Members of AboveTopSecret.com: I'm Sad… And Maybe You Are Too…

khnum
I am relatively new here perhaps I can offer a different perspective,you have on your site about the last vestiges of intelligent life left on the internet,there are websites where you will be banned if you are not liberal or banned if you are not conservative,heck theres one competitor of yours that bans entire service providers if one person on that network offends his sensabilities.

Then there are the endless trolls who wait to launch into attack and poo poo anyone who is not conforming to their perceptions,I have given up elsewhere on financial posts as they are duly ignored the fed has pumped 27 trillion into Wall Street since 2008 but no one cares but if you start a thread titled I just peed my pants ask me a question you'll get pages of replies.

Yes the world is getting stupider personally I think Steve Jobs the second greatest contributor to human stupidity since Mr Baird,education levels are falling and people are now occupied with mindless entrtainment,moral standards are falling etc and some of that will rub of here...but compared to elsewhere your not necessarily doing to badly.

Merry Christmas

...
Yep, then the powers that be make ats shut down the fed threads.! 100 years and they can't do us right. However, end times would look like this!! unexplainable bullcrap goin' on. We have no excuse for not knowing we're witnessing the endtimes.

There's a word that comes to mind for me after reading the OP.

I think Benjamin Franklin said it well.

"Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place,
But far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment"

That word is prudence and it can go a long way.

I'm also a brand new member, joined last month, never visited the site prior to my adherence. I have no idea how things used to be. I can only comment on what I've seen. So take my words with a handful of salt.

Aside from interest in fringe topics, the main reason why I joined this forum is...civility. Glancing over the threads, I saw a myriad of colorful people discussing a myriad of colorful subjects, showing a myriad of opposing viewpoints. Like a huge brainstorm of ideas, trying to make sense of the world. And best of all, under an atmosphere of respect. I saw no "party line", no double standard, no unwritten law about which thoughts are acceptable. Freedom. I was charmed.

Either I'm crazy or the internet has become a very, very hostile place. A toxic, unbearable place. Most websites are now like mini-police states, existing only to promote a specific idea and showing no tolerance. Far worse still, is the behavior of the users. Everywhere you go, you find hate. Every other forum, blog, article, social media...overrun by insults and uncivility. You cannot have a normal conversation. You cannot exchange ideas. You cannot communicate. People won't listen to you. People are only here to hate. To sate themselves. They get a sexual thrill out of bullying and hurting other human beings. Satisfaction. I feel that's the main purpose of the internet today. An endless source of sadistic pleasure. And everyone seems OK with that. I can't stand it. I avoid it like the plague.

When I first laid eyes on this forum, I saw shelter. I saw a place to socialize and discuss freely. Civility...relative online civility...so rare. Flaming contests do happen, but they are not omnipresent. You can express an unpopular opinion without having the whole forum gang up on you for giggles. New members can speak without being belittled by older users. Here, skeptics merely debunk and find counter-arguments, they don't try to find out your real name so they can follow you to your job and ruin your professional life. Seriously, this forum is peaceful. Places so peaceful are rare this day.

And then I hear about how things used to be, how they've changed for the worse. I'm a bit puzzled. If things are pretty good now, then how was it back then? How quickly did things degrade? Did I join too late?

I feel this site has quite an unique dynamic, and I'd hate to see it become like the rest of the internet. I came here specifically because it wasn't like that. This place still has decency. Please cherish it. Don't let it slip away...

reply to post by rickymouse


humour doesn't really transfer very well online, especially sarcasm and irony. I've definitely offended one or two, with what I thought was a well thought out dry witted response.

I remember when ATS was a scattered hodge podge of ideas and stories but exceedingly difficult to navigate. It morphed into a well oiled machine although I do remember plenty a thread that was quite divisive, granted there does appear to be a peak over the past few years.

There also seems to be trends where spirituality threads become dominate, then a few weeks later its UFO's trending then on to politics an so forth. There have been good threads here that speak to how the moon influences our mood. It would be interesting to grid out emotionally charged topics and how it correlates to the lunar cycle. Hmmm...

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


Well, I'm not sad.

And here's why; I keep my nose out of the pig swill. I've been here long enough to be able to spot those threads a mile away and make a conscious decision not to get involved. What makes me laugh is when I see people complain, people who should know better, about an issue that they could have completely avoided in the first place.

I think the fine members of ATS need to self police. Don't entertain the idiots and the bigots, use the functions that this site provides (ALERT) and move on to a subject that is more worthy of your time. After all, never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

ATS was a wonderful place and any wounds we have suffered have been purely self-inflicted. Time to heal?

Time to kick some ass.

Merry Christmas, you beautiful swines!

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


Right now, sadness is a luxery I can't afford. I'm to busy being petrified at
where we're all headed as a people of the United States. But if I read a
thread whereby an owner/member challenges the members here-in ?
Then I respect that before anything else with-in the confines of this
closed system.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


WOW, TY, I have been thinking the same thing, a Christmas truce,

Merry Christmas.

I think the problem lies in the breakdown in dialog.

di·a·logue
ˈdīəˌläg,-ˌlôg/
noun
noun: dialog

1.
conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or movie.


verb
verb: dialog

1.
take part in a conversation or discussion to resolve a problem.

