ATS is finished!

That's right. I said it, and I believe it.

I've been a long time lurker of this forum, back from close to a decade ago.

I've seen a change. A drastic, total change.

I should say i'm slightly biased. I found interest in this forum through cryptozoology, ghosts, the strange, the unexplained. These topics were my main points. Government conspiracies of course are interesting too. This modern ATS has jumped the shark, and i'll explain why, or at least attempt to.

With the advent of this new awakening, this movement of people who have realized things in his world may not be what they seem in masses, these people flock to the largest forum of that kind, ATS.

You know what the real issue here is? I'll tell you, in my eyes;

*The avocation of fear mongering, and to a lesser extent, ego boosting. *

This, in relation to stars and flags, is ruining this forum.

You have *x* number of posters, lets call them the "5%", constantly refreshing media sources and then posting these news stories/links to gain stars and flags.

We, the so called enlightened, flock to these threads and throw down the stars and flags to benefit....what exactly?

These threads, these topics with a hundred stars and flags always amount to nothing in the grand scheme of things. Every time a new news story hits, true, false, regardless, it's ego boosting and argument with little validity. It aids nobody, it adds nothing.

I don't get it. We should all know MSM is falsehood. We should all know that we have to take even independent media with a grain or two of salt. But no, we flock to these threads because we flock to argumentation. Not independent thinking, not logic, but argument for argument's sake.

We, the enlightened, take sides and argue moot points/stances/trained thoughts simply because we can, and we do.

USA this, Israel that, Iran this, Russia that, China this, Japan that. You do, of course, understand that this is all BS, right? You do understand, that we are playing into their hands, right? You do understand, that we are, in a sense, no different that them, right?

When the educated and enlightened turn to enlisting and arguing over the same issues, and might I add, very possibly false issues and arguments that "they", the powers we are so brazenly fighting against, it begs the question why exactly we are doing this, doesn't it?

You know, this forum was about thinking outside the realm, about thinking for ourselves.

It has become, in the majority, a forum for fighting against each other the same topics and sides that the rest of the "sheeple" partake in. The distinction is that we press a bit more into the issues and topics, but really, we seem to be the fringe attempting to, by our own or outside influences, the fringe becoming the mainstream we claim so valiantly to fight against.

So, in closing, at this point in time, ask youself why you frequent this board, why you might star and flag, why you might agree or disagree with a post. Ask yourself if you are not being led to a point you never intended to be led to. Ask yourself if you are the same person at heart as when you started visiting, and ask yourself if you've been fooled.

As a wise man once said....."Be the change you want to see".

CX.

Felt like a mental beat up...ATS has just begun

Just for that...... you don't get a S+F from me

Seriously, ATS has helped me a lot to gain a clearer perspective regarding conspiracies of all sorts.

I won't be too quick to judge any situation that comes to shine in the future...... lessons learned, thanks to ATS.... after all, it's just a tool...... how you use it is up to the individual.

ATS way way way back in the day was a general conspiracy site. It's now, and has been for years, primarily pop-politics.

I don't mean that as a 'dis', it is what it is.

Regardless - where else on the internet can you find such a huge audience to climb on your soap box (whatever it is) with little censorship?

Really - as the other poster said: Be the change you want to be. Raise your own bar. Don't beat down, build up.

With the MASS of info 'out there'? At least here it's a bit easier to rake through the crap to find the pearls than anywhere I've found to date.

peace

reply to post by FrostForests

constantly refreshing media sources and then posting these news stories/links to gain stars and flags.

Or to get others to begin digging for the truth of it. Thats why I come here. Once I have been dis-informed by all the TV MSM, I come here and see what a thread about the subject has developed into. In there I will find a nugget of truth. You may have to pan a while to get the nuggets.

These threads, these topics with a hundred stars and flags always amount to nothing in the grand scheme of things. Every time a new news story hits, true, false, regardless, it's ego boosting and argument with little validity. It aids nobody, it adds nothing.

Yah, its not supposed to be a breaking news site. But every subject has been discussed several times (with reminders). The site has evolved with lots of new members and adapted to bringing current trends in events. Young people who are waking up and exploring, some for the first time. Now its time maybe to return the favor and share the knowledge we have received, to give back to the site and help others?

I agree wholeheartedly that ATS was a great tool for learning, for enlightenment. I do of course use the term was, as I see ATS as a whole in a utter stalemate.

I've learned TONS from this forum over the years. It's opened my eyes on a variety of topics and thought processes. It's been an essential tool in my personal, logical, philosophical growth.

But what it is now, is not what it was, what I once considered a valid aid.

With the constant and continuous growth of awakening within our minds and our world, we get backlash, and not in the most obvious "No, these people are crazy for thinking outside the box" sense.

We get those who never got their hooks into the mouths of others on other forums, to attempt such here. This is the issue. We have an influx of mainstream thinkers invading this forum for their own amusement and argumentative masturbation.

