OP/ED: Dark Days. (The black band on ATS)

There has been some speculation, in this thread, about the nature of the black band adorning the forum logo on AboveTopSecret.com. This, combined with a sad pose from our new super hero mascot has caused some consternation among members. Well, I'm at fault, because I wanted your attention.

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I can safely say, the most enjoyable and gratifying times in my on-again off-again conspiracy theory interest has been here as a member and eventually staff. While I tend not to become involved in much of the discussion lately, I take a great deal of satisfaction of having some small role in helping to make sure discussion and hopefully discovery happen.

These days, however, I mourn.

We fortunate few here in these forums have aspired to be different. A theme has been adopted, "deny ignorance," that for many of us means we try harder. But we we're wrong. We are not different. We are subject to the same shame as everyone else.

We have allowed the sickness of petty political bickering to find a foothold and cause a widespread infection. "Deny Balance" should be the new motto, as right-blaming-left and left-blaming-right is pervasive throughout the board.

Make no mistake, you are being expertly controlled. Even here, in this venue that should be beyond the puppet masters' strings, we have succumbed to the subtle manipulations of thought and reason. Instead of looking in agner toward the puppet masters, you yell at the puppets.

ATS has fallen. We're not out, but we're mortally wounded.

It is indeed, a sad day.

yes...

there have been a lot of battles on ATS...

is this what you are talking about???

i am not controlled BTW...

I'm all for anger at the puppet masters.

I despise US party politics with a passion, but not a passion without reason.

Thank you for your essay and the thoughts.

That bickering and yelling leads to reasoning because eventually the bickerers get tired and desperate, then they seek TRUTH.

This is very true, and very unfortunate.

Fortunately, though, not all members are guilty of placing blame on the left or right, and see beyond this false dichotomy that creates separation and makes rational discussion difficult at best.

I don't understand. I know I haven't been here long, but I simply don't get it. Can someone enlighten me? (If anyone knows?)

Thats why I only pop in once and a while, with too many members comes the reality that is shown to us. Who needs gang violence when we have bickering on political and social matters.

We deny ignorance only to become ignorant.

COME ON.

dont believe the hype, continue your journey, you havn't reached the dead end yet SkepticOverlord.

Im still a loyalist, not a british loyalist but a loyalist none the less.

O yea!!!, Viva la Resistance!!!

[edit on 3/16/2005 by FoxStriker]

I think parties just limit American politics. When I'm old enough I'll vote by person not by party. Whoever is the better person should prevail no matter what party.

National Security Agency- What truth,whos truth and is the truth true or just a collection of precived truths?

Think about it, investigate and still only hold true half of what you have seen with your own eyes.

Just so you know, most of humanity and really all the BS that comes out of our mouth is based on the foundation of make believe. When you combine BS + Make believe, your bound to find the truth somewhere.

Viva La Resistance

Okay SO, you are only raising additional speculation. Could we possibly a tad more specific?

And does this have anything to do with the absence of Springer?

We dont need to get rid of deny ignorance! Can't we have two mottos? I would perfer that we stick with deny ignorance as the only ATS motto, though.

I could be completely wrong, here, but I'll go on record anyway.

Maybe SO is saying that because so much petty bickering goes on, especially arguing of a political nature that goes nowhere, THEY are winning.

The whole point of our government, IMHO, is to confuse and alienate so that we are divided. A divided populace can be easily manuipulated and controlled.
We're so busy with our agendas that we forget the common good.

FWIW

skepticoverlord is right though, ATS was originally designed to pursue the truth, now its more of get together of people trying to earn points.

The site changed a lot since 2003 and before that.

Now we have the Conspiracy version of the Oxygen Channel.

Perhaps a return to tradition 'roots' would be in order?

Keep politics and the like relegated to Politics@ATS.
Divide is natural, as with passion to debate sides, but I suppose that ignorance is the ultimate end game in such discussions.
Whose 'right' and whose 'wrong'?
Who has the truth or is telling the truth?
Who is bringing enlightenment and who is bringing merely ignorance?
All sources are virtually in question, and as such, one claims to have the inside on sources of worth, whereas, another has his/her own sources of worth.
Just who exactly are the Puppetmasters?
That is surely a debate within itself.

This is almost mind numbing in its degree of depth.

I think that most of us, including myself, have played a role or part in this "systematic polarization" that has been taking place within ATS and on ATSNN.

Difficult questions to answer unless we put our subjective bias' aside and learn to be objective in the sense that we understand both sides of an issue.

The solution to this will only come from within the ATS community.

Thank you for your efforts to expose this SO. I know that you have been warning of this for quite sometime.




seekerof

[edit on 16-3-2005 by Seekerof]

FoxStriker and Seekerof

Very nicely said...I agree.

[edit on 16-3-2005 by Event Horizon]

Remind me not to debate with people who are mindnumbed at puppet shows. It would not be fair, LOL.

Truth is rational unbiased informative and constructive viewpoints. In my truthful opinion.

This is a problem indeed. I feel guilty because often Ill have some drinks and all kind of junk gets written by me. With politics it seems to me that debates and disagreement over issues in unavoidable.