Looks like the mods are back,

When the database crashed and people starting posting nonsense it was sort of fascinating to see what happened after 20+ years of fairly strict rules.

Things quickly spiraled from fascinating to very ugly and personal. It was sad to read. Removing that stuff is not censorship, it's people caring about this community.

originally posted by: JohnMarsriver
a reply to: DBCowboy

Apparently the entire purpose of this site is to censor reality.

Yet it still creeps beneath the surface…

If people are exposed to true reality, there’s a better chance they will learn something, IMO.

If you think people endlessly insulting each other with no one there to step in and make them calm down and get back on topic, and endless poopoo peepee language and sh1t0sting and porno links, is actually better, then again: you belong on 4chan, not an actual discussion forum.

During the chaos there were only a few people trying to post decent content. The rest were either trolling or making 973 Introduction posts about "What happened to ATS/ what's going on" and all of those posts had trolls in them too.

That is most certainly, NOT an improvement, and you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who agrees with you.
Without mods the immature morons overrun and shout down and ruin any intelligent content.
So just go to 4chan, dude. You want silly memes and profanity and insults, just go there. You can!

a reply to: JohnMarsriver

"Conceited"?!!!

Yeah, I dismiss potty mouthed anonymous racist sexist hate spewing idiots.

If they pulled that stuff in real life, which they would be too cowardly to do, they'd get what's coming to them.

Here, they signed up for the site's T&Cs.

End of.

a reply to: DBCowboy

The Ts and Cs here weren’t/aren’t very stifling to me.

It’s a bit more effort to be polite😜 than rude.

But there’s not a lot of subject matter on this site that catches my interest, and the headlines on the main page usually annoy me and I don’t bother reading them.

Typical right wing conspiracy propaganda and cliques it seems dominates…

a reply to: JohnMarsriver

Not from me, I m an evil leftie Dem, Commie, Marxist radical Socialist.

Apparently.

a reply to: SprocketUK

I disagree. Everybody is secretly a pervert, and holding up a mirror to that is warranted.

originally posted by: JohnMarsriver
a reply to: SprocketUK

I disagree. Everybody is secretly a pervert, and holding up a mirror to that is warranted.

You may be right. There are many other sites where that can be expressed and celebrated. This isn't one of them.

a reply to: TheValeyard

Nobody ever agrees with me. But I still think I’m a lot closer to truth than anybody here. Maybe I’m even more conceited than carpy.

originally posted by: Oldcarpy2
a reply to: JohnMarsriver

Not from me, I m an evil leftie Dem, Commie, Marxist radical Socialist.

Apparently.

Finally!

Admitting it is the first step.

a reply to: Djarums

It may not be something to be celebrated in one’s old age.

a reply to: DBCowboy

Da, Comrade!

"Down with....this sort of thing...."

originally posted by: Oldcarpy2
a reply to: DBCowboy

Da, Comrade!

"Down with....this sort of thing...."

originally posted by: JohnMarsriver
a reply to: DBCowboy

My point is censorship is worse than no censorship.

I thought the situation was more indicative of reality.

Now it’s back to la la land.

If we lived in a perfect world where adults acted in a responsible, mature way (you know, like adults), that'd be true. Unfortunately, there are a lot of anal orifices in the mix.

Your reasoning is exactly like the defund the police crowd who think that because some cops are rogue we need to get rid of all of them and let lawlessness run amuck. That's all fine for them, until they get robbed or assaulted; then they are the ones bitching about how those same police that they have defunded need to protect them and catch their aggressors.

Censorship is one thing; it's evil and wrong and does not belong in a free society. Moderation is another; it is necessary while there are still anal orifices running around. The fact that moderation abused can turn into censorship does not negate the need for moderation; it calls for better moderation.

Throwing the baby out with the bath water is not the best way to deal with dirty bath water.

:

a reply to: DBCowboy

We all know the saying "don't argue with fools, they'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience."

What does it tell me about the ones that "win" the argument?
I mean if there is a winner, more like wieners... the way I see it, everybody looses...

You of all had a reason to loose your #, but you didn't, it was a fully conscious decision wasn't it?
You'd still get a pass from me though ... Those following in the wake not so much...

But thats just me, I'm sure the justifications abound

Without naming names, I actually got to become "friends" somewhat with those I have always disagreed with on the forums.

We were all refugees of a sort and stuck together.

originally posted by: Terpene
a reply to: DBCowboy

We all know the saying "don't argue with fools, they'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience."

What does it tell me about the ones that "win" the argument?
I mean if there is a winner, more like wieners... the way I see it, everybody looses...

You of all had a reason to loose your #, but you didn't, it was a fully conscious decision wasn't it?
You'd still get a pass from me though ... Those following in the wake not so much...

But thats just me, I'm sure the justifications abound

And again, any punishment feted out will be deserved.

I'll own it.

I won't piss and moan about it.

*shrugs*

a reply to: JohnMarsriver

Stobbitt!

a reply to: DBCowboy

Let's hope some good will come of this.

a reply to: JohnMarsriver

You argued that the trolls are a projection of how we really are deep down, but we want the mods too,
so by your own logic, the mods are another mirror reflecting what we are.
You're being myopic.

Everyone has ID and a shadow side, but most of us have a super-ego too.
We're not all monsters.
Most of those replying to you were not trolling much or engaging much in that,
because we were either silent and waiting for order to return,
or focused on making decent threads to not be part of the problem.
DB straight up left. Some, like me and Shewasdarkness and a few others, tried shaming the trolls to no avail.

Look I get that free speech is important to you, but you're not being honest with yourself about what this turned into.
This site is ultimately meant to be about civilized debates and discussion, to reach the truth about topics, and every televised debate has a moderator.

Sometimes IRL, you'll have two friends at each other's throats, and someone has to step in to break it up before it gets too ugly.

That's not anti free speech. In actuality, the crassness is. Sh1tposting isn't expressing anything. It's not actually making a point or expressing an opinion. It's MEANT to be pointlessly incendiary, to be chaos for the mere sake of chaos.
That has nothing to do with insightful or beneficial discussion, and isn't the point of this site at large.

There still is a "Jokes" topic though, if memory serves. Just follow that.
Some of us CAN police ourselves, but there are enough that refuse to, and we deserve better than to be overrun and silenced by them.

originally posted by: JohnMarsriver
a reply to: SprocketUK

I disagree. Everybody is secretly a pervert, and holding up a mirror to that is warranted.

off you trot to secondlife then