Has ATS confirmed your suspicions about "conspiracies" or debunked them?

I found ATS after watching loose change the 9/11 conspiracy film which I fell for hook line and sinker but after a while and after reading many well presented informative threads I realised that I do believe Islamic terrorists did do that evil act and the only conspiracy was that the US Government tried to hide their incompetence in trying to stop things like that.

I honestly believed that Aliens were visiting us and the Governments knew about it, but now I just think no one knows the truth but it is sure entertaining to wonder about alien life whether they are here or not.

I used to think that man has not been to the moon but again I now think (thanks ATS members) that we have been.

One thing it has made me believe is Bigfoots I didn't before ATS but know I think the big guys are out there

I still think the war on terror isn't what it seems and it is to do with global markets not actually terrorists.
I think I used to be ignorant for falling for things on hear say and rumour but now I have denied ignorance because ATS members have shown me evidence which has helped make up my mind using my own intelligence (what little I have).
But today I thought have I gone against what ATS stands for? Has the facts presented to me (on ATS) made me into a guy who actually agrees with all the de bunkers?...I don't know .

I would like to hear all your thoughts on this, have you changed your minds either way?
Oh and thanks ATS members you have helped me become the guy Iam today.
BM xxx

I'd just like to jump in here and point out that "the debunkers" aren't actually something that we should despise and I really hope for the day where we once and for all get away from the Us vs them mentality too. It's a very frustrating thing for me to be honest and some people make them, debunkers, out to be these god-awful paid shills or just flat out close-minded fools - And of course nothing further from the truth. It's just madness to think so, in my humble opinion. Personally I do consider myself a conspiracy theorist and I find all of these topics absolutely fascinating at the same time, some more than others, yet I completely support those who routinely debunk and I do my best to debunk something when possible as well, as we all should.

See, one thing that really does bug me, and unfortunately there's many of them here on ATS, is those people that believe in something simply because they want it to be true. A kind of behavior none of us want to admit to yet one we all have fallen for at some point or another. It's the behavior of following without questioning, something most would call another person a sheep for. I see it all the time especially in the JFK case and also in particular the 9/11 case too and quite frankly it angers me and It's that kind of behavior that causes every single one of us to continue fighting for the truth as It's those individuals, as opposed to the debunkers, that are constantly muddying the water, sometimes even to the point of no return. With debunkers at least we have some healthy skepticism, we remove the nonsense as much as possible and something isn't just believed out of us wanting it to be true, instead something is believed because the facts make it so.

Sure, you're always going to have people who believe wholly in something and you're always going to have people completely reject something too.. That's the nature of the world we currently occupy and that's not exactly what I'm talking about here either. The real researchers here in the world of conspiracy are people who'll most likely be given the title of debunker by his peers. The sooner that war can end, the better and more likely we'll be to working together and learning something here. Not bickering over who's paid, who's close-minded, who's doing this or that and so on.

Long live those who debunk and in turn remove the crap from our favourite topics.

Well a bit of both. I think that the iraq war was still to do with oil and drugs . 911 was an inside job. I think aliens are real but i don't believe the underground reptillion base theories. Ancient technologically advanced races were real. But then again i had quite a few amateur boxing fights, So i guess my brain dissolved years ago...One thing is certain, Ats has some real nice people here

reply to post by Rising Against


I agree, Iam not trying to dis people either way my point is that I used to be a big conspiracy nut but now thanks to the ATS membership I have changed my views on many subjects.
But considering ATS is viewed as a conspiracy website I feel a little dirty because the conspiracies I used to believe and those that drew me to ATS in the first place I no longer believe in.
If you get my drift

reply to post by boymonkey74


Oh I know, when I started writing I assumed the usual would happen and a few people would sneak their posts in before I was done. This time though I won the race.

It was a point worth making either way though, I mean what I said and I've been toying with the idea of starting a new thread on the subject too as I want to get these thoughts off my chest as It's an important thing and something that affects each and every single person posting here to some degree or another. I fully support those who become more of a debunker and a skeptic. I truly believe It's the forward progression and I know I've certainly become more skeptical and It's because of that I've become a much more rational person as a whole as well as someone who's that bit more thorough in his research and when checking stuff.

reply to post by Rising Against


ATS has made me a whole less gullible also

Dude.

After being a member here on ATS, I seemed to have learned more about conspiracy theory not so much from threads, or information presented, but by members posts regarding information in threads.

I began to see how the division works, how peoples stances can change day to day and even the most hard core conspiracies can easily be wiped away but just a few choice words written in a particular way.

