The SUSPENSION of illicit drugs/mind altering substance topics on ATS (The experiment failed)

As a side note...

I've seen FAR more offensive threads on this forum, than casual stoners talking about whatever the hell they get up to.

In a nutshell, despite the fact that we can accuse and talk about the CIA, MI5, MI6, FBI and accuse them of crimes (drug smuggling, murder, kidnapping), despite the fact that we can openly talk about satanism, scientology, fanatical Islam, suicide bombers, child abuse, masonic corruption, violent police, beheadings and other such highly topical issues...

We CANNOT talk about a subject that includes the harvesting of a natural plant (grown on earth) and it's pain-killing, relaxing properties. We cannot talk about it's social properties and we cannot discuss this without being accused of being idiots, losers and other such discrimination.

THAT is what offends me. The way people who consume such a substance are made to feel like they are in the wrong. Yet, there are discussions of pretty much anything else.

BUT this site is not to blame. Humanity is becoming a haven for idiots.
99% of the stoners i know are VERY intelligent people, yet 99% of the alcoholics i know are bumbling fools.

Pfft.

reply to post by 27jd


I agree with what your saying. The committee should have the people or posters at heart.

If personal use is something we can't talk about, then it should be across the board. Pro or con.

The day that happens, is the day i leave ATS. If personal use is denied Across the board, then you can't talk about half the things in ATS.

Let me just clarify, you are talking about banning posts, that have to do with personal use, like if i was to post about a certain meditation i tried, then i would be banned right?

Originally posted by The Cyfre
The funny thing is that none of this would be necessary if the people who were complaining in this thread would have just stopped being immature in their responses to illicit drug threads in the first place.

Everyone wants to toss their own experiences into the ring because, for some odd reason, they think it will make them appear cooler to others.

Actually, speaking as someone who recently gave a career day speech at his local elementary school, I can say this is actually more rooted with the desire to identify. I saw this mostly in in the 3rd graders. Every hand that shot up was centered around "This one time... My Mom...." or what have you, but they always started out with "This one time" and related an experience which was only loosely relevant to the subject matter.

I think immaturity is probably the best thing to chalk this up to, the need to identify overcomes the common sense of modesty.

But then again, the need to debate probably comes from a very similar place... ;-)

The question is "Are we monkeys trainable enough to maintain a community?"

reply to post by mr-lizard


Very well said there man.
Excellent point

reply to post by mr-lizard


Amen friend!

There is too much conspiracy in the drug business not to talk about it and it has direct effect in our daily lives.

Like I have said before, there is a group on ats called "Drunks of ats" how is that fair at all that talk like that isnt referred to as "drunken idiot talk"?
Hypocrisy runs the site.

[edit on 26-2-2009 by caballero]

Originally posted by TravelerintheDark
I figure this will get lost, but I'm curious if there will be a place to suggest topics of potential interest?

I don't know how they did it last time they had a DISC, but I suspect there will be a place for suggestions.

If there's not a dedicated place for suggestions to the committee, then you can always use the complaints/suggestions option in your MemberCenter to make any suggestion. Or you could u2u any of the DISC committee members once they're chosen. Anyone who wouldn't want to receive this kind of input and/or wouldn't pass it along to the rest of the committee shouldn't be on the committee in the first place, in my opinion.

reply to post by mr-lizard


EXACTLY my point.

2nd line.

reply to post by americandingbat


Since the DISC is being selected to represent the members, every member of the committee better be open to receiving all sorts of input from the members they represent and voicing that input accordingly.

reply to post by mr-lizard


Whether the talk is "good" or "bad" according to your view, the point remains: these topics don't tend to bring those that discredit this site by the droves to participate said topics. This has become the problem. I'm pretty sure it's not the "content" per se. It's the number of people participating in an uncouth fashion.

reply to post by americandingbat


Yea, i agree. Perhaps there can be some sort of Suggestion Forum or (and more likely)Thread.

I know it would be a plus, and let me just say, this committee is supposed to be in between the staff and regular members, a way of communication.

So, the communication needs to be clear, and not hazy.

Originally posted by darcon
Let me just clarify, you are talking about banning posts, that have to do with personal use, like if i was to post about a certain meditation i tried, then i would be banned right?

I don't want to ban ANY post unless it's intentionally disruptive. I'm just pointing out the glaring hypocrisy that shatters EVERY argument about why it needs to be banned in the first place. I understand profanity and off topic posts, so if some (probably lying) idiot starts talking about ripping his bong on a legislation thread, then the post gets removed, like any other off topic post to disrupt is. But meditation doesn't have anything to do with external substances...you can post about meditating ALL you want.

reply to post by americandingbat


Thanks for catching that and the info. I'll be keeping an eye out for developments.

I just found my post on the other thread about this has been deleted due to it being 'off topic'... just because i challenged a pro-anti-drug member.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

This is disgusting and THE ONLY time i have ever had a complaint with the mods.

Yet i bet if i complain to ANY mod, i will get laughed down because my opinion on the subject and will no doubt get banned.

Does any moderator wanna explain WHY my post which is VERY relevant to the discussion has been removed? Or is this a losing battle?

Has common sense just left the room?

reply to post by mr-lizard


So well spoke that I made it my sig line for the forseeable future...


;-)

reply to post by skeptic1


Exactly. Agree or disagree is not the issue – the issue is getting a compromise that we can all live with.

And that means that a good part of the job is going to be listening to what members want, a good part will be listening to what admin needs, and the remainder will be performing the magic of getting the two in sync

reply to post by mr-lizard


The issue has not yet been resolved. Putting a negative spin on the issue actually hurts those that are attempting to preserve the topic (or any for that matter) for future discussion.

Please reserve your judgment for pending results.

Who knows, nothing may come from this effort ... but, like another so eloquently said eariler, "We tried."

Originally posted by tyranny22
reply to post by mr-lizard

 

The issue has not yet been resolved. Putting a negative spin on the issue actually hurts those that are attempting to preserve the topic (or any for that matter) for future discussion.

Please reserve your judgment for pending results.

Who knows, nothing may come from this effort ... but, like another so eloquently said eariler, "We tried."

Challenging is not the same as judging my friend.

second obligatory line.

The sheer irony in this thread is hillarious lol

Who knew the thread about banning drug topics would indeed become the largest running conversation on drugs here at ATS lol

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic

Now, this vote might be thrown out the window by staff, but at least we (the people who care and are on often) gave it our best shot to gather a group of people as fairly as we could to meet Skeptic Overlord's request in this post:

I disagree that you "dont care" or "arent on often" if you miss any given 24 hour period of time on ATS.

And I agree with those who are saying this is being rushed.

I am reminded of a recent article in time magazine that says;

www.time.com...

Dominant individuals behaved in ways that made them appear competent," the researchers write, "above and beyond their actual competence." Troublingly, group members seemed only too willing to follow these underqualified bosses. An overwhelming 94% of the time, the teams used the first answer anyone shouted out — often giving only perfunctory consideration to others that were offered.

Having the "first" answer, or the fastest answer, does not in any way correlate to having a "good" answer. As the study discovered when they used easily quantifiable subjects such as math as a gauge of competence.

The first or quickest answer is just that, first and quickest.

And some people who are regulars here, and who deeply care about ATS have other things in their lives that sometimes prevent them getting on in any given 24 hour period.

reply to post by mr-lizard

Call it what you will. You might find our ideas are aligned, however, that's not the topic at hand.


reply to post by nj2day

I agree. This has ballooned into one behemoth of a thread rather quickly. But, there are far longer threads:
Monsterous Thread

[edit on 26-2-2009 by tyranny22]