Are ATS Members Losing The Ability To think For Themselves ?

Originally posted by rockhndr
Why should it bother any of you whether people wait for an opinion from someone THEY respect or happen to share the same mindset with?? I mean, you know, if you're all thinking for yourselves that is....

and as a side note, bringing to the forefront a particular member to be talked about gives you the same "pack" mentality...

note I have not replied to anyone in particular, but if you respond, it means I may have hit a nerve?? Don't call things out that you may do amongst yourselves, even in a thread such as this, you are in fact looking for like-minded people to begin with.....Meh...

Not a bad observation. Excellent counter point.

However, in my limited time here, I have noticed much of what the OP is referring to. Personally, I consider myself an individual and tend to stand on my own regardless, but, many of the people that the OP is referring to do not stand alone whatsoever. They require his presence to give them the courage to speak. Surely you've noticed this yourself.

Namaste and Love


[edit on 12-7-2010 by PsychoX42]

Originally posted by Seventytwo
reply to post by Omega85

 

I've noticed that member are playing the popularity contest, it's a game of getting stars, they give each other stars through loyalty instead of substance, there is a snobbery element to the board that I think should be addressed,
myself personally would abolish the whole flag and star system and just use those with greater post counts to pin to the front page.

I'm only a new member but it's completely obvious the the star and flag system just creates divisions and a hierarchy type culture,

It's about denying ignorance and the system is open to abuse and I suspect ATS will not be ignorant of this.

Very valid statement here. I responded to this just so that it would resurrect your post and others would have a chance to see it again. By the way, I starred your post for content, not popularity.

Namaste and Love

reply to post by ATS4dummies


Could matricite be used as a screen?
I've asked .....to a chorus of crickets.
They're still churping.

The Dulce incident just doesn't make sense to myself.
Why would delta challenge one with such abilities?
It doesn't make sense unless he was 'unaware' of his audience?
Need to know basis has obvious 'side effects'.

An important point I'd like to stress, is that if there is a consistent problem, there is often no 'good' reason.....by design.
Alex Jones nailed it with the "problem, reaction, solution", logic.
He really gets it.....most of it.

There are some screen names of which are not responsive when one clicks on them for a profile. More 'need to know' bidness I suppose.
Uh, I get it.
You?

There is nothing to fear but 'truth' itself?
'Good' question.....
One may plead the 5th though it doesn't apply to that which 'matters'.
If it rings as true, then.....you know.

[edit on 12-7-2010 by Perseus Apex]

Originally posted by DGFenrir
reply to post by HeavenlyDivine

 

The flagging and starring system mostly reflects popularity on this site. One member could post something like: "I just had sex with an alien" and he'll get tons of stars and lots of replies like "ZOMG! I wish I was you" while the guy, who posts a well researched post that contradicts with the other side's ideas, will get very few stars and ends up as a foe of many and on many ignore lists.

sounds like me......

Originally posted by and14263
You took the thread right out of my mouth!

Brilliant. There's a couple of popular threads on at the moment which serve as good examples to your thread here.

EDIT: Actually maybe I'm wrong. I get suspicious of 'Phage', 'Chadwickus' and 'Maybe maybe not'... But I've just reread their posts to 'support' my suspicion and most of these posters use science and facts... something which is very rarely found on ATS nowadays and maybe we should be addressing that problem first??



[edit on 11-7-2010 by and14263]

You know, I've pointed out those exact same members before myself. But, lets not forget Davesidious and Gunderson. These guys are right in the running as well.

Lets face it, they all need each other because it always takes this entire pack of people to rage against whatever post it is that they are attacking. As individuals they are weak. As a pack, they're just annoying.

I could have sworn that there was something in the terms and conditions of ATS which specifically speaks against forming packs to post against other people.
www.abovetopsecret.com...
Oh look, I was right. Section 2D

In fact, look at this thread which got closed. The only people who showed up were...Phage, Maybe Maybe not, and Chadwickus and it literally every single one of them to work hard enough just to get the thread closed. But if you look carefully, there would have been no reason for the closing of the thread in the first place. It seems these guys have some mods in their back pockets if you ask me.

Here's the thread:
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Namaste and Love


[edit on 12-7-2010 by PsychoX42]

Originally posted by Wolfenz

Originally posted by LurkerMan
i cant give an opinion until phage comes and debunks this nonsense.

he will show you.

you just wait.

what 67 stars! ? from the time i typed this just because about phage !
waiting to sit back until he come in !

here is something Could Phage be not just one person but a team of people ! ? or is it that Phage is like a person that wait by the Phone All day !

