Positive Reinforcements and ATS... The truth!

On the chance that someone may have read through this thread:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

And drawn any conclusions, suspicions, or otherwise felt misled, or assumed that I was accusing ATS of using forms of mind control on its active members. I believe it is imperative that I address this directly here.

First of all, I am NOT a professional, I have no credentials, no training in psychology, I am a conspiracy theorist. Always questioning everything and everyone, it is my nature, I can't help it, and that is why I was drawn into ATS.

What good is a theory if one does not pursue it to a point where one is satisfied one way or the other on the validity or lack there of?

I was asked to provide a hypothesis, I am not a professional so this is the short version...The basic premise or hypothesis was laid out in the thread I started regarding positive reinforcements, so in essence there is no need to elaborate further on my hypothesis... It is already there, just read my posts in that thread. A working guide was a search for patterned responses to my posts, changes in avatars, and discussions, searching for proof that a pack mentality existed, that long term members were influenced therefore controlled by following where positive reinforcements were easily gained or have accumulated, I also was testing staff reactions and answers to questions.

I became interested in the possibility that perhaps mind control over the membership through the use of reinforcements was being used, following repeated reading of replies in the online persona, some replies seemed almost programmed and expressed a similar or common theme. I began to wonder if it was possible for there to be some kind of control over the members of ATS, so I did what I do, I asked questions, and I did try to find proof.

I set out to prove that ATS was using reinforcements to first influence then have some level of persuasive control over active and long term members. Now I will not be presenting all of my findings as they will literally be a waste of time and space, I will elaborate on what I feel is most important in showing that ATS is exactly what it presents itself to be, and how ultimately I have been impressed, inspired and moved by the diversity, intelligence and real indelible human spirit that exists here. There is NO proof of anything else. And that is the only case I can present.

The reinforcements are simply that, they serve no purpose for anyone except the contributing members.

This is by far the most civil, intelligent and inspiring online community.

Unless of course I was kidnapped by the MIB working for ATS and reprogrammed before posting this.

Oh, I do have a sense of humor too.. that last line was a joke!

My apologies to all, and I look forward to participating in future discussions here.


T/A