How Has ATS Changed Your Views?

I am defiantly more skeptical today, then when I first started on ATS.
I was once told by a high-ranking ATS personality that I would find over time that there are actually very few “true conspiracies” despite what people may believe. Sage words, which I have found to be dead-on truth over my years of being a member. I used to be borderline on many issues, now I am firmly in the skeptic category.

ATS has shown me, that even in a site among other conspiracy theorists, I still find myself to be a fringe minority in my views. I figured of all places, ATS would have the most like-minded individuals, but I've actually found that the ratio of hostile contradicting opinions is just as high here, as it is offline. In fact, probably moreso than offline because people tend to be more vocal when posting anonymously online.

I've also noticed how long, drawn out debates can make even the most fascinating topics seem mundane and overexposed. For example, after reading hundreds upon hundreds of 9/11 threads, I don't know how much attention I pay to the new ones posted... and it seems with each post, each side just clings to their own extreme a little more.

ATS is just a microcosm of any other social system. Kudos to the mods for maintaining some kind of order, despite my undying criticism for all types of authority.

I really became interested after the 9/11 incident,watching the whole scenario unfold,when I saw those buildings collapse I said right off that they did a perfect drop of those buildings,everyone thought I was crazy,it's nice to see there are others that agree,plus the website has some diversified thoughts regarding it,lol also had a few thoughts destroyed by logic lol,love the place

Originally posted by defcon5
I am defiantly more skeptical today, then when I first started on ATS.
I was once told by a high-ranking ATS personality that I would find over time that there are actually very few “true conspiracies” despite what people may believe. Sage words, which I have found to be dead-on truth over my years of being a member.

Sage words indeed defcon! That's not to say that there aren't conspiracies. I'm positive there are... JFK for one. However life would quickly become stressful if we believed in every conspiracy theory out there.

Thanks for your words of wisdom mate!

IRM

reply to post by neformore


Gee you must be made of Teflon© neformore! Kudos mate! I wish I was that 'Zen'.

IRM

Originally posted by Oldtimer2
I really became interested after the 9/11 incident,watching the whole scenario unfold,when I saw those buildings collapse I said right off that they did a perfect drop of those buildings

I must admit that I felt the exact same way when I saw the towers come down. Almost a sense of disbelief that they fell like that. I still don't know what to think of it!

IRM

Before ATS ... I was watching tv.... TV!!! and playing WoW (OMG!)
I didn't know much about the election..
I hated Liberals...
and was onthe fence with UFOs


After ATS ...

Im awakened. ... I dont have cable TV anymore .. and I kicked the WoW addiction.
I know all i need to know who im voting for this election.
I still have liberals
As far as UFOs/ETs gp ... I believe that if they exist... They are laughing at us by now and/or moved on = P

reply to post by SGSPatriot


So you have a new addiction eh SGSPatriot! lol!
I must admit that I am fairly addicted to ATS too. I must spend at least 30 hours on here a week, sometimes more... but you never know when that earth changing story is going to walk through the door.

I hope I'm here when that happens!

IRM

My wife would have to argue the 30 hours a day lol .. but I do agree that there is a fair amount of credible news.

My brother directed me here a few months ago ... and I will be around for awhile.

reply to post by SGSPatriot


LOL I bet your wife loves ATS as much as my girlfriend does!

Eye Roll factor = 100%

Woman ehh!

IRM

reply to post by InfaRedMan

1. Are you now a bigger believer than pre ATS?
2. Are you now more skeptical than pre ATS?

hi IRM,

interesting thread and it's very interesting to read the replies and some of them reflect how i feel also.

as far as the two questions above i have to say that both are more true for me, since joining ATS. if that makes sense ?

i came here looking for answers to questions i had about UFO/Aliens and these questions derived from my own personal experiences. i am still looking for those answers but in the process i have become more of a believer in UFO/Aliens because of all the evidence i have seen here on this site.

i have also become more skeptical because of the many hoaxes and disinfo that is running ramped all over the web, but ATS has helped me to be able to discern and recognize these things more clearly than i could have before. i think it's the over exposure of critical thinking detective work that has made me see things more clearly

many people are mad at skeptics but i welcome them to a certain point because it has made me look before i leap a little more

hope this makes sense ?

I've been here for years.

My wife dislikes it; she says that the more time I spend on ATS, the more negative I am. Plus, I'm looking at taking a job next year, that will dictate that I no longer post on ATS.

Since this question is in the UFO forum, I'll focus my answer on that topic. When I came here, I was beginning to reach the conclusion that I have since accepted whole-heartedly: that there has been little if any meaningful contact between humans and extra-terrestial biological entities.

