ATS a "crackpot American website", page 2
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ATS Members have flagged this thread 14 times


reply posted on 9-2-2009 @ 06:55 AM by InfaRedMan
Sure there's some interesting stuff on ATS but there is also a lot of bogus fluff. What I've seen in this thread so far is a lot of defensiveness on many peoples part without ever addressing the original questions in the Op.

Like anything in life, ATS could undergo some improvements like cleaning up obvious hoax threads before they get completely out of hand - like member XL5 alluded to earlier, (see below).

Read here if you want the TRUTH about aliens and alien technology

Why is this thread still running? Hits? Well if that's the case, the obvious price we are going to pay is articles like the one mentioned in the Op. It's easy to see how someone who hasn't encountered this kind of content before (see link above) would perceive some of the content at ATS to be 'crackpot' in nature.

Don't get me wrong, I love this site and visit/contribute every day but I haven't become so blind or one-sided as to see the argument from one side only. The article does have some merit unfortunately.

Perhaps ATS need more Mods as I've heard that so many are busy trying to stay ahead of everything. I'd happily be a Mod here any day!

IRM

[edit on 9/2/09 by InfaRedMan]


reply posted on 9-2-2009 @ 06:56 AM by sy.gunson
reply to post by Common Good



Common Good made some valid points but I think the Press are equally entitled to make their comments too. Much as I enjoy and value the multiplicity of sources and opinions here, many of the posters are half baked and swept up in hysteria.

I'd never dream of muzzling anyone here, but every day there is a lot of really ridiculous unbalanced stuff presented as fact. You can't silence the ridiculous stuff because without that freedom little gems which would otherwise remain concealed would not come out. You can get a lot out of ATS if you sift through with skepticism and common sense.

Skeptics often make their skepticism an article of faith like a quasi religious experience, but I've often found people here on ATS make their unconventional beliefs an article of unbalance faith too.

I try to steer a course away from fundementalists of both camps.


reply posted on 9-2-2009 @ 07:24 AM by ElectroMagnetic Multivers
Originally posted by InfaRedMan

Read here if you want the TRUTH about aliens and alien technology

Why is this thread still running? Hits? Well if that's the case, the obvious price we are going to pay is articles like the one mentioned in the Op. It's easy to see how someone who hasn't encountered this kind of content before (see link above) would perceive some of the content at ATS to be 'crackpot' in nature.


I really don't think anyone should be labled 'crackpot'. I doubt that thread should have been considered 'TRUTH' either though.

The article does have some merit unfortunately.

[edit on 9/2/09 by InfaRedMan]


I'm sorry but the article has no merit in my eyes with the way it was reported, it was a blatant attack making RW to look like a hermit for avoiding the media, an attack on anyone who doesn't conform to their view.

I believed ATS would come under fire soon, as soon as I heard the phrase 'homegrown terrorism' and the internet being treated as an 'enemy weapons system'.

A glimpse of things to come? I hope not.

EMM



reply posted on 9-2-2009 @ 07:41 AM by InfaRedMan
reply to post by ElectroMagnetic Multivers



I wasn't commenting on their treatment of RW. I was very specific in what parts I was commenting on... but I guess I should say that i disagree with how they portray Robbie. That's blows for sure! Robbie's a pretty cool guy. As I've always said on this website... Kudos to him for following his own interests and beliefs.

IRM


reply posted on 9-2-2009 @ 07:46 AM by ElectroMagnetic Multivers
reply to post by InfaRedMan



lol, didn't mean to focus on that part myself, it was more their attitude to be honest, it was as someone said, a hatchet job, RW was only the vehicle in which it was delivered. I think ATS is about to get bombarded, but thats only an opinion.

Sorry if it seemed like I was having a go

EMM


reply posted on 9-2-2009 @ 08:52 AM by yeahright
reply to post by IsaacKoi



I'm sure not suggesting we shouldn't make the effort to raise the bar on the level of discourse on this topic. Nothing would please me more. Ultimately it's up to the membership and my hope is that we'll be able to get people to concentrate more and participate more in the threads that have a more scholarly focus. But that type of participation takes some effort. It's very easy to jump into the more frivolous threads and discuss how frivolous they are, thus continually bumping them and making them go on for pages and pages.

All we as staff can do is attempt to keep the discussion civil and on-topic, and sometimes that's a huge task.

Anytime anyone can do something to push this topic forward in a serious way gets us a baby step closer to the day when we'll see a report on MSM about UFOs that isn't accompanied by a snide comment and an eye roll. And as long as we have members with the desire and ability to move us in that direction, it could happen.


reply posted on 9-2-2009 @ 09:09 AM by Majic
Keys To Ascension

Originally posted by lepracornman
Do you really want people who are easily swayed by the media and have their opinions based off the media on this forum? I've been here many years, and I most Definitely would not like to see that.

I've also been here many years, and I've seen it happen a lot.

You know the drill: new members come in all cocky and self-assured, post strong opinions on various topics that are founded on commonly held misconceptions of "reality", misunderstand all sorts of things, get in several debates and generally thrash about wildly in an indignant manner.

Then, at some point, they start questioning their cherished delusions and begin opening up to new ideas. Many discover the virtues of critical thinking and skepticism -- not cynicism, which is based on assumptions, but true skepticism, which makes no assumptions and always allows for the possibility of error.

By this time, some have lost interest and moved on to other things, but some stay on, fascinated by the possibilities that thinking outside the box opens up. Addiction is common.

Eventually, those who remain become aware of many, many things most people cannot even begin to imagine. That awareness is tempered by the healthy skepticism which comes from years of examining dubious claims from myriads of sources. Granted, most of those claims are bogus, but they are nonetheless counterbalanced by the small fraction of a percent that are, though often difficult to accept, potentially true.

I've seen it many times, and have experienced it myself. I consider fostering this process to be the greatest achievement of our community.

ATS is not for everyone, but for those who are ready to question the universe around us, I can't think of a better place to be.


reply posted on 9-2-2009 @ 10:00 AM by blupblup
reply to post by socrates271




There is a lot of guff, but there are some gems too.
Like a library or bookshop....or life in general.
The crap far out-weighs the good....that's what makes the good so....er...good

What i mean is, you really appreciate finding a mind-altering or opinion changing thread, something that makes you question what you know...or what you think you know anyway.
Or, even just a thread that corroborates with what you already know/believe.

If you think it's nearly all crap on ATS....you're not looking hard enough
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