I do like Phage but some of you feel the need to be a Cult Follower
I admit he is good in searching for fact's and Truth .. be he does make a few errors and when he does he is not in denial when he is corrected!

Should Phage have his Own section on this site ! or Should Above Top Secret Owners Should Hire Him put him as a Super Moderator ?

Please name some other ATS Members like Phage

Hmm interesting that he might be a team instead of a person. But he already has mod powers. mods listen to him and they do his bidding. I have seen it many of times. I ask for something to happen and never did. my thread got derailed fast when I asked for some question about racism in the gaming industry. i even got seriously humiliated as well. This proves to me racism still exists.

This is why I despise humanity. They want to know the truth? I hate humanity and sometimes I wish I was an Anunnaki or Vulcan.




[edit on 12-7-2010 by dragnet53]

reply to post by Ram


Rahm or Ram?
Just curious.

To attempt to 'Understand' would take a:
Fl^eye^ who loved me.....

Besides, lasers go 'poof', by design.
Love needs no weapon.

To carry forth the torch of truth is to:
~Chariot~


[edit on 12-7-2010 by Perseus Apex]

good to know somebody has noticed the choas.
It all goes back into ancient days of man "me like his idea i do everything he says" monkey see monkey do, most human beigs (50% of total pop) are mindless, IQ ranging from 50-80 (just from 50%) anything under 50 is mental retardation.

So you can see a fine line between thinking for yourself and "fhinking 4 meshelff"

To many people have ideas that make no sence, so instead of making themsevles look like an idiot, they follow either another idiot or someone who thinks for themsevles but wants others to think the same as they do.

Look at reilgion you can see the same principal working there, humans hate being wrong and always want to be right, especilly if the person they are listening to sounds "smart" and lists some facts mixed with thier own ideas. See? I'm doing it right now without even reailizing it.

Now to the point, most humans are simple minded, given the expection of intellgent minds capable of self-thought (or self formed opinions)

Finally sadlly there are two types of humans, the smart ones that know what they are doing, and the ones that think they are smart and know what they are doing. BIG DIFFERNCE.

I joined this site a long time ago, and when I did it was a relatively small site with a much different system. Unfortunatley I havent been able to follow the site for some time as I spend a large portion of my time working or raising my kids.

When I was able to follow the site, people seemed generally supportive and you were rewarded for finding a conspiracy or interesting piece of verifiable reporting. One thing I have learned (not on this site alone but on the internet as a whole) is that eventually everything becomes a tight knit clique or series of cliques where newcomers get bored easily and leave due to the vast gap between the people who are the core makeup of a site.

A select few will stick out anything if they find the content interesting and have the time. Others will read but not contribute. I personally am here for the content and I am not as concerned about my message board status, I am sure many other users feel the same way.

To each his own, and one thing that will never change is the nature of the internet. Every message board follows this approximate formula

Per 10 posts
7 attempted serious threads with poor content that are hijacked or trolled
2 attempted serious threads with poor content that are taken seriously but fail due to poor content
1 serious thread with good content that will succeed and actually be a contribution.

moderators will make friends or give status to those that don't deserve it, Average users will get bullied, etc.

Solutions:
Stop whining.
Take the time to find that one good thread and ignore the others.
Get offline and go to the gym.

reply to post by Anthony1138


How would one presume to know the difference?
What I understand is that the Creator 'does' work in mysterious though creative ways.

I am reminded of this.....every day.
Synchronicity and Serendipity are prime examples.
The -signals+ are all around us.

Some musicians speak volumes.
Some know what they say.
Some don't.

That glowing warm feeling one gets, is the only confirmation one needs.
Positive energy is just that, positive for a Reason.
When one discovers anything do they not 'shine' within.....then without?

There is energy in music itself.
At times I find it quite powerful.

Aura
or
Do you 'feel' it?

'I' do.
U

One more for 'your' record:
I Am Mine.....

A personal favorite of mine.
Thought I'd share it.
This fellow echoes throughout the Universe.
It Was as isIs a 'Good' signal.

Time to bee with the sEA.
Later folks.


[edit on 12-7-2010 by Perseus Apex]

I apologize in advance for not having read the entire thread before posting. In my defense, generally I do.

There are members on ATS who are very popular, and who are held in a great deal of esteem by other members who rely on them for education and guidance.

I don't think you can blame the member in question for this. I don't think people solicit having their names dropped on multiple threads. In fact, it could even be uncomfortable for them, because it results in the type thing being discussed here.

There are people on ATS with whom I share political views, and know several people who share similar views. When something new surfaces, I am curious to hear their thoughts about it. I might even u2u a link to one of these people and ask them to comment on the thread.

