Enough vampire threads, please!!!

Yes, I know I am going to get flamed and yes I see the irony of myself posting this...


In the past few months there has been a dramatic increase in 'vampire' topics on the board and I know there is nothing wrong with that.

I, personally, blame Twilight and Lost Boys 2 for this sudden increase in 'vampire' topics.

The thing is, most of what has been posted is speculation at best, or even worse, simply immature, semi-humorous cr*p.

This is the front page alone:

Vampire Encounters
Is it possible to be... born a vampire?
Who would like to be a vampire?
vampire sightings
Vampires! Do they exist?
Vampires, the real deal


I'm not wanting to censor anyone. Talk about vampires all you want, but couldn't we condense it all into one or two threads instead of flooding the board with topic after topic, some of which are complete duplicated (vampire sightings vs vampire encounters... whats the difference there?).

Just wait until the next underworld comes out, if you think its bad now

Guys - I know vampires are cool. I read/watch the genre too. But its just fiction.

Personally, I believe they exist; thats not why I'm posting on this particular thread, though.
I'm posting because despite my admittedly strange beliefs, I'm a firm believer that one should not speak without ground on which to stand. In other words, if you can't prove it, don't bother mentioning it.

I've grown entirly sick of seeing the multitude of vampire threads which offer absolutely nothing but personal opinion and obviously imaginary experiences; I myself can prove nothing, but have solid reasons for my beliefs, and have seen from most vampire posts nothing worth reading.

Now, if someone wanted to ask me, I'd tell them what I believe and why. I won't, however, bombard each thread containing the word "vampire" with my unproven theories and undocumented experiences. I would only ask for others to do the same, unless the thread is simply looking for strange tales rather than fact.

To those who would criticize myself or the other who've posted on this thread, I would say that it is ignorant to do so. I believe I do not speak only for myself when I say that we're simply requesting more facts and less imagination; cryptozoology is a valid field, and has undergone enough criticism without the aid of certain pieces of "information". Consider that we're attempting to deny ignorance by way of proving our theories rather than accepting conjecture.

Yep, it's a sad fact that IQ's have dropped so incredibly low that all it takes is a a few Hollywood films for people to actually start discussing the topic as though it's real.

I thought most people grew out of this crap when they hit their teens but it appears there are many people who are emotionally stunted and still sleep with wardrobe door barricaded and the covers firmly over their head.

These people need to get a grip, grow up and stop spooking themselves like little children who don't know better.

Sad Really!

IRM

I didn't actually expect much support on this, but thanks to you 3 who have posted

As you have all mentioned, the main issue here is not what is being discussed, but how.

It is not being discussed based on evidence, or even a theory. It is simply 'OMG I saw a movie about Vampires, so lets all go talk about how cool they are'.

If you want to discuss something as fringe as Vampires, at least some historical basis would be nice. Like Vlad the Impaler, or that queen in the Middle Ages that supposedly bathed in the blood of her dead servants.

Historical characters like them helped create the legend, Bram Stoker helped modernize it and recent moves have helped keep it popular.

But please, use a bit of common sense. Unlike other cryptids like Bigfoot, Big Cats etc... where are the footprint casts? Where are the photographs? Videos? Hell, even serious sightings.

There isn't.

Goth teens that get off on going to underground clubs and calling themselves the undead aren't Vampires. People who think they need to feed off other's 'psychic energy' aren't Vampires. But at least if they were talked about instead of this childish movie fantasy, there would be something to base it on.


/Rant. *Breathes again*

Umm, You can't be Goth AND Vamp, Just like you can't be Goth AND Emo or Vamp AND Emo as they are similar but different subcultures.

But that aside, its a little late to complain about 4 out of 6 of those threads (Creation dates 2003, 2004, 2x 2007). But anyways even if you don't like specific topics or what they end up becoming in big threads then its your prerogative not to read the stuff that annoys you.

If we condense even subjects many individuals laugh at then why not do so to more common topics like Martial law, Israel related threads or Creation vs Evolution just for sakes of manageability. After all with Israel/ Gaza being the FOTM at the moment I would be surprised if I didn't see 10+ topics of it going off on the recent page list with atleast half of them full of the same stuff.

