Come on ATS, what happened?

reply to post by tmayhew01


I understand your frustrations, but...

I've been a member here since 2004 - well before the flags and stars appeared - and haven't posted much over the past few years since they did. But I've always researched and referenced up the wazoo.

When I returned from one of my hiatuses this spring, I was quite pleased to see I was credited with "Simply Stunning Insight." Then, after my article on H1N1 was posted, I was totally stoked to get upgraded to "Godlike Wisdom" and a "Silver" contribution level.

...You may not think I deserve the credit, but please, check out my work before you make any such judgments.

...You might feel better about your ATS experience if you think of yourself as a gardener like I do - work the soil, seed, water and fertilize, nurture the plot, and pick out a few special plants to bring to seed for the next generation. Works for me.

I have no problem with people coming up with far fetched ideas, just have a pretty good basis for it. If not, put it in skunkworks.

I actually had someone get mad at me because I told them youtube wasn't a source.

I was in school when the internet just started going public. When we used to play: who has a website. (that seems so odd now) even then we were taught that if it is not a legitimate source like a paper or university, you can't use it a resource, you certainly can't use it in a research paper.

Apparently those lessons have fallen to the wayside, because now I see people using blogticles as sources or partisan newspapers.

Quite sad really.

Say what you want but back it up.

It seems like the angst boils down to you guys being upset every thread isn't anti-Republican/Bush. It seems to me that since Obama and democrats got control, any sort of criticisms of either is labeled as "stupid" or "off base". I think its just that the shoe is now on the other foot and you guys don't like it.

I've been on ATS for a long time and noting seem different to me, other than the political party in charge.

Originally posted by tmayhew01

However, I am awe struck in the absence of intelligence on these forums lately.

That all depends on how you define intelligence. Is a human more intelligent if he knows 100 was of possible universe origions than a man who knows how to weave a basket in 100 different ways?

Is it me, or is everybody throwing logic and reasoning out the window?

As you stated in your first paragraph, some people seem compelled to give their own opinion not caring of logic and reasoning.

But seriously ATS, what is up with everybody jumping to conclusions???

When a question, puzzle or mystery is brought forth to the forum it only makes sense that somebody would feel compelled to contribute their worth to the community. To jump to a conclusion is to contribute and move on to another topic.

I realize that you have brought yourself to a higher bar, or made your mark at a higher bar. As you might have noticed there is a responsibility while being at that higher bar, and it is to respect the individuals lower on the bar. When a higher bar person criticizes someone lower they only inadvertently lower themselves down to their level without even realizing it only having to start all over again.

reply to post by soficrow


I second Soficrow's sentiments.

There are many of us who take time to do the research when posting on this site and take the motto "Deny Ignorance" very seriously.

It is why I frequent this site. So many awesome people....

While Sofi sees herself as gardener, I see myself as both pupil and teacher.

As in most things in life, you just have to be persistent in the sifting for the real gems...

reply to post by HomeBrew


So sorry if i'm repeating something somebody already said, after reading the OP I had trouble focusing on reading through the 4 pages of fors/agaists. But i read this far and HomeBrew has brought up a point I wanted to touch upon.

Basically ATS has been expanding. At first it probably was a tightly knit group who were all pretty much open intellectually. As the site got bigger the "PITA's" who moved in due to whatever reason start to post and expand their groups.

I really feel bad about generalizing but for a quick insight there are 2 types of posts. Intellectual and Emotional. There should be a balance of both in every post however people come here with strong emotions and a closed mind and post what they believe. Hardest part is almost no amount of factual argumentation will change their mind, which is scary to say the least. It's almost like they need to be hit by it first hand to have their brain rattled and some sense knocked in.

Best suggestion is don't argue with them, your wasting your time. You just have to click the "Back" button and continue on.

We all learn and change through debating our truths. No one person is correct, so move forward with an open mind and devellope your truth as time goes on.

I've been here a good 5 years. Other than growing and changing in format, content on the boards seems to me to be more or less the same as it always has been. A slight decline in quality of work and the mentation of those responsible for it, perhaps. But is not society in a decline? If it is, I'd also expect to see downward trends here on this site.

Just my opinion on the matter.

reply to post by tmayhew01


I agree with the OP, people tend to post links or videos and then proclaim it proves some claim when it doesn't really.

It's a matter of people using their brains themselves, rather than just posting something and "hoping" it will be useful or valid. That kind of "hopeless posting" can be falsely measured by those who blindly believe or correctly measured by those who tackle the issue more rationally.

If only the posters would do the thinking for themselves, it would save a lot of time and effort all-round.

reply to post by tmayhew01


Without you giving specific examples of what you are talking about, it’s hard to comment one way or the other. I am new to ATS as a poster, but prior to my involvement as a poster, I was a spectator for almost two years and enjoyed every minute of the variety of opinion. If I wanted conformity or agreement of opinion I would have turned on the 6:00 news instead.

