An open message to you all "Since when did this website become.....

I still love ATS but I agree here. The main thing that annoys me is the whole "Atheism vs. Religion" debate...and not because I'm religious either. I would classify myself as agnostic, if I had to. It's just that this pointless argument somehow manages to infect every single topic up for discussion until its impossible to remain interested. And it happens both ways too. If you're interested in evolution, well, sorry...can't discuss that 'cos the Lord won't have it. If you're interested in Jesus or how God works, sorry again...can't discuss that because you don't have anything published and peer-reviewed that proves He exists. It never ends.

reply to post by OzWeatherman
OZ,
I understand your reasoning on this thread, as I have been seeing the anger also.
However, it may be brought to this website but I believe it is much bigger than here.
My wife and I were just talking about the state of the world attitude and we both had the same conclusion,.. that there is much anger and violence everywhere..
There has been a steady decline in human values and morals in the last 10 years but now it feels much worse.
Music today that is darker is full of hatred and violence
I sometimes enjoy rap music, but much of it has become about greed, violence and sex.
Sexual content is in so many advertisements for very young adults
The threats of war are continuous
The negativity has become main stream.

Those on the religious end could say it is a sign of the times and the end is near.
Hard not to agree with that givin the vibe of the world lately..





[edit on 14-8-2010 by Lil Drummerboy]

reply to post by OzWeatherman


well, OZ...all of what you describe in your opening post has been coming from one political side. but that side has ratcheted it up to the point that they make no secret of who the "enemy" and have no qualms about lying or stretching the truth as to the nature of that "enemy".

there have been several books written on this type of behavior and the affects that it instills upon the people that it is targeted for. mein kampf, a book about a philosophical and pychological belief system, delves into this type of group think, and control. we all need to be vigilent and constantly question why we feel a certain animosity toward one group or another.

Reply to post by neformore

Very true, disrespect has become more common around here. Maybe rules are not strict enough, or they are not enforced strongly enough? Not attacking the staff, just sharing my thoughts.


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Originally posted by OzWeatherman
When I first came to this website, three years ago, I was simply blown away by the in depth discussion, high quality of threads posted, and the heated yet, challenging debates of various view points on a great range of topics.

These days Im not so impressed by the content.

I'm not surprised considering that many quality posters have either been banned (for whatever minor infarctions) or have quit in a huff. John Lear (Never mind his bizarre theories, he started some exciting discussions), Internos, Mikesingh, Zorgon and many others. Now if people start deserting ATS at the drop of the management's hat, then it'll obviously head into the sunset.

I hope that doesn't happen or where else could I take a dig at the 'believers'?

reply to post by OrionHunterX


I know, but who's to say what they were banned for? We dont know, and I think its wrong to assume that minor infringements, and just one were responsible for their departure.

reply to post by OzWeatherman


OZ, I'm not attacking you and even earlier agreed with some of your post..I just thought it was the mods job to point it out, not yours..

Anyway, I think a minor offence can lead to a ban because if you firmly believe you have done nothing wrong and in fact, see clear breaches much more serious go unpunished, then you are going to get angry..
Anger leads to harsh words and a ban...

Vicious circle that only a mod can win...Frustrating...

reply to post by OzWeatherman


Come on, lot's of people have been banned for the position they took in one single thread, without ever causing trouble beforehand.

reply to post by Point of No Return


I know that people have been banned for going past the "Point of No Return".

You know, pushing the mods on a subject that really should be dropped? Going on about something that isn't really an issue?

reply to post by Point of No Return


Out of interest, what is the thread you are referring to?

Were many long standing members banned in this thread?

Good postl, OP.

Unfortunately, this has become prevailent on many of the bulletin boards across the net.

If you look even at the news sites like CNN and CBC, the level of hate in posts has definitely risen in the last few months as people are becoming more and more intolerant of anything that they see as not the norm.

The country and the world is strongly divided in the areas of politics, race, religion, sexual orientation, and many other areas, and this has never been seen so strongly before and is manifesting itself as hate speech towards people with a different point of view.

It's time it stopped, for the benefit of everyone.

reply to post by whatukno


That's good for you, what does it have to do with what I said?

Did I claim anything that disputes your claim?

I agree with oz on most of his OP.