It doesn't mean I can't think for myself. It means that I respect the opinions of several other people and want to know what they think. I want to know how it compares to what I think. Are we on the same page?

It's a part of why we are here, isn't it? To read, to write, to teach, to learn.

If someone on the boards becomes greatly admired, then maybe there is a reason for it, you know?

reply to post by Omega85


Good post, star and flag.

What you are describing happened to me on one of my post
recently concerning feeding the world with a spot of land
the size of west virginia via Hydroponics and Aquaculture
based on proven evidence and research.

Some ppl will just argue even in the face of facts and then
use Ad Hominem attacks and insults.

It is pathetic.

But then all you have to do is read history and see it is predictable.

wow 100 stars.

it wasnt that funny.

when i see people ganging up on each other trying to push a certain perspective or trolling in large groups to me it says theres disinformation activity going on in this site.

then again, there are those who are so brainwashed and asleep that nothing will stop them from coming here and ruining these wonderful enlightening threads.

we should make a system that alerts people when disinfo agents are on the board spreading their bucket of lies.

all in all, keep up the good work guys. s&f for keeping us more involved in critical thinking...

Ok so I hate to admit it but I just kinda scanned the few last pages of this thread. Although I agree partly with what the OP is saying there are a few people here that I do think know there stuff after doing my own research. When I post threads it is more about the thought I am having and if I don't get stars and flags so be it at least I know it is somewhere out there that people can see. And yes there are a few members that I look for there comments because I believe them to be knowledgeable. And there are a few members that I disagree with completely. But I still read their postings because they are intelligent. But that is what this is all about getting other peoples opinion to see if what you are thinking is crazy not blind faith but just help to maybe push you on the right path.

reply to post by Perseus Apex


if i soul exists then i think music is it's language. All probelms can be started and fixed with music, it is what gives up that push, in life something to hold on to.

This music is pretty good (i like all music) I play guitar and piano cause i love music just that much, i often find myself wondering if somewhere in a far away solar system on some backwater planet, if there is music there. It would be a treat to hear it.

here is one for you, fitting seeing how this band's basists has died RIP Paul
www.youtube.com...
and carl sagans glorious dawn
www.youtube.com...

reply to post by Omega85


Nope!

I've been following this site for about 4 years now and I can say with 100% certainty that I think more for myself now then ever.

I have always had and will always have am open mind.


Thing is : The same people that fall victim to buying into stuff outside of ATS, are the same members that, will be duped while on ATS.....

It's not the sites fault for having a ton of valid and invalid information for us to sift through.

We get lazy or uninterested in putting in lots of hours researching things that lead us nowhere and don't gain us anything in life except more knowledge.

So people like in regular life latch onto stuff and go with it because it fits their ideal.

Every time something comes along that makes sense, people always try to make it out like it is " THE TRUTH "....when they are blind and it is but a piece of truth amongst other many truths yet to be found.


So it will effect those who let it effect them and those who know not to buy into everything will be able to think for themselves still.

I love this thread, I have even added friends from reading the first page alone! The psychology involved with determining who the 'followers' and just plain angry jealous folk is very entertaining.

This is something that has had me worried for a while actually... Before I even registered I noticed that certain people have claimed to have wait until XXXX user posts before they can have an 'opinion'... an opinion! That is rather frightening to me since this website is supposed to be about
tossing theories around and deciding which ones have the highest probability of happening... at least that is what I thought.

And to toss this into the mix - Isn't one of the disinfomation tactics used is to gather a following - or becoming 'prominent' while joining up with other prominent agents to create such a mob mentality? I thought I read that somewhere...


Edit to add:

Oh, and I have seen these 'prominent' members using bullying / rude tactics at times to further the bandwagon "dont wanna look stupid" mob mentality along... its simple if you remember the signs of this from gradeschool.

[edit on 12-7-2010 by EminenceofAeon]

reply to post by Rangermedic


I also notice every board has one or two people with multiple accounts trying to better themselves and gain a following. This also happens so that the board can seem "active" as well when a new board starts.

This is amazing. I made a comment on this thread and will try not to be redundant.

I've mentioned the anonymity of this site and how we really don't know who anyone here is.

I've since read on this thread about people complaining about being insulted, ridiculed, and bullied. Also, people complaining about others being disruptive.

I say so what. How can you take personally insults by someone you don't know? Someone on an anonymous web site who insults you probably does not have the testicular fortitude to say those same insults to your face, so get over it.

Also, if you don't like what someone posts, use your scroll wheel and go to the next post. If you don't think a thread has merit, don't read it. If you think the moderators are unfair, go to a different site, you are not forced to be here.

I just think this is much to do about nothing.