The bottom line is this, The internet is the last true expression of free speech, and source of vital information we have. Enjoy it while you can. It’s true we have to share the internet with all types, child molesters, Sadists, liars, egoist, disinfo agents, to name a few. But at the same time you have those who actually have vital, inside, information and those who actually have no other agenda than the betterment of mankind. From one end of the spectrum to the opposite end, saints and sinners, information and disinformation. it’s all there, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Be thankful you still have the option of discarding what is untrue and repulsive, while keeping what you’ve found to be true and worthwhile

Those who think they are going to find truth ,wholeness, and vital information delivered to them on a silver platter complete with out any distractions, disinfo, or evils, which need to be trimmed off it and discarded, are silly visionaries chasing pipe dreams.

tmayhew01, your own signature sums it up better than I can........"the truth is out there". Yes it is, but you still have to look for it.

I disagree with the OP as I enjoy the crazy stories as much as the likes of the Myth lives posts. You need to have a contrast as if the whole site was logical and well researched then there would be nothing to debate . And also for someone who enjoys a good conspiracy you need to take a leap of faith sometimes and go for the more illogical answer, occams razor does not always apply :

OK well I'm not going to retype the same response 1000 times, read through the thread and you should see my intentions....

Here is a link post by tmayhew01

Summary: put some time and thought into your work and be ready to back up your opinion with evidence or some sort of support... Without any form of logic, it is meaningless speculation!

[edit on 7-9-2009 by tmayhew01]

I agree. Although like one or two others, I do enjoy reading the odd crazy/paranoid thread... Gotta love those self-proclaimed aliens & 'oh my God I dont recognise this star, is it nibiru' type threads.

There's nothing wrong with having far fetched ideas, but the amount of people who start threads with no evidence to back themselves up, and then get defensive when people ask for evidence/disagree with them is ridiculous.

reply to post by tmayhew01


Well, I cannot speak for anyone else other than myself, at least about my activities here.

I have felt for the last four years that the level of intelligent posting has sunk and the IQ levels of the entire website has gone down drastically, but like you mentioned I'm not mentioning anything specifically here, nor in private in a U2U.

It seemed almost as if someone ha chased off a lot of intelligent people for a while.

I even stopped coming to ATS for six months (about a year or more ago) because of the sheer doldrums I was seeing.

U.N.S.C. and 2012 : Political Ideologies, Nations United, and Views on Terrorism : Conflict Earth

But, as you can see I came back in force ready to kick butt and take no prisoners.

Long live freedom in the stand against tyranny and the search for knowledge.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/35a9105bad2f.jpg[/atsimg]

[edit on 7-9-2009 by SpartanKingLeonidas]

reply to post by tmayhew01



Its probably because everyones afraid. Of something changing. I have to say though, this website is still a great place to have a real discussion about information thats really not accessible anywhere else!

I will have to agree that the content being posted here by the juvenile lunatic fringe has been excessive.A good large number of intelligent mature members have left for other forums.

It appears that the owners have gone for the quantity of members instead of the quality of the members that have joined.I know they will defend themselves because we all want to be politically correct.

I have read posts where the person posting appears unstable and not living in reality and using logic or serious research. Then you search for some of their old posts and they admit to being under a doctors care and diagnosed as a paranoid Schizophrenic.

Or a post that is a group of basically 15 year old teenagers all residing in nations that are members of the Queens commonwealth of nations and believing because they have access to the internet a search engine they are knowledgeable of the ways of the world.

Oh well, maybe this is indicative of all that is going on in the world we live in.

All the intelligent civilized rational adults will be shouted down and ran off by drugged children looking for tunnel entrances in Antarctica on Google Earth.

I thank Phage rocks although, sometimes I feel sorry for him as in some of the threads his logic (and the time put into researching) just seems to sink in the sea of stupidity.

Yeah me too I am tired of all the:

Name calling
People jumping into uneducated conclusions
People with their agenda
Disinfo and propaganda agents

Too many people are here to push their views. Most threads I read are pages of people fighting each other and little progress is done.
I think if we should simply let people express their views, no matter how wrong or ignorant it is, then get back to the serious discussion analysis and investigation.
It is unfortunate, I really have some amazing personal paranormal stories to tell but I don't feel it'd be productive so I stick to alternative news and quietly doing my own personal research.
Too much negativity

[edit on 8-9-2009 by TheOracle]

Some of the thread recently seem nothing more than fabrications of A demented and twisted mind.

I really can't believe this thread exists for example!!!!

Talk about Bloated Egotism at it's Apex.

The Greatest Waste of Bandwith And Hard Drive Space EVER !!!

well except for mine

reply to post by The Utopian Penguin


Glad you feel this way, now go join the rest of the children... and please continue to post meaningless points.

The point of my thread, if you took anytime at all to do your research and read it before you jumped to conclusions... you would understand I am asking members to put more thought and effort into their posts.

Again these are my feelings, and thank you for strengthening my point!
Refer to this link for further clarification, I have already typed my point several times! For all the LAZY members who won't take the time to read through the thread visit these links: www.abovetopsecret.com... and www.abovetopsecret.com...



[edit on 8-9-2009 by tmayhew01]

reply to post by tmayhew01


I did read through the thread.
Do you read any other threads but your own ?
Here... read these threads... C'mon tmayhew01! What happened ?




[edit on 9-9-2009 by The Utopian Penguin]