I agree with a lot of the other opinions that have been expressed.

I appreciate the opinions that I do not agree with because they were worded and presented here with a thoughtful degree of courtesy.

We can't stop hate. We can't stop differences in opinion. We can't prevent disagreements. We can, however, contribute thoughtfully and try not to let our own tempers feed the trolls.

I find myself deleting more and more posts that I've written because someone who is dangling the bait almost got my goat. We can just pass up those threads that are offensive. We can also help the mods to enforce the forum rules by using the methods provided.

Yes. I report violations but usually only when they are abuse or vulgarity.

We can be courteous to others with whom we disagree. (Although I know it isn't always easy) I'm not always as courteous as I could be but I make an effort.

When we find that courtesy isn't possible with particular members, we can utilize the ignore function.

I realized a number of months back that the reason I hung on with ATS is because I LIKE THE MEMBERS. Unfortunately, a few of these members are not worth the frustration and problems. Recently I have been utilizing the ignore button and now have about a dozen members on my list.

Why?

Because my experience on ATS doesn't have to be miserable due to others behavior. Some will call this a copout or say I should have to listen to their opinions too. The reason I ignore is not because of opinion but because of a lack of courtesy that borders on or exceeds what I term hateful or offensive.

The hateful discourteous and offensive members won't go away. They won't stop. They won't change, so I have. I can take steps to remove them from my screen and go on enjoying ATS like I have since I joined.

It's like the man said, "Resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the other guy to die."

No need to resent the hateful people. Just pass them on by and go on to something else.

My hat's off to ATS and the good members and mods here who are constructive contributors to the forums.

S&F

reply to post by LarryLove


You want to get me banned?

I know better than to do that.

reply to post by indigothefish


i personally dont think you can blame this on 'disinfo' agents; i rarely visit this site due to the poor quality of topics/posts being discussed these days. i signed up with another account 2/3 years ago (cant log in with my old account any more) and the site was awesome and very engaging; for the past year or so i have found myself less and less inclined to visit due to the quality of posts and the absolute drivel some people post as 'truth'. im here to learn about the world and its mysteries and not sift through pages and pages of wild imagination and poorly constructed posts.

personally i believe it is kids and trolls (ie people with nothing better to do than post their wild fantasies to massage their egos). disinfo agents arent even need as there is little truth on this site any more in my honest opinion. i hope the site can turn around but i feel it will only get worse and will be seen as even more of a joke to the outside world, it's a joke to me and i used to love this site. in fact im embarrassed to tell people im a member and previous contributor to this website!

the first decline i saw in this website aside from the liars was when one of the three amigos wife's (i think her name was Valhall? at least i was told by other members to not get on her wrong side because she was a top dogs wife/girlfriend) claimed that we shouldnt be discussing a worth while topic, it actually angered me so much that i decided to quit contributing anything worth while to this website. interestingly i was rewarded by moderators for my contribution to that particular thread whilst Valhall ranted and raved about the topic in question. sad times.

for the mods/site owners: if this site is about truth and im banned for speaking what i see to be the truth then i do not wish to be part of this website.

edit: typos

[edit on 14-8-2010 by enduser]

reply to post by Point of No Return


No, I was being honest and genuine and wondered what you were talking about. I don't see how telling me what thread you are talking about would get you banned and that isn't my intention.

I am sorry if you took it that way as I meant you no offense. Just curious.

reply to post by OzWeatherman


Did you purposely leave out the anti christian topics?

There are more Christian haters on this forum then anything else.

I disagree with this topic and here is why.

ATS is fine

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Originally posted by Stormdancer777
reply to post by OzWeatherman

 

Did you purposely leave out the anti christian topics?

There are more Christian haters on this forum then anything else.

No, I didnt

100% proof that atheists or "insert religious sect" are stupid, wrong, ignorant etc etc

Thats what I meant by that part of the OP

I disagree with the OP.

When people pooh-pooh threads they dislike and preface it with the "hate" or "hate speech" card they're simply attempting to quell speech of others they dislike with the added benefit of being perceived as a champion for goodness.

Overtly hateful posts are already modded as necessary in accordance with TOS. If you dislike the thread, don't visit it. Simple. Pulling the "hate speech" card is a rotten, transparent trick.