reply to post by IgnoreTheFacts
You keep whining about Debunkers getting hassled here on ATS, it simply doesn't happen IF they can stay within the bounds of the TAC.
There are NO legions of "True Believers" U2Uing the staff about threads or posts. Matter of fact, MOST of the staff are Skeptics at heart but
understand that people who want to discuss the fantastic are free to do so within the bounds of the TAC.
The same goes for those who want to discuss fanciful (or as you like to call them, "insane") theories. You can't seem to avoid decrying the fact a
for "profit business" allows John Lear to have a forum.
It's called FREE ENTERPRISE, it's the backbone of a free society. Your holier than thou concern that people will run wildly into the night with
mental illness after reading John's stuff is simply laughable.
The contention that otherwise mentally healthy people will "believe" John Lear or completely change their perceptions/world view because he has a
forum on a website or because he was a pilot is just ludicrous.
If you want to counterpoint John Lear you would be well advised to NOT come off like a preacher who knows what's best for others IMHO.
You would also be well advised to avoid coming off like a Nanny Socialist WRT things you don't like or believe in and Capitalist WRT to things you do
approve of.
It's called FUN ITF, lots of people ENJOY reading John's theories.
To make the statement that JL presents his theories as facts is to take the subjective (your opinion of the matter) and present it as the objective.
In other words, when you do that you are guilty of that which annoys you so deeply. John has said a many times he has no proof, he expects no one to
believe him, he doesn't seek to convince and he is only offering his theories as data points for those who are interested in researching a completely
different perspective.
If ATS was nothing more than a repository of established facts and scientific data we would close up shop, there's a glut of that available
everywhere on and off line.
Debunkers are as welcome here on ATS as anyone else, it'd be pretty BORING without them. The ONLY problem has been it appears some of the Debunkers
have a Social Grace deficiency. That is certainly NOT limited to the Debunkers, we've had to ban several "True Believers" who couldn't figure out
how to act too, John Lear has been banned for this in the past himself but worked it out with us in a reasonable way. Is he perfect?
Hell no,
but he does take more heat for simply expressing his thoughts than most so we cut him a little more slack, not much but a little.
And finally the ABSURD notion that we "support" John because he "brings lots of traffic and therefor revenue to ATS" is pure bollocks. I've said
it before, the traffic John creates is statistically INSIGNIFICANT and if you think $40.00 a month (about what this forum generates) covers the cost
of the bandwidth for the Moon images we have here you don't understand the costs of bandwidth.
I guess the point is that you folks who have this overpowering desire to tell us how we should run our business and who should be allowed to have what
and who should be allowed to say what are just missing the whole point of User Generated Content and the realities of the future of media.
PEOPLE decide what's worth their time, what is and what is not enjoyable and I feel sorry for those who would get in their way. Especially the
grouchy Preacher types.
Springer...
[edit on 11-10-2007 by Springer]