For me members of forums began to be what I think conspiracy is all about

Peace, NRE.

Strangely i'm essentially right where I was when I joined in March of '11.

Still no belief in religion or biological aliens visiting.

My perspective on 9/11 is still that it was an international conspiracy due to all the war that came after from all the factions.

I knew most of what I know now, yet retain an open mind.

What I learned from ATS was more based around YOUR people's methods of rationalization of the same events

I'm a new guy so I'm still learning.

For the most part I visit ATS for entertainment. In my short time as a member I have learned a few things. One thing I've always suspected which has been confirmed is people are freaking nuts!

It's a great place to dig into some topics where the msm barely scratches the surface if they even cover the story.

My biggest complaint with the "debunkers" is the way some members routinely attempt to debunk the ufo / alien threads. Some people refuse to believe there are aliens or ufos ,which is okay, but why criticize or ridicule every thread on the topic? It's like they've decided before they even view the evidence.

To answer your question I think it's about 50/50.

It's been fun so far.

Confirmed. There are conspiracies that even get put up on the board, and some of the most fringe ones are real as well.

reply to post by boymonkey74


To be honest... I think I come here more to watch the picking apart of the news. How else can you get all the real sides of the story? If you follow any one news channel, you may not get the real deal. At least here, people pick everything apart and argue the points, be it conspiracy or just daily news.

It has, however, brought more light on conspiracy topics that I was curious about. So i would say, it would have confirmed more than anything else.

good thread

ATS has shown me that what i thought were ufo's, are'nt. Through discussion, debate, analysis and scrutiny of the evidence, we've seen that real ufo's are very very rare. Before i joined ATS i thought there were a lot more ET craft than there actually are, if any. Lately im leaning more to the extra-dimensional theory because of what ive learned on ATS.
ive also learned a couple of new words here, "perodolia" being one and "progeria" the other

reply to post by SecretKnowledge

ive also learned a couple of new words here

I've learned that there are many good words that aren't allowed here!

(Which is probably a good thing I guess.)

reply to post by boymonkey74


RE the moon landing: I believe we went. But I believe that the extent of moon missions goes far beyond what we are informed of. The payload registers for some of the space shuttle missions lists amounts of items that would have to go well beyond what would be used by a half dozen people. And the exitstence of SeaLaunch, and vehicles like Aquila may indicate that the need for heavy lift was far, far greater than the public was aware of. Combine this with my own families experiences while living in Kwajalein in the late 60's.....

I also think, as an aside, it may be possible that the Apollo images didn't portray the actual moon landing, or a deeply edited version of it. The images make the moon look like marshmallow on the horizon. No real distant features, etc.

RE: 9-11....i have no idea. I just know it spun off a series of actions in America that have destroyed my nation.

RE: aliens.....I have no idea. UFO's are obviously there. What is behind it? I think our government knows far more than it wants to let on. I think they may have enough information to identify features of the UFO and what is behind it.

RE: hiding ancient history....most sciences are very closed minded. That is obvious. Perhaps it is best....but sometimes it goes too far. Regardless, science and politics doesn't hide our ancient history. The Vatican may, but that is another story. I think our ancient history is hidden, mostly, by the oceans. We have thousands of miles of submerged coastlines. Seek and ye shall find.

RE: the secret government...it has since become obvious that the secret government is made up of intelligence agencies steered by financial powers. What has horrified me is the realization of what the world really is, and what my nations role in this world has been.

reply to post by SecretKnowledge


I had to google them learn something new everyday and it is a good day

I came here initially because one of my longest standing friends (35 years and counting) told me there were people who didn't think 9/11 was as stated in the MSM - so I had to come here and check it out. That was about 2003.

"Real Life" interrupted, and I spent a good deal of time outside ATS preoccupied with my own life and it's trials and tribulations until those issues were at least resolved to the point I could function again.

What I've found over the years is that ATS is an excellent place to keep abreast of news, both mainstream and alternative, far in advance of reporting available on the TV or cable and far in excess of what "Mom&Pop" Americans were exposed to. Invariable (and inevitably) ATS reports news far earlier than it appears in the mainstream mead (or lame-stream media if one prefers). ATS has given me numerous sources for information I haven't had at my disposal previously- without spending countless hours searching and researching sources and stories. Nees breaks here at least a few days (sometimes weeks, sometimes never) before the "common people' get the (typically) watered-down story from the boob tub or the print media.

