dimensions and beings, alens and/or angels, and secret governments that worship satan, then our model of reality is so definitely flawed, that no longer anything has the power to astonish me. That happened a long time ago.

So, I read these topics with titles like "Blood is collected from people to feed to the Reptillians" as I would read "Aliens exist" that is with no preconceptions and total objectivity, because for all I don't know, it could be true.

Now, just like we have our own believer freaks, who will believe anything from the care bears are aliens, to Roger Rabbit is really from another dimension of cartoon land, we also have our skeptic freaks, that will say everything from actual UFO photographs published by mainstream news are "photoshopped" to millions of people witnessing ET's UFO's are all delusional, or dozens of experts are chasing fire flies or swamp gas through the skies and all radar equipment registering UFO's travelling at gravity-defying speeds, are faulty.

So, we have freaks on both sides, but it appears the freaks from the incredulous(skeptic) side - are sometimes even mistaken to be intellectuals. Very few ridicule these people, but are quick to ridicule the believer freaks. - Double standards indeed.

[edit on 4-3-2005 by Indigo_Child]

wow.....thank you for stating the obvious for all of us morons here.....and thank you for wasting the part of my life it took to read your ramblings.....if you put up a crazy headline like yours obviously paople are gonna read it....even just for a laugh.........no experiment necessary.

But, then I think, if their are indeed shape shifting reptillians, people with psychic powers, other dimensions and beings, angels and/or angels, and secret governments, then our model of reality is so definitely flawed, that no longer anything has the power to astonish me. That happened a long time ago.

same

So, we have freaks on both sides, but it appears the freaks from the incredulous side - are sometimes even mistaken to be intellectuals. Very few ridicule these people, but are quick to ridicule the believer freaks. - Double standards indeed.

Good point (Y)

Black Triangles are being piloted by Reptilian Psychic Vampires from Atlantis!

I knew that. Didn't you?

Roper

TheLibra is right on,


The board has been flooded with childish threads about how to kung fu fight shapeshifters and stuff like that for months. Threads that concern actual sightings, research, or the philosophical implications of ET contact drop like stones... while the threads that require zero thought or research grow to monstrous proportions (after all, it's easier to give your opinion on what a karate fight with a reptilian would be like than to actual research the validity of Project Blue Book or something like that).

I think it's time to create a BTS forum for the purely speculative/fictitious stuff. This would clear up the ET forum for real research threads (though I want it to be clear that I consider objective discussions regarding UFO folkore to be 'real' discussions... Perhaps I should start a thread entitled "Why do 14 year old boys want to fist fight shape shifting reptilians?").

[edit on 4-3-2005 by onlyinmydreams]

I just ignore the threads that I think are silly, simple as that.

This is just what happens to an internet forum when it gets popular. You'll hardly ever find a forum on the net with thousands of members that all share the same opinion of what's good discussion content and that can maintain a serious manner at all times that everyone approves of.

It's a public forum, this is what happens.

All you can really do is continue to participate in the topics you approve of and think are worthwhile and stay away from the ones you dont. Just try to set a good example and hope for the best. I hate to say it but threads like this wont change anything, for the better at least.

I don't think its good to judge what issues are more authentic or realistic sounding than others. In an ideal world, everything posted on the ATS would be true. Unfortunately this isn't the case, so we post research for and against topics and bring issues up that others perhaps weren't aware of. How can you safely deny ignorance if you put a cencorship on the type of issues people bring to light, based on your own personal prejudices of those subjects?

The whole point of a conspiracy forum is that its unheard of news, its stuff that you don't immediately relate to.I think the opposite of what you said is happening is actually taking place - numerous people are very closed minded and judgemental on subjects, and a large proportion of people clearly have done NO research of their own on the matter and are here for political and/or religious agenda's. I think that is a much more concerning and bigger problem that needs to be dealt with - and often puts an end or clouds legitimate topics on this board.


[edit on 4-3-2005 by paranoia]

[edit on 4-3-2005 by paranoia]

I must say, Libra, that I mostly agree with your views, but,...

Originally posted by thelibra
(...)

Originally posted by mpeake
Are you telling me you wouldn't check out a thread with a title like this? Of course people will view it more than others, mostly to see what nutjob is posting now.

Honestly, no... I wouldn't. The title alone is enough to dissuade me. I can slip a CD into the computer (or failing that, close my eyes) and enter any world of fantasy I want, where anything I want to happen, happens. But finding good, serious conversation about conspiracy-related topics that the average person might overlook is almost impossible. For a while, and not that long ago, it was going really strong on ATS... then, for the last 2 weeks, I've seen nothing but tabloid topics make it past double-digit views, or 1st-page posts.
(...)

...who really were you really trying to attract to your post with such a title if yourself consider that it is worthless just because of the title? I don't mean to be rude in any way, but there is a logic behind that, that I don't fully understand... Were you trying to precisely attract the tabloid-lovers and make them think about it? Or trying to show that tabloid-like titles and sensationalism can attract just everyone??

Btw, even if it is a very interesting discussion (and you have several good points I think), this topic should probably not belong to the Aliens & UFOs forum, unless the title is "designed for"... It is a forum where sensationalism & the likes are common...

Oh... people don't let your mind be fooled by the original poster! The reptilian vampires from Atlantis are really using their black triangles to suck your brain energy, and this thread is a plot to make you think it's just joke!!!

Naa... just kidding.

Were you trying to precisely attract the tabloid-lovers and make them think about it? Or trying to show that tabloid-like titles and sensationalism can attract just everyone??

I think it's both of these actually. But the title of that thread seemed obviously fake to me, if not downright an oxymoron...