ATS Poll: Has ATS been infiltrated and infested with western establishment-paid shills?

a reply to: OpinionatedB

Since this is a conspiracy site, if you find yourself not buying into any of the conspiracies listed, then you are a shill.
You must accept the conspiracy no matter how ludicrous it is. Or....be labeled a shill.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord


Why is the focus only on "paid" shills?

I was forced into an option when I want to write-in that I believe in both paid and unpaid shills.

I posted on the original thread - actually a reply to Mr. Springer - on the subject of ROI for paid shills.

Any chance he wants to run on the 2016 presidential ticket?

We'd have to get "busy" soon, and it may be an uphill battle, but I could equate him with a modern day savior if he keeps the ROI in mind as POTUS. Heck, much better than the candidates we have in the field at this moment!

I'm one of those skeptic types who often get called a shill and I just wish that I was getting paid to inject t a voice of reason here. Unfortunatly no one seems to think my opinion is worth a dime. I seriously doubt anyone cares what any of us on here are talking about. It's not as serious a website as some seem to think.

i would just like to add a little substance to this thread.
www.techdirt.com... .shtml

this is from and is about snowden documents

Among the core self-identified purposes of JTRIG are two tactics: (1) to inject all sorts of false material onto the internet in order to destroy the reputation of its targets; and (2) to use social sciences and other techniques to manipulate online discourse and activism to generate outcomes it considers desirable. To see how extremist these programs are, just consider the tactics they boast of using to achieve those ends: “false flag operations” (posting material to the internet and falsely attributing it to someone else), fake victim blog posts (pretending to be a victim of the individual whose reputation they want to destroy), and posting “negative information” on various forums

i cant find proof that this done by russia, but would be very naive to think they dont. but what would seem important is who employs the most people and best technology in these regards.

the trick is to listen to both sides, as the truth always seems to lie somewhere in the middle.
follow the money!

I have no doubt that there are many paid shills here, but so what? They're just people with opinions just like the rest of us.
Don't like something a shill posted... then form a rebuttal. That's how it works.

My only problem with paid shills is where the money comes from. If Monsanto wants to pay a prominent member of our community to promote their company with their money, that's one thing, but when our President uses tax dollars rather than campaign contributions to promote his political party's agenda, that's a completely different animal.

When it comes to swaying public opinion, the star function seems to be a much more effective tool than the post function. If I were to pay anyone on this site for swaying public opinion in my favor, it would be those who have the ability to manipulate the stars, but that's just me.

NVM

I don't think the site is infiltrated with shills....I think it has been infiltrated by asshats.
Not shills...just morons.

I don't deny there might be the odd one here and there but I stick by my asshat comment.
The amount of times I log in and say to myself "I bet the first thread I see will be totally moronic" and than I log in to just shake my head,has been many.

a reply to: OpinionatedB

Haha...same here..too many diverse opinions (and opinions that have changed over time)..

To be honest, I can imagine the government looking at some of my threads or replies..what? He believes in Alien Visitations? Errr....and abductions...Wait What?? The Greys could be humans from the future...WHAAAAAT ???

LOL

I'm probably listed as a nutcase on some of their lists. I can forget about getting paid. Ever !

320 votes so far.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

Had to go with the very minority 4.39% that there are no shills, ever. (Paid)

That would be different if the term "paid" wasn't in. Then it would be 10.97% - A few "shills" every once in a while..

The amount of members (45.14%) thinking that there are paid shills is interesting. Or scary... all depending LOL

So 17 people on ATS either dont know what a shill is or the're lying on the poll.

And 144 people are justifiably paranoid. Really seem like a small turn out being that this site has such a user-base.

I like it that the poll updates itself without having to reload the page, click back to questions, then back to results and your up-to-date.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

I have been in ATS for many years, I have to say that once in a while we used to get some members that never lasted long and they posted in a very particular pattern, to me it was like a recorder, same post no creativity or thinking to it.

But to me is always been random and only in specific times when is certain news taking a lot of attention.

So I can not say that is wide spread., unless they have become more crafty and not as automatic as before.

a reply to: DJW001

You and I spend too much time here. I've noticed the same thing.

Sometimes groups of people arrive together like that. I don't know if they are 'paid shills' or if they all just know each other and come here to play and practice their propaganda.

We had some pro-China folks show up like the pro-Russia folks. This was a while back ... maybe two years?? They were really into blaming the Dali Lama and Tibet, and they kept posting pro China stuff .... they claimed Youtube footage of Chinese soldiers shooting fleeing Buddhists in the mountains was faked .... etc etc. They showed up at the same time and left at the same time. Only lasted a few months.

I am absolutely sure we had one Iranian gov't shill here. He was from over there and