Further, I'm convinced that there is "something" behind the observed phenomena. Most of it is mistaken identities of natural atmospheric phenomena, military craft, and suggestible observers. The remaining instances, say 5%, are genuine. But they don't represent 'nuts and bolts spacecraft' from another solar system. I believe they are caused by intelligences that have been "haunting" our planet since before humans were here. I am becoming convinced that these entities feed on human attention, and conform themselves to our expectations to keep us focused on them.

I think UFO phenomena are an historical continuation of the fairy encounters our ancestors had with little green men(!) with big heads that want your blood and want to steal your babies(!) who abduct people at night and eventually will steal their souls if permitted. The main difference is, our ancestors developed a body of folklore for controlling their encounters with the entities, whereas our "space mythology" doesn't permit us to build up a useful body of folklore to help the victims of this phenomenon.

But no, I don't believe in aliens, benevolent or malevolent, from other stars. In fact, if you look at the philosophy of an anti-gravity drive for a spaceship, it would not work beyond our planet's "gravity-well." So when the entities claim to have traveled here using anti-gravity....they must be manifestly lying; or at least repeating what we expect to hear.


ATS has helped me, along with the works of Charles Hoy Fort, to begin formulating my own "unified theory of paranormal phenomena." For which I am profoundly grateful.

reply to post by dr_strangecraft


I agree with many of the things you say dr_strangecraft... and some I don't but that's the beauty of ATS huh! I would really love to hear your unified theory once it's finished. Charles Fort was a legend. I remember buying the Fortean Times when I was a kid. Great stuff!

IRM

My attitude just may change..

Getting harassed by mods (U2U) because I speak my mind.

All I asked was some info about Obama and instead of just answering the question, I get hate mail.

Typical from a Lefty.

1st Amendment - Parting is such sweet sorrow

reply to post by InfaRedMan


InfaRedMan,

I've gone through the exact same thing pretty much.

I came on here thinking that so many people seeing so many things is proof in itself that ET must have been here.

The more I have looked into it the more I have found that the truth of the matter is, the vast majority of people have no idea how to properly identify even the most common of objects.

That there are UFOs, there is no doubt, but I have not seen any evidence that would convince me that ET is, or ever has been here. The possibility is always there however.

"This site does high risk advanced medical and drug testing to cure insanity, please, never speak to the inmates, it can destroy years of work"

Originally posted by B3...
"This site does high risk advanced medical and drug testing to cure insanity, please, never speak to the inmates, it can destroy years of work"

Can you please redefine what it is your saying? I don't really understand what is has to do with the OP. Are you always this non sequitur?

IRM

reply to post by InfaRedMan


Hi, IRM. I"ve never replied to your threads before, but that's actually part of my answer to your questions. I'm a member who believes in posting when they actually have something to contribute to the thread. I'm not one of those members who posts a reply that says "I agree with your viewpoint" or "You're a tool" because I believe you shoudn't post unless you actually have something substantial to add to the argument. By substantial, I mean something that could actually influence the way that a member thinks about a particular subject. ATS has made me more of a skeptic than I was before I ever came across this message board. And I don't care about the 'True Believer' vs 'Skeptic' threads, they're just a sounding board for people who like to argue, regardless of the facts. The fact is that the information that I've found here has made me more skeptic than believer. As an interesting contrast, I was the other way around when I first got here.

reply to post by Batmanatee


You make a good point about the 'Skeptic vs Believer' threads. It's hard to understand a deeper meaning or use for them other than an opportunity for oneupmanship. They are essentially a forum for circular arguments and useless stalemates. Having said that, I am not immuned to occasionally speaking my mind in such a thread but I do try to stay away from them where possible.

That's why my OP didn't pit one group against another. It's just an open ended question on how ATS has changed your life, point of view or belief systems. I find it interesting I guess because we all get something different.

I used to be a very big believer in UFO's, Abductions, Conspiracies... in fact I have a whole bookcase dedicated to the literature. But there's only so much of those 'Aliens in the Fridge', 'Bigfoot in the Fridge' or Blossom Goodchild threads that one can take until you stand back and realize that it's not forwarding the research. In fact it's doing the exact opposite.

I still believe in UFO's, Aliens, Abductions, Mutilations, Conspiracies and so on but I look at it very dispassionately from a few steps back. I learned to remove the emotional aspects and simply treat it as raw information. Look for qualifiers or the lack thereof.

If it doesn't stand up to those most basic rigors, then I call it as I see it. If it does stand up, then I'm intrigued. Sadly the later doesn't appear to happen that often. Hearsay and faith don't cut it for me as qualifiers/evidence so I've found the skeptical approach works better in the long run... for me anyway.

IRM

[edit on 2/11/08 by InfaRedMan]

reply to post by dr_strangecraft



Wow ... you've excelled .. surpassed even yourself, with this post !

Respect