Thanks for penning it up. Not only is this kind of rhetoric divisive...it's corrosive.

I think this is an excellent idea, today I found myself becoming ashamed of something I posted in a thread, where this kind of topic was being discussed.

I sincerely apologise to everyone who was offended by this, I found myself scrolling through a topic that was making me smile, a great topic, as I scrolled through I found myself becoming agitated by some of the comments, there I was with a warm feeling for once, seeing something I thought would touch people and allow them to see some of the things thrown at us are lies, yet my jaw kept dropping at some of the responses.

I understand whole heartedly that opinion is a very important thing here on ATS and usually I would allow things like this to pass right over my head, but instead I found the brightness and warmth I was feeling, looking through pictures and thinking this is the kind of thread that would bring people to see a lot of things in a different light and hopefully feel the same.

Sadly it was not to be, and at the last page I found myself full of anger and not hatred, but a need to grab someone and show them what had made me warm without the foolish and hateful comments designed IMO to get people that way, and I fell for it.

I am not going to mention the thread, that would be unfair, as it was a wonderful thread and designed to shed light on a very difficult and frightening situation we see building, echo's of Iraq my wife called it.

I fear for my Wife and Children, I fear for everyone, because if the truth could for one moment be seen by everyone, just a splinter of thought and interest is all that is need to ask, ok that is not what I have been led to believe.

I am terrified that once again my Kids will see and hear about people dying, and ask me the question of why, how can you tell a 7 year old it is because there are powerful people in the World who want it too by using lies and made up fabricated stories?the people I love, the people I talk to, who I pass every day, running around smiling laughing, what can I say to them? they have no idea what is happening, so how can they be prepared?

And that is why I agree with this whole hearted, because it now has me afraid to click on something that sounds so wonderful and great, only to find within several pages it has turned into a war of words about hatred, it has happened to me several times over the past few weeks, I guess today I had just had enough.

My wife and I have discussed these happenings, and although we do have a plan to go away from home should the need be, we shouldn't have to because of lies and manipulation.

I am so sorry to all.

Be safe and well.

Originally posted by stevegmu
Interesting how 8 years of daily Bush-bashing was not only tolerated, but encouraged, yet 8 months of Obama criticism is a plague...

Several factors have been involved in the long discussion behind the scenes about this problem. In fact, our staff has been discussing the issue of the rising intensity of political hatred for several weeks now.

"8 Years of Bush bashing" on a conspiracy theory community such as ATS is expected to be replaced with "X years of ____ bashing" no matter who ends up in office. To the politically-minded, it can appear as though the site leans one way or the other. Bashing and harsh criticism of the government is to be expected here, and on similar discussion venues.

What we have here, now, is very difference.

The intense political loathing has permeated into the cultural meme. The air is thick with it. I went to an NFL game this weekend and experienced fights and shouting matches not about the game or teams, but about politics. Groups of tailgaters had anti-Obama signs, and other groups had "Anti-tea-bagger" signs (I wish I brought my camera). I've witnessed heated supermarket checkout arguments over totally false popular rhetoric and rumors.

This problem has evolved well beyond the typical ebb-and-flow of a conspiracy site depending on what flavor of idiocy is in the White House.

Originally posted by Iamonlyhuman
Haha.. there goes half the breaking news stories. Great idea.

Finally they've figured out how to distract the esteemed members from the Obama unending source of inspiration.

A good idea, but...


The People Must Have Their Bread and Circuses!


Unfortunately, as the bread becomes scarcer, the demand for more, and more spectactular, circuses becomes more shrill.


Politics have become the New American Religion; just as religion seems to have long been at the core of Mideastern politics.



Perhaps we in the US have stared too long and too hard into the abyss of the so-called "enemy"; and now we are realizing the danger of it staring back at us, as though in a mirror.



We have begun to become all that we once claimed to abhor.

Originally posted by Wimbly
Do you not see the inherent hypocrisy of such precautions on a forum filled with political debate?

No. Because ATS was not formed to oblige political debate. ATS was formed as a gathering place for people to examine and discuss a wide range of conspiracy theories. Now that politics is a significant conspiracy, the politically minded will accidentally assume we focus on politics.

dissent was the most patriotic thing you could do.

It is.

However, knee-jerk hate of the "other party" at the expense of spending that energy on meaningful collaborative dialogue on critical societal problems isn't dissent, it's parroting as a tool of the conspirators.

[edit on 12-10-2009 by SkepticOverlord]

Originally posted by Wimbly
Of course you decide what "political hate" is I'm sure. Do you not see the inherent hypocrisy of such precautions on a forum filled with political debate?

Of course they do. It's all about: Agendas

Truth requires freedom.
Agendas require control, and this is more control.



[edit on 12-10-2009 by SpookHunter]

Ok, WTF is Obama doing on Monday Night Football? He can't get enough of himself. Sorry, just saw it and had to vent.

All this will do is ease stress on the servers as more leave.
Since it's not ok to have a divisive argument or heck be human and actually hate. The politically correct want to remove that emotion from the human psyche. Unfortunately it is also hate that makes us human, as well as prejudices. Sorta sucks that the politically correct want everyone to be homogenized, politically correct, perfect tolerant prozac swallowing yes men.

Course I'm glad that differences is what makes us unique, and people, groups, politics that I hate won't be the same as the next persons and that is what I love about being human. Take that away and we only become the sheep conspiracy theorist brand us as.

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord


Would Goldman Sachs control the financial branches of our government if the public were not distracted?

Would we allow four healthcare industry lobbyists (during a critical period of healthcare reform) per congresspersons and senators if the public were not distracted?

Would we have allowed two costly and pointless wars to be initiated by the lobbyist/money-rich military industrial complex if the public were not distracted?

The most succint and true statements on ATS in a long while, the entire issue of the new forum is as pointed out an distraction to keep people from seeing the very very big yellow elephant in their living rooms, on the TV radio and net.

excellent

Elf

1) Tribalism has been going on forever.

2) Slanted media have been around for a long, long-time - but in the age of Yellow Journalism, at least you knew which way the newspaper leaned. Modern journalism came up with this great concept called "objectivity" - which, of course is no longer applied by most journalists.

3) GWB was blamed for "unnecessary" wars; for unlawful evesdropping, etc. etc. GWB was vehemently hated by the Left. Now BHO is in power and his policies lurch far to the left (FAR TO THE LEFT) - what do you expect from Conservatives - do you expect us to roll over? Bullfeathers! BHO isn't listening and no one else on the Left is...so don't expect me to be quiet.

4) Typically conspiracies are planned and executed by small bands of people - to have a conspiracy that runs years is difficult enough but one that runs for "decades" seems to be BS. In the end, you can almost always find someone who is "turned" - someone who is willing to "out" the plan/the people. Has no one ever been "turned" during this decades long conspiracy?

5) I forget who said it but "politics is the alternative to war"; deal with it.

You have inpired my new signature.
Thanks. I mean that, really. Thanks.
Pay attention to #6.

[edit on 12-10-2009 by SpookHunter]