Oh GOD!! It looks as if ATS has started to enter into the the Idiotic plane...batten down the hatche

Originally posted by Jean Paul Zodeaux
If we cannot lead by example we are not leaders.

If following them is impossible, they are not leaders.

God's name in VAIN

over a mere few ATS threads that tick ya off

BLASPHEMY!

Originally posted by ILikeStars

Originally posted by Jean Paul Zodeaux
If we cannot lead by example we are not leaders.

If following them is impossible, they are not leaders.

If one surrenders to his or her own laziness and blames others for it, this is not a reflection on any leader. Step up! Make a stronger effort to understand instead of helplessly scratching heads and declaring it impossible to understand. Anything is possible, and when it comes to human intelligence, knowing far more than we know is not only possible, it is probable. Step up!

I am lately wondering where members like Slayer69 and Muzzleflash have gone. There is the real test of Lately ATS. Here is a thread started by Slayer over a month ago:
www.abovetopsecret.com...

And another by MuzzleFlash now three months old:
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Theres your sign...

Originally posted by Jean Paul Zodeaux
If we cannot lead by example we are not leaders. It is pointless to complain about the perceptions of stupidity of others. When a wise man argues with a fool it is difficult to tell them apart. Even though this is posted in The Grey Area, there is an irony to this thread in that it really doesn't do much to contribute to the high standards that are being lamented as a bygone era. This thread does little to instruct, inform, or investigate and is merely a rant against lower standards of posting.

The simple fact of the matter is that the membership of ATS has increased dramatically in the past several years and because of this there will be an increase in poorly thought out threads. There is also what appears to be an increase in articles across the web declaring the younger generations are dumber than their predecessors, but in my own personal experience this idea that generations get dumber tends to presume an intelligence of older generations, that generally speaking is just plain wishful thinking.

The smugness of older generations lamenting the diminished mental capacity of younger generations can be so bad that articles are published claiming the younger generations proclivity to play games and use facebook is rewiring their brains, but without any attempt at using critical thought, these older generation "journalists" will simply parrot studies, and worse parrot studies that confirm their bias and all too often misinterpret these studies, or just plain misquote or use an out of context quote to support their bias.

Nearly thirty years ago it was predicted that a "rising tide of mediocrity" was looming large and largely due to the failure of public education. There certainly does seem to be a failure of education and there has always been an alarming bastardization of lexicons that create a disturbing lack of understanding of words in general. However, complaining about it will not solve this problem. In the end, the best anyone of us can do is impose impossibly high standards upon ourselves, do our best to live up to those impossibly high standards and hope we can inspire others to do the same.

I never said I am nor do I wish to be a leader. I am simply making an observation. If I could fix the problem of idiotic posting with one singular post then this would be that post.

BUT since the problem is as complex as you have eloquently put it then obviously my responding post to the complexity can only touch on any given topic vaguely and not in complex detail as the subject matter would require a book to explain.

If you want to know what I, as an individual have done to contribute to the quality on here I suggest you have a look and bring up and threads you feel dont comply with my own standards.

In response to your comments about the younger generation, i'll say this.

The younger generation has more access to information now then any other generation before it. Just as it has access to feed and technology like no other before it. The level of choice and complexity has increased with time. But have they put that to anything constructive towards furthering the species as a whole or have they used it for self gratuitous ends. I say the latter...why?

Well look around and see the results of their choices.


Today is the result of all the choices you made yesterday and tomorrow will be what you want it to be today.

Thanks for reading the OP and replying with a cognitive post. This is what we need more of on ATS.

End of World" Imminent: This WARNING is very real

I was actually intrigued by this thread in the beginning, because it ties into something I am experiencing first hand. I even brought it up hoping some simple-minded individual would perhaps connect with me.''

Sadly, I spent alot of time last night watching members fight about who was more intelligent.
Sadly, I get back on tonight to see this thread on the front page 27 pages long.
Sadly, there might be something on that thread that I need to hear, but
sadly I am not going to waste my time

Sometimes simplicity is just too damn boring for some folks

way to GENERALIZE..

Originally posted by ILikeStars

The simple truth of that will be lost on most.

Originally posted by BiggerPicture
God's name in VAIN

over a mere few ATS threads that tick ya off

BLASPHEMY!

The real Blasphemy on here is that people such as yourself are too busy worrying about what god thinks to worry about whats really going on in the world.

Pull your heads out of that dark smelly place for a second and realize that you will never know what god wants you to do and for that matter how I treat god is between god and me and none of your business.

So please try to stay on topic.

reply to post by TiM3LoRd


Since I was a child I have been lectured by older generations - particularly when it comes to Constitutional issues - where clearly those lecturing me presumed the possessed a sophistication in education superior to those who wrote the Constitution, but when I would push that issue and ask these presumptive lecturers if they thought themselves better read than Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, or Benjamin Franklin, the vast majority were painfully hesitant to declare "yes" to that question.

The older generations have had far more access to information than the Founders of the United States did, and yet few are willing to declare themselves as better read than they. This I offer is merely anecdotal evidence, but it does appear that every generation comes with its fair share of stupidity.

Whether you want to be a leader or not, if you are willing to impose an impossibly high standard upon your own posts then this will be recognized by more and more, of this much I am certain.

reply to post by Jean Paul Zodeaux


Couldn't agree with you more. Stepped up and still climbing I am. Though comfortably retired with benifits and pension at age 37 I continue to be active in the community and still take a few classes each year at least. True, not impossible, though highly improbable, my vacant inference was more directed towards becoming president, and the odds of most people not following the president to become president themselves. More like a career path improbability, only being impossible for the other 300+ million people in America to hold the same position as their leader at the same time or relevantly close future.