Wait till Nosferatu hears about this.

Seriously though I can see discussing people who drink blood and are into the whole vampire mythology. But actual immortal dudes.....come on...

reply to post by Marshall Ormus

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Reasonable argument.
This is turning into a vampire thread for sure now.

reply to post by Marshall Ormus

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You kind of made my point for me.

Goths, Emos etc. Are a clique... A group of NORMAL PEOPLE with similar interests, likes, dislikes, fashion sense (or lack there of) etc.

Even if a group of people, a clique, wants to call themselves Vampires and hang out, it doesn't make them so. They are not immortal undead that feed off the living to sustain themselves. They are people trying to find their place in life.

All this media hype about hollywood Vampires has caused another boom in the 'coolness' of this clique.

Just because it's all over the film screens and the occasional teen thinks it is cool to be a pretend vampire does not make it a topic worthy of generating 6 of the top discussions on the ATS Cryptozoology board.

There is at least some weak evidence for most of the cryptids discussed on this board, but real Vampires are a mix of history, mythology and Hollywood spin. They don't exist.

EDIT: And oh, please don't relate fictional Vampires to the countless REAL PEOPLE dying in Gaza. It dishonors their memory. They are REAL and are suffering, Vampires are fictional and irrelevant.

[edit on 15-1-2009 by fooffstarr]

A lot of people think that movies make people think something is real when it's not. But it is usually the other way around, with Hollywood especially. If there is a truth that TPTB don't want the masses to discover, they have a habit of putting that truth in a movie, so people will be automatically programmed to believe it is fiction. And first impressions tend to last.

So this latest movie thing involving vampires is concerning. Putting whether it is true or not aside, the important thing is TPTB don't want you to believe it's true.

And let's not forget, that most of the elite and their precious "bloodline" are decendants of Vlad the Impaler. More commonly known as...

Count Dracula.

if you think this is bad chech `survival issues`and count `zombie threads`zombies FFS ?

I never said it did make them Immortal or undead, I was merely picking up on the fact you labeled all the people following the Vamp trend as Goth when most Goths wouldn't be seen dead with followers of the Vamp subculture. What next blaming the rise of Neo-Nazi-skinhead style threads on Buddhist monks because they have similar hair styles that is to say bald.




Don't like it, can't ignore then fine, but for the love of something then don't create a thread and contribute to making the publicity of your hated topic even greater...



As I said before many of the threads in question are from years ago 2 - 6 years ago. You can't blame the whole of the Vampire threads on Twilight or some other Hollywood craze when only a third at best were inspired by Hollywood.

You might think its not a worthy Cryptozoological topic and to some extent I somewhat agree with you on that one, but its not my forum or yours the staff on here put the Vampire threads in Crypto because that is where they actually want them (they would be moved otherwise). So since the threads are in the category that staff want them in and people post more in or about them then the other Crypto creatures (Sea Monsters, Bigfoot..etc) they are the most popular threads in that category.



Why are you attacking me as if I said they did exist? your adding into this post a lot of guff that was never even raised. Your making a Vampire thread out of a Anti-Vampire Thread, seriously. Just because I disagree with your means of Controlling a topic or discussion doesn't mean I am a follower of the topic your hating on. Seriously, this is the FIRST time I have posted in a topic linking to Vampires. I have no real interest in this field and even my Cryptid interest is very defined taste wise (Put simply I could care less about any cryptid other that Oceanic/ deep sea ones thus why I rarely post in threads about other types of Cryptid)



Excuse me? I, in no way linked the two things in such a way. It was an EXAMPLE I merely said why not for the sakes of manageability do the same for all topics. Your complaint was that the same stuff crops up in all the vamp threads (or most of them) so to can be said for the numerous threads on other subjects. I in no way disrespected the dead in the middle east, I know they are real and I never said that Vampires were.

You claim that your not trying to control or censor things but it is obvious that your rants and attempt derail your own thread by putting words in my mouth are contradicting yourself.

