Suggest a new Doomsday Policy

I propose ATS take on a new policy that will usher in a cleaner, calmer and more productive ATS. One that everyone can take part in without the clutter of doomsday postings.


Here it is:

The Doomsday Policy

Anyone who posts a story, theory, link, comment or other content that has a specific timeline, timeframe or general or exact date that comes to pass where the theory is proven to be untrue shall be banned and removed from ATS immediately. Whether or not the poster believes in the “event” is irrelevant, posting second hand accounts are also subject to the policy as are supporting follow up comments and responses.

Timeline or timeframe can be any time that one can point to in any general or specific manner.
(Examples: “summertime”, “2008”, “next year”, “by Christmas”, “next Tuesday”, “Tonight on CTC”)

This simple policy change will eliminate all the people who like to run and gun these forums with no consequence.

Doomsday posts will no longer be allowed.

(doomsday posts beyond a reasonable amount of time can be allowed as no one will really care anyway, so they can feel free to say the world will end in 3012)

WHY This policy change proposal?

How many posts are there that aliens are landing in 2008? 2009? 2010?
How many NWO posts about taking over in 2008? 2009? 2010?
How many about comets, asteroids or otherworldly forces coming to change, cataclysmically and otherwise) the Earth forever in 2008? 2009? 2010?
How many Attack Iran solid dates, timelines?
How many “this will happen at this time” posts?

On and on it goes, it seems like every day there is a new time based post of apocalyptic doom and gloom. What happens to these people when the date comes and goes? Nothing.. They continue posting the same bunk with a new revised date.

I say NO MORE!

I am all for conspiracy theories.. in fact I read many of them with interest and an open mind (and many others with nothing but disdain) but the time based topics get people angry, confused and in some cases fearful.

We as a community need to make those who post this responsible.
Many of you many not agree at first, but think about it, browse the board, see how many there are.. tell me we don’t need any responsibility here.

Mods are quick to quiet anyone they feel offends their own political or sociological viewpoints and let people who do more damage just get away with it. Doomsday posts do nothing but scare, confuse and intimidate people and should be considered on par with hate speech. (at least once they are proven untrue)

I am not being unreasonable, I am not say preemptively ban them, but at least make people responsible for their postings.

At the very least we could have a hall of shame to move the topics and comments to so everyone can see in one place the histories of those who post proven incorrect doomsday information. Maybe even instead of banning we saddle them with a “Bogus Doomsayer badge”




Think about it.

I am not sure that it will be accepted, because there will be no actual point. Nobody wants to lower amount of poster's here, for all the reasons. And if it will be as you suggest, posts "We will be wiped out by ? in ????" will be replaced by "We will be wiped out by ? in ???? unless (God,aliens,reptiles,flying penguins,whatever) interferes."
So i see no actual benefit in this.
However amount of Doomsday threads suggests that a lot of people are fearing and are in stress. I wonder how this feeling appeared? World was much much much closer to destruction in Cuban missile crisis then today, and still so much fear?

As I have mentioned elsewhere in this site, 9/11 turned out to be quite traumatizing for the American public -- especially when talk arose that it "could have been prevented." Since then, everyone has wanted to get in on the action before it occurs. In my perspective, that's why doomsday threads abound here.

Like ZeroKnowledge has also pointed out, the amount of such threads indicates that a number of people are afraid or stressed. Doomsday threads, however, do not give these people a chance to hash out their fears, or get over them. Instead, in such threads, I usually find people complaining about how "stupid" humans are, and how soon we will all be "put out of our misery." Some others go as far as fabricating dates for our extermination. All of them forget that they too are humans.

Yet we want a better world.

I certainly support the OP in the sentiment that something should be done about these threads. I am reluctant to suggest banning, although I recommend discouraging the people who come up with these predictions. It's one thing to have a view point; it's another thing to foist an nonconstructive viewpoint upon everyone who will listen.

Originally posted by Mr Jackdaw


Like ZeroKnowledge has also pointed out, the amount of such threads indicates that a number of people are afraid or stressed.

that indicates deceit on their part to vocalize their fears, that alone should be basis for at least removing such posts.