Obviously going with the verb definition here. Everywhere people are talking but they aren't listening to other voices. No conversation can really take place, problems will not be resolved, unless all parties are listening to each other. THAT imo is easily fixable at the personal level. Agreement is not necessary but one has to see other sides or dialog fails.

reply to post by Thecakeisalie

People are being polarized to one side or another,

I believe in my heart that people have more in common than they realize.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


This is well written and comes from the heart.............I'm in.

I"m in.

Second.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


Well said Bill. Some people have ego problems, that's all.

Just seeing this thread. I wish I'd seen it a few days ago - I would have kept it in mind in my postings over the past few days.

SkepticOverlord
I know that feeling is fading for some, and for others, it's gone.

I've been away for a few months. For this very reason. Something made me check the board the other day, just to see what's going on at ATS. Like I said, I wish I'd seen this thread then.

I remember this:

SkepticOverlord
Here on ATS, we generally enjoyed a nice run where all held a diversity of opinions, theology, and world-views with a minimum of intense clashes. We were among the precious few who were informed enough to realize the manufactured nature of the public discontent.

Oh! Loved it! ATS was my FAMILY! We disagreed and were respectful! I wish the newer members could have experienced that, too!

SkepticOverlord
It seems every week, new intensely divisive topics emerge in the public narrative. And entrenched opinion-makers on each of the polarized "sides" of the issue fan the self-serving flames with intentionally provocative rhetoric, lies, distortion, and bastardized ideologies.

Yeah. That's why I made myself scarce and will probably do so again soon.

If you're a sad dreamer, I am, too.

Thanks for the thread! Excellent!

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


I believe there is hope for the world and for ATS......

It really should not be difficult to have diverse opinions and still be able to debate them:

Treat others the way you want to be treated.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


All I can say, SO, is "Here, Here".

I hope we all can find it within ourselves to set aside those things that divide us.

I know there is hope, because I am still able to engage in intelligent discourse, one on one. Where that is possible, it is possible to expand it to a community. It just requires open hearts, open minds and open ears, because you must hear what the other person says, not just speak your piece.

Here is hoping we can all be open to a peaceful week.

BT

khnum


Then there are the endless trolls who wait to launch into attack and poo poo anyone who is not conforming to their perceptions,

I have given up elsewhere on financial posts as they are duly ignored the fed has pumped 27 trillion into Wall Street since 2008 but no one cares

but if you start a thread titled I just peed my pants ask me a question you'll get pages of replies.



Merry Christmas

i was warning friends & aquaintances for 32 years, in places i lived from DC , NC, SC, FL, AZ,,, that a "new Pearl Harbor " event by Arabs crashing aircrafts into the WTC & Pentagon would happen one day

there are one or two members of ATS who read my posts regarding the monetary/currency/gold & PM=banker schemes under way- & in the open -

we (myself included) continue to buy expensive ISP service, continue to pay outrageous fees to bloated corporations...and keep awaiting the anticipated customer rejection of those bloated prices but the extreme deflation i keep hoping for will never materialize because the masses will still spend their last $20 bill on digital connectivity rather than build up a pantry or accrue a stash of barter goods...
[[i guess my own worldview can be deemed a 'Alice in Wonderland' fantasy and that the anti-gun & progressive liberal 'wonderland' is a more realistic model to embrace for a fruitful life...]]





here is a interesting link....See what word was coined in your year of birth

my word is TV...yep Television


find your own word first used in the year of your birth .. here...
blog.oxforddictionaries.com...


the search box is not complicated


enjoy

Hey Skeptic,

I see what you're asking for. It's not unlike the Christmas Truce of WWI. But, while I applaud such a request and will honor it the best I can, what you're asking for is to bring the general contributor population up to the debating standards of something like the Wiley College debate team from the movie "The Great Debaters" with Denzel Washington. If everyone had the mental fortitude and agility to debate from either side of an issue dispassionately then I'm afraid ATS would be a completely different site and, granted, the world would no doubt be a better place. I get the distinct impression most, if not all of the original cast of ATS were once debaters in school.

Life should be lived passionately but one only progresses if the mind is open when debating. As I said in one recent post I offer that opportunity to everyone that engages me - for them to learn as well as teach me. But one must occasionally take a break now and then for reflection.

Merry Christmas to all!

I've been a member since 2004. I too have noticed a more nastier and divisive attitude that's slanted more on political leanings. The lighter-hearted intellectual, non-judgemental debates, which initially drew me to ATS in the first place, are all but gone. I have an idea why this is occurring, but will decline to say why, as to avoid a pissing match with some members who seem to be quick to ridicule and trash, and perpetuate this trend.

A smart person once said to me, "Tolerance is too meager a word. We should embrace those who are different from ourselves. They are the spice of life."

So in light of this, and the OP's request, embrace someone with religious beliefs different than yours this week. That embrace can be literal or figurative. But let it come from the heart.

It will make them feel good. But you'll be surprised how good it makes you feel!

Like the Grinch your heart will grow at least three sizes that day.