Neither my suspicions about conspiracies nor debunking of conspiracies are confirmed or denied here - but what I value most is the INFORMATION and the DISCUSSION of these events. Sometimes suspicions are confirmed, other times debunked. In the every day usage of ATS I find useful information and useful opinion which I can decide for myself is credible - this is an extremely valuable tool for me and greatly influences my outlook on society, government and public opinion. Public opinion is one of my main interests - the shaping of it, the dissemination of it, the acceptance of it... call it "anti-disinformation" if you will.

I've been exposed to vast areas of information hitherto unknown to me, I've been exposed to the fringe element and the mainstream catechism of thought. I've found many kindred spirits and many shills, disinformers and hawkers of pure B.S. But in todo, I find ATS a valuable resource for intellectual pursuits.

But I'm not generally a BELIEVER, I can't propound the idea of alien presence and intervention on Earth - but I can accept it as a viable POSSIBILITY. ATS has OPENED my mind to POSSIBILITIES - yet I'm caught short when it comes to believing in something or ascribing to or identifying with certain beliefs. No matter.

"I don't want to change your mind - only how you use it" is my signature line. ATS has allowed me to spread the simple message Thomas Watson promoted as CEO of IBM - "THINK". Engage your brain, Engage your intelligence. Interact with the world. Deny ignorance. Promote cognitive processes. This is what ATS has meant to me over the past decade.

ganjoa

reply to post by boymonkey74


Without ATS I would never have known how the news is being so manipulated by the MSM. But, what this site has done is it made me real comfortable in my skin as an atheist. This is where I first heard of people like Hitchins, Dawkins and Harris. It's one thing to believe there is no biblical desert god, quite another to KNOW there is no biblical desert god.

reply to post by boymonkey74


I guess it depends on the particular conspiracy involved. It was not a suprise to me that something like PRISM existed, indeed, it is the logical conclusion when you take into account the rise of technology and the geopolitical situation in which we find ourselves at this time (although it is no less draconian and unacceptable for all that).

I happen to think that the War on Terror is at least 80% an excuse to bugger about with the world on several levels at once, as evidenced by the total lie that took us to war in Iraq, and that things have been done and said in the name of my people which thoroughly disgust me, things for which there must, at some point, be a reckoning.

My veiw on aliens and so forth has not really changed, in that although there is a significant amount of eye witness testimony, there has never been conclusive and iron clad evidence, bought before the public, which proves thier existence. However, it has also to be said, that with every new exoplanet discovery, and every discovery of a new extremophile lifeform (that is lifeforms which exist in habitats so harsh as to previously be considered anathemic to life itself) , the percentage likelihood that alien life WILL be discovered, goes up. Until it is though, I will remain squarely undecided, which until proofs of quality are produced, is, I feel, the only legitimate position to take.

ATS has offered me a place to discuss my interests with other interested parties, and for that I could not be more grateful. Also, as a place to view content from leading researchers, in the form of news articles, it is unparalleled by any other website or news feed I have ever encountered. However, I do not believe that ATS has changed my mind, confirmed suspicions, or denied them for me. What it has done, is allowed me to refine my critical thinking skills, understand the context of the stories I read and the thoughts I think, and allows me to read between the lines, by superimposing one set of reportage on a given topic, onto another, and seeing where the gaps and differences are. For me, it is a place of learning, rather than confirmation or denial.

reply to post by Rising Against

I'd just like to jump in here and point out that "the debunkers" aren't actually something that we should despise and I really hope for the day where we once and for all get away from the Us vs them mentality too. It's a very frustrating thing for me to be honest and some people make them, debunkers, out to be these god-awful paid shills or just flat out close-minded fools - And of course nothing further from the truth. It's just madness to think so, in my humble opinion.

I think that some of these labels are used interchangeably, and maybe shouldn't.

To me, a "debunker" is someone who approaches a case with a pre-determined mindset of proving it isn't true. Therefore, they only show evidence supporting their stance, and seize on every possibility as though it were fact. These folks, are nothing but a disruption to the genre.

A "skeptic" on the other hand, is willing to follow the evidence where it goes, and formulate a logical opinion, holding that "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence". These folks are sorely needed, and in abundance here on ATS.

"Believers" on the other hand, are the opposite end of debunkers. They go into a case wanting to believe, so they only pay attention to the evidence supporting their stance as well.

For me, ATS has confirmed some suspicions, while debunking others. Heck, even my own research has done that. Some examples. When checking into Roswell, I fully expected to be able to prove the Mogul explanation. I was very surprised by the evidence (mostly the Government's own actions), and simply can't make that explanation stick. Conversely, when investigating the Martel case, I fully expected a UFO would emerge as the likely candidate for him going down. But, the evidence really points to a misidentified Skyhook balloon.