As a fellow skeptic, I agree with the sentiment, Gormly. However, I don't agree with the method.

We should be about free-expression of ideas and opinions, no matter how ridiculous they may be. We cannot ban people for getting something wrong. Once we start, where do we stop? Such a policy would have a chilling-effect on free-expression in the forums.

Plus, you don't account for the dually frustrating and entertaining phenomena of moving goal-posts. For example, take Nancy Leider and the brain-dead Planet X idiots; Nibiru was supposed to come in 2003, now they say it was a white lie, and it's now supposed to be here in 2008, 2009, or 2012.

I think, as skeptics, we should open a thread at the end of the year detailing all the predictions that were proven wrong.

censorship through fear....

man the media's got you p0wned....

How about just starting another folder "topic" line just for those kind of things. I see no reason to ban anyone for what they think. This IS an open forum isn't it? or are we going to start taking peoples right to free speech away from them.....which might I add what ATS is kind of about isn't it?

Lets just give them another avenue to vent their beliefs. Just because you or I may not agree doesn't mean that we have the right to shut them up.....that's what the government does and from what I can tell from being here, thats exactly what we don't want. There are a lot of threads regarding the governments of the world taking freedoms away from its citizens which none of us are happy about and would fight for those freedoms. By doing what the OP suggests, we are no better than the governments we talk about here and we become one in the same. Just as hypocritical.

I joined ATS BECAUSE of the freedom to talk about what ever I enjoyed from UFO's, NWO, the paranormal and science. If each of these gets its own spot on the board then so should the "doomsday" people.

If we start banning people because of their beliefs then no one will post here any more. I know I wouldn't want to be part of any site that does this to its members just because a certain few are "sick and tired" of certain threads.

Originally posted by Choronzon
censorship through fear....

man the media's got you p0wned....

You beat me to it. My sentiment exactly. This is supposed to be a forum of free expression, don't we get enough censorship in our world?

Originally posted by Choronzon
censorship through fear....

man the media's got you p0wned....

In about the same way that cliches have you "p0wned..."

Really, if you are going to insult someone, you could try exercising the inborn creativity, instead of parroting the same thing we always hear in these forums. "You're brainwashed!" "The man ownes you!" "You're a paid government disinformant!" It demonstrates you are "p0wned" more than it does him.

Besides, he wasn't advocating censorship or inadvertantly attempting to do it through fear. He was making a proposal, to tackle what some percieve to be a problem in these forums, and just went about it the wrong way.

[edit on 2-4-2008 by SaviorComplex]

Originally posted by QBSneak000
Lets just give them another avenue to vent their beliefs.

Perhaps there should be a forum dedicated to predictions?

Originally posted by SaviorComplex

Originally posted by QBSneak000
Lets just give them another avenue to vent their beliefs.

Perhaps there should be a forum dedicated to predictions?

I believe this is a very well thought out and reasonable solution to this proposal - lets just have a Doomsday forum. Bravo!

Originally posted by SaviorComplex
Besides, he wasn't advocating censorship or inadvertantly attempting to do it through fear.

You could not be further from the truth. Once this policy would go into effect, people would be afraid to post their theories under duress of becoming banned. This would result in censorship, and the root cause would in fact be fear.

Listen if you don't like the doom and gloom then tough luck. I am not trying to be hard headed but people have different beliefs and if you don't like the people who post outrageous theories then stick to the message board you want. If you found ATS then you have a mind that can function properly and you can filter our whatever you don't think is going to happen.

IMO ATS is functioning properly, you have skeptics, you have doom and gloom people, you have Atheists, Muslims, Christians, etc. I enjoy reading people's theories. I don't take everything to heart and frankly no one should. If they do then that is their will power and they should learn better then to trust every post.

BTW if I'm not mistaken the mods usually ban OP's that are found to be pulling HOAX's.

Happy hunting!