So to wrap this up I will say this:

1) I have NO affiliation with the Goth, Vamp...etc subcultures. Stop treating
me as if I did

2) I never said Vampires exist or existed. Stop acting like I did

3) I in no way said Gaza was a less worthwhile topic than Vampires nor did I
directly link the two things. Stop insinuating that I did.

4) Go out for a breather, don't post if all your going to do is rant (your own
declaration) or make stuff up or see things that were never there.

reply to post by Marshall Ormus

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You raise some fair points and I do apologize if I came off harsh.

It wasn't you I was attacking, or intending to attack. It just frustrates me when a topic, that is (in my opinion) based on nothing more than fantasy and trends generates duplicate topics that come to nothing more than server clutter.

But, you are right. Whether we like it or not, it isn't our forum to judge. And I know that this particular folder is where they wish the Vampire threads to be stored... I just wonder if they had anticipated the extent that the topic would balloon too.

You are right about the dates too. Several are old threads. But, in most other parts of ATS, if a thread is made based on the same article, idea or discussion as another, it is closed and participants are referred to the earlier topic.

It just seems that here in Crypto the Vampire topics are all pretty much the same discussion on the same topic... Thread titles may vary slightly, but the content is the same.

Why not create a stickied, or at least 'official' vampire discussion topic that all the stuff can be placed into?

If new evidence, a new news article or whatever emerges, that would warrant a new topic and separate discussion. But my question is... why so many on the same thing without that differentiation?

Foof I couldnt agree with with your original topic anymore! I joined ATS pretty much for this section. Over the last couple of months people have flooded it with vampire and werewolve topics. I RARELY ever look in here anymore because is just became rubbish topic after rubbish topic. There is no such thing as vampires and yet some people want to beleive so badly that they are one (or could possibly become one) that they are obsessed with disccussing it.
LET IT GO! or atleast keep it to one damn topic.

People wanting to belive in something that could possible be true or false is the point of this whole board. There are alot of things that i believe are rubbish, but i don't feel the need to go on and make a stop doing it thread. Who cares if people are discussing vampires more lately, that is the beauty of it, they have an opinion and can voice out their opinion. as for the same thread over and over again i agree, but i feel the same way about the masonic threads and the conspiracy to that. they are all the same thing just posted by a different user. with that said let people have their fun, when it gets out of control i am sure the mods will do their job and take charge, but until then it is humerous to read and think about different post user post, as it is in all the threads!

I completely agree that there is way too many vampire and warewolf threads. But this is the crypto board, and where else on ATS is can this stuff be discussed.

Do I believe in vampires and warewolves, hell no. But what is the difference between a vampire and bigfoot? As of right now there is no evidence for either. So should the bigfoot threads get bashed as well?

Someone made a good point that recent vampire movies probably has something to do with the spike in interest in this topic. And I would also like to point out that in the crypto world nothing really news worthy has come up in the last few months.

So as much as I hate vampire and warewolf topics, ATS is a diverse community. If someone wants to discuss how vampires are real, then go for it. I'll be more than happy to debate the merits on if there real or not. My only beef (just like the OP) is that I wish everything could be consolidated in one or two threads. I hate clicking on "my ATS" and looking at this forum and seeing 9 out of 10 threads all on vampires.

I do not discount the possibility of immortal "vampires," but most of these threads, got to agree with you, are disaffectionate youngsters who want to be a vampire.

Unintentional trolls, if you will.

I do not think they realize just how much they are going off of the hollywood image of vapirism--at least, what's currently in vogue. At the moment it's the Stephanie Twinkletoes Meyer stuff, before that it was Underworld, the Interview with the vampire, and far before that the NOsferatu... he was an ugly guy originally, not at all seductive !

Hey, I was gonna start new threads on vampires and werewolves. I told the dead and mangy ones out on my lawn that'd I try get them some 'exposure' on ATS.

Well, guys, I guess you can go home now: nobody want's to hear your stories! Hey, not you Mr. Nicholson!