As for the entire political spectrum and arena, their jobs rely upon most people not knowing all the facts and what ifs and whys surrounding policies. If this wasn't true there would be more information in the public domain, and far less secrets and classified information.

So another reason I say it is impossible to follow (comprehend) why our leaders do the things our leaders do is because of what happens behind closed doors, and the information our leaders are privy to, that we are not.

Originally posted by dalemcfad

End of World" Imminent: This WARNING is very real

I was actually intrigued by this thread in the beginning, because it ties into something I am experiencing first hand. I even brought it up hoping some simple-minded individual would perhaps connect with me.''

Sadly, I spent alot of time last night watching members fight about who was more intelligent.
Sadly, I get back on tonight to see this thread on the front page 27 pages long.
Sadly, there might be something on that thread that I need to hear, but
sadly I am not going to waste my time

Sometimes simplicity is just too damn boring for some folks

edit on 31-3-2012 by dalemcfad because: (no reason given)

Agreed, Couldn't have said it better myself. I awoke and did a quick glance back at earlier thread activity, and was amazed at the threads activity and what it turned into. The beginning of the initial thread was interesting about our Galactic cycle, then it all went down hill from there.

Reminds me of the Record Industry at times here. What sells is whats popular.

Originally posted by TiM3LoRd

"End of World" Imminent: This WARNING is very real.

Its not the thread itself that I have a problem with, I believe everybody has the right to their opinion and as such should have the right to speak it. What i do have a problem with is the lack of intelligence of the majority. Who are so busy trying to prove how intelligent and knowledgeable they are that they immediately take up sides and dont discuss the topic logically which turns the entire thread into a pointless diatribe of " is too" "is not".

to educate and not facilitate the ongoing dumbing down of the world.

Why are threads with intense discussion always shut down? I don't get it! As far as InterdimensionalWarrior's thread, I've very interested, because of what I've seen, but I guess I won't discuss it now.

Although I do believe global warming is not manmade.

reply to post by Jean Paul Zodeaux


There is definitely a rising tide of mediocrity with younger generations coupled with a rising tide of entitlement and self importance.

The future looks bleak when a group of 12 year old girls are brought to tears of joy for merely seeing the above mentioned mediocre, self important oxygen thief that is Kim Kardashian walk past them 50 metres away and then proclaim it is the greatest experience of their lives...

Unrelated to ATS I know, but there seems to be a similar (although not so extreme) trend here on ATS.

reply to post by Chadwickus

The future looks bleak when a group of 12 year old girls are brought to tears of joy for merely seeing the above mentioned mediocre, self important oxygen thief that is Kim Kardashian walk past them 50 metres away and then proclaim it is the greatest experience of their lives...

Marylin Monroe, Elvis, The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Rudolf Valentino, The Bowery Boys, and on and on and on, there have always been celebrities and their fans which is short for fanatic. Fanatics have been with us since time immemorial. Religions have been started by fanatics. It is not a phenomenon singular to modern times.

Originally posted by Chadwickus

There is definitely a rising tide of mediocrity with younger generations coupled with a rising tide of entitlement and self importance.

Glad to know I'm not the only one to notice this. And it is cultural, society wide. It's in big cities, and it's in small town heartland usa, too. I had an almost full time job at age 15 helping take care of elders and developmentally disabled children and adults. I worked hard all my life till recently after retirement out of the air force after being too close to stuff that went boom in some big sandbox. Kids these days are far more disrespectful and degrading to adults than my generation was, but then again the same was said for my generation as well. I was born in 71. That was a whole different planet back then.

Originally posted by Jean Paul Zodeaux
reply to post by Chadwickus

 

The future looks bleak when a group of 12 year old girls are brought to tears of joy for merely seeing the above mentioned mediocre, self important oxygen thief that is Kim Kardashian walk past them 50 metres away and then proclaim it is the greatest experience of their lives...

Marylin Monroe, Elvis, The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Rudolf Valentino, The Bowery Boys, and on and on and on, there have always been celebrities and their fans which is short for fanatic. Fanatics have been with us since time immemorial. Religions have been started by fanatics. It is not a phenomenon singular to modern times.

By no means is it a modern phenomenon but it's polarization and number of fanatics has grown larger. And we didn't gave the kind of connectivity we have today with Facebook twitter and other forms of social media used to influence the minds of the weak.

The kids of the 70s 70s &90s only had TV and radio to tell them how to be cool. regardless as I said before the middle ground is disappearing. We are losing Balance and fast. Take that how you will.

Double post

I think I understand what ATS stands for a lot of people on here, it stands for " that website I go to when I'm bored and want to feel like I'm engaging in 'meaningful debate' ".

When all they're engaging in is a repetition of their own ideas and thoughts over and over and over.............without change, until someone gives in or another gives out and everybody is entertained.

There are exceptions of course, but I've been able to recognize the exceptions

From my own observation I think the current state of ATS is caused by something more than idiocy. It's fear. Or at least a closely related emotion. Look at many of the recent most popular threads. They are those that predict an imminent change throughout the world. I've tried to figure out why 2012 threads get so much attention when the claims behind them are false. The overwhelming majority have said that it's because they don't actually believe in the claims but because they promise change. In the past I have claimed that people were using ATS as a form of escapism, but it's more than that. They are using it as a means to change their very perception of reality. ATS hasn't entered the Idiotic Plane. It has entered the Plane of Willful Ignorance.

The notable exception to all of this are the Trayvon/Zimmerman threads. I still can't come up with an explanation for those. Unless of course ATS members are sheeple to the mainstream media just like they are to the alternative media.