[edit on 2-4-2008 by Equinox99]

Originally posted by Choronzon
You could not be further from the truth. Once this policy would go into effect, people would be afraid to post their theories under duress of becoming banned. This would result in censorship, and the root cause would in fact be fear.

Which we've all brought up. However, I don't think it was his intention to cause fear or to enforce a form of censorship.

Originally posted by SaviorComplex

Originally posted by Choronzon
You could not be further from the truth. Once this policy would go into effect, people would be afraid to post their theories under duress of becoming banned. This would result in censorship, and the root cause would in fact be fear.

Which we've all brought up. However, I don't think it was his intention to cause fear or to enforce a form of censorship.

And I quote:

This simple policy change will eliminate all the people who like to run and gun these forums with no consequence.

Doomsday posts will no longer be allowed.

how is that NOT proposing censorship?

"Anyone who posts a story, theory, link, comment or other content that has a specific timeline, timeframe or general or exact date that comes to pass where the theory is proven to be untrue shall be banned and removed from ATS immediately."

Come now, isn't this a little over-reactive? Been burnt a few times? Get your hopes up? Well, let me just tell you, it happens to all of us; however, to ban someone for being wrong is a little ridiculous. Especially in a time when Dick Cheney is going to attack IRAN (I say next week). A policy such as this is shooting ourselves in the foot. We are human. Humans take risks. Predictions is just another pointless risk. Let's embrace each other's crappy predictions!

Originally posted by Choronzon
how is that NOT proposing censorship?

Apparently, a lack of reading comprehension has you "p0wned."

As stated previously, it is an over-reaction to the problem, but I do not think it was his intention to enforce a censorship. Of course, I would not have to repeat myself if you weren't so 'p0wned" by your own over-reaction.

However, I do agree with the sentiment that the problem is out of hand. It is far beyond people just being "wrong." I think those making doomsday-predictions, alien landings, etc, that don't come to pass should perhaps be handled the same way hoaxers are handled.

There's no need for any new policy, imo.

We already have rules and regulations people thumb their nose at. Were they to properly read those, we wouldnt have any drama and nobody would get hurt.

The proper enforcement of these would also bring down the drama incidents.

reply to post by SaviorComplex

However, I do agree with the sentiment that the problem is out of hand. It is far beyond people just being "wrong." I think those making doomsday-predictions, alien landings, etc, that don't come to pass should perhaps be handled the same way hoaxers are handled.

Even still, in the mind of the poster it may as real and for sure as the setting of the sun and when it comes to pass and nothing happens then they were just wrong, not hoaxing. I have my beliefs and sometimes I try and predict what will happen and most of the time 99% I am wrong. Does that mean I was intentionally trying to mislead myself? no, it just means I was wrong. This is why we need to start a new folder for these types of things. How can we ban someone for sticking to something they truly believe in. What if all the ufo stuff in the world turns out to have nothing to do with aliens and is only experimental aircraft that human kind built, are we going to ban all of the posters of anything alien or ufo related....no because they are entitled to their opinion just as you are entitled to yours and I am of mine. Is this what ATS is becoming? Banning everyone who turns out to be wrong about what ever they post? No one is perfect....if we were we would be gods.

Again, instead of taking such a hard line against it, lets just let them have their own folder........you don't have to read any of it if you don't agree and it will be kept out of the other folders.....out of site out of mind so to speak.

And if the owners of the site don't want to do that then just don't respond to their threads. Its not like they are making you read and respond to it are they? no.

New folder = everyones problem solved

Originally posted by SaviorComplex
As stated previously, it is an over-reaction to the problem, but I do not think it was his intention to enforce a censorship. Of course, I would not have to repeat myself if you weren't so 'p0wned" by your own over-reaction.

The censorship is indirect, meaning that it is not imposed directly by an individual. It is imposed by the fear surrounding the issue.

This is how censorship is applied to the masses...indirectly through fear. The media is constantly using against us, maybe I have been unclear in what I am referring to.

Ofcourse he does not want someone to act as a stand in Censor. The people would censor themselves, and their message would not be heard.