On that note, i'm glad to see many members find Sublimecraft's recent posts interesting...this is what ATS was once for, not modern political flash in the pan back and forth BS.

A member much wiser that I once said, "this place forces people to grow up and challenge their deeply held beliefs". I agree.

I'm sory you haven't had a positive experience from the community.

Just remember that growing pains often come out in a negative form before realization.

Periodically a wave of new members come on board and the place seems to go to poo, but it seems to balance out for a bit before the next cycle starts.

As the poster said
"With the advent of this new awakening, this movement of people who have realized things in his world may not be what they seem in masses, these people flock to the largest forum of that kind, ATS."

A.T.S. has become a victim of it's own success, it has grown to the size now where people see it as a useful platform, they use it to reinforce their own agenda and the search for the truth goes out the window.

Instead of blaming each other for the state of the world we should all be united against such N.W.O. plans as Agenda 21, but the important issues always get buried by people who would prefer that things like that are not discussed.

Somehow I agree with the op. Too many stupid threads about crap you can find on tv or any newspaper. I became a member of ATS because I wanted to escape from the sheeple.

I'm off to bed soon enough, but I want to throw this out, I appreciate all comments on the subject which I have posted.

I don't want stars and flags, even though it may seem as I might with my soapbox rant against those who constantly receive them.

I just want discussion on the current status of this site, and I appreciate any and all comments in every sense, be it you agree, disagree, what have you, just as we can have some communication on this subject.

I don't hate ATS at all, but currently, I enjoy it far less than I used to because of said opinions and trends. I guess I just want some feedback on if i'm alone or not on these feelings.

reply to post by FrostForests


I can see your point of view. On the other hand, I see the progression of ATS in a different way. Just as a child is born, so was ATS. Using the old Art Bell show from 15 or more years ago as an example, so was the same genre in the birth of ATS.

Like a child, ATS grew, both in content, and members. With growth, came growing pains. More minds merging in an ever ebb and flow of ideas, concepts, coalescing, then expanding into new arenas. It's called growth.

To expect ATS to remain the same as it was at birth, is no different than stunting the growth of a child. It would have only led to stagnation.

I see ATS becoming more in touch with a larger membership, yet still having it's roots, deeply planted in what ATS was in the beginning. A cross-over in a sense. A larger vessel to carry more of us, on our collective journey.

Des

Originally posted by abdel
they use it to reinforce their own agenda and the search for the truth goes out the window.

The truth reveals itself in mysterious ways.

reply to post by FrostForests


I'll have to dig it up, but moderator Maxmars wrote a thread several years back about the stages of the journey though ATS - and it was very enlightening.

Yes, ATS changes, but so do we, as readers. When we first get here, we're like kids in a candy store. Let some time pass and we get kind of sick of eating so much candy - is the basic gist of it. I mean the first "UFO OVER TOLEDO" thread is new and shiny to us... the fiftieth, not so much.

The way I deal with it is to open up threads that have NO interest to me. Often I find myself totally enthralled in them and am happy I did so.

Just some thoughts. And if you're interested, I'll dig it out and link the aforementioned Maxmars thread.

~Heff

You know I do look for new interesting topics to discuss with like minded people. I thought that's what this site was about.

When I do make the mistake of starting a thread about something that was already posted there are always several members who jump my ass. Plus at least one mod comes along who tries to convince me that the search function is my friend which is just one more lie!

I like ATS. I like the discussions the debates and the nonsense. It's a break from the real world or a break from the fake world.

What pisses me off to no end are self righteous pricks who don't have anything better to do with their time than bitch about how all the other new members are ruining the site. (No offense)

I think this may have had a lot to do with the change here. I haven't been here very long,but I think there is too much of a combative feel to it at times. I like to see polite,passionate debates,but it looks like there are things besides Denying Ignorance going on.

All that aside,I don't think I have not clicked on this site at least once a day since I joined up!
The Breaking News is the best there is. Some great contributers here.

Obama Information Czar Outlined Plan For Government To Infiltrate Conspiracy Groups

New revelations highlight the fact that the Obama administration is deliberately targeting “conspiracy groups” as part of a Cointelpro style effort to silence what have become the government’s most vociferous and influential critics.

www.prisonplanet.com...

reply to post by On the Edge


That policy actually predates the current administration - a few years back the military created Cybercommand to take some of the pressure off of the NSA and FBI.

~Heff

reply to post by Hefficide

The way I deal with it is to open up threads that have NO interest to me. Often I find myself totally enthralled in them and am happy I did so.

Wow that's a novel approach To me anyways Then again I hardly create threads at all. I am more of a random contributor. Props to that approach though! That's one way to deal with it, and in context to this thread topic i'd say a rather good one.

For those interested I found the link to what I feel is a brilliant thread on this subject, as previously promised.

~Heff