rating systems

i find them bogus.
they are a popularity contest, nothing more, nothing less. and yet, they DO sway those whose minds are easily influenced.

unless voting becomes mandatory, there is no 'truth' in them, either.

for example...

i am a lone wolf. i don't even get 'get in bed' with my strongest allies. why? because that would compromise MY view, by giving partial authority to a 'partner'. and, likewise, my 'partner' is compromised by being 'in bed' with me.

i'm a pretty good poster, if i do say so myself. and as such, i agree with 90% of what my 'partners' think and post. and yet, i don't agree with that other 10%, and i don't want this difference to affect our 'partnership'.

and, so, how is this relevent? because, it is possible with these rating systems to have CABALS(yes, a conspiracy, damn) of posters who 'make themselves look good' by being a borg cluster of yesmen, patting themselves on the back for the sake of 'getting stars'.

whereas, a 'lonewolf' like me(and, by extension, many other hardcore conspiracy theorists) don't care about little yellow stars. (beyond the facet that they may be making it harder for people who are undecided, to 'see')

that is, if i am arguing with a particularly prolific poster, say, who gets PAID to sit at a desk and spread disinfo all day, and that poster has tons of stars, because all his desk mates scratch his back, and he scratches theirs, and i have few, because lone wolves do their own scratching, then where is the 'truth' in this poster rating system?

i lean heavily towards 'planes were used, not holograms' theory, now. however, if i was INTIMIDATED by posters with lots of stars in their profile, i might never have explored the possibility, thereby, DEBUNKING a popular conspiracy myth by going through all the logical steps, and exhausting possibilities not even explored by people who fight for the 'official truth'.

and i haven't even finished 'debunking' the hologram theory, yet. (ie. something is 'debunked' for ME, when I say it is)

marshall mcluhan said one of the most important facets of our society, now, is the 'put on'. what he means, is that you must 'put on' the 'mask' of the other people you are trying to understand. it is harder to put people on, when they already have a mask on top of their real face.

[edit on 27-5-2007 by billybob]

If your opinion is effected by little yellow stars and way above awards than the problem isn't with whats being posted, it's with you.

I don't care if someone has a flaming Jesus emblem placed there by God himself, If I think they are wrong I'm going to tell them that.

Most of the hard core ATS'rs aren't here for the pats on the back or the shiny little things that might somehow justify their opinions, they are here to learn and grow and maybe find some sanity in the madness of it all.

If the Admin took everything I had today and banned me, I'd be back tomorrow with a differant name and starting over. I'm not here for the happy, shiny stuff and if anyone else is, they are here for the wrong reason.

I suppose the question is, why is this stuff important to you? You can say all day that it isn't, but if it isn't you wouldn't have brought it up.

Originally posted by mrwupy
If your opinion is effected by little yellow stars and way above awards than the problem isn't with whats being posted, it's with you.

Amen.

Seriously. Who the hell cares? I refuse to let my state of mind be affected by .gif imagery.

Join me.

I also find them a great way of showing someone that they've made a great post, without having to get all up close and personal. Sure, you're not going to agree with everybody's rating, but then that's the beauty of personal perspectives, each and every one is unique.

[edit on 27/5/07 by Implosion]

Originally posted by mrwupy
I suppose the question is, why is this stuff important to you? You can say all day that it isn't, but if it isn't you wouldn't have brought it up.

(beyond the facet that they may be making it harder for people who are undecided, to 'see')

it doesn't 'colour' my posts, but i am a lone wolf. i am fending for the sheep, here.

i just think it 'colours' the overall 'quality' of posts, and not in a good way.

Originally posted by billybob

it doesn't 'colour' my posts, but i am a lone wolf. i am fending for the sheep, here.

i just think it 'colours' the overall 'quality' of posts, and not in a good way.

Sorry, but it's not your place to fend for the sheep on ATS, even mods have tried with little success. Sheep do not last long on this site. They get skinned, eaten and worn as a fashion accessory in the chatroom.

I can assure you that your standing in this community is only as good as your last post. I've shot myself in the foot so many times it's a miracle they haven't run me off and banned me at the firewall.

A mans clothes will not tell you who or what the man actually is. Neither will the mini profile you see to the left of what they post.

Read their words and then decide, that is all you have to judge them with.

well.

as an experiment(and, 'cause he deserved it), i just made a secret cabal with myself, and boosted buddy's stars from 1 to 5 stars by voting on one two page thread.

what does it 'MEAN'?

nothing to a wolf.

however, mostly, there are sheep.

p.s. as far as 'my place', with my bare teeth, i'll rip out the entrails of anyone who tries to tell me what it is.



[edit on 27-5-2007 by billybob]

Originally posted by billybob

what does it 'MEAN'?

nothing to a wolf.

The Wolf is a pack animal, a lone wolf is a dead wolf. You're a part of our pack and the hunting is good these days. Plenty of hoaxers to stalk and even some genuine weird stuff going on to keep us fascinated.

Quit getting distracted by the large moon and shiny stars. We're hunting this night for the truth, and we need you, you are family.

Originally posted by mrwupy
The Wolf is a pack animal, a lone wolf is a dead wolf. You're a part of our pack and the hunting is good these days. Plenty of hoaxers to stalk and even some genuine weird stuff going on to keep us fascinated.

Quit getting distracted by the large moon and shiny stars. We're hunting this night for the truth, and we need you, you are family.

okay, lone bear, then.

like i said, i don't really 'care', so much. i was just voicing my opinion (which hasn't changed), 'cause it crossed my brain and i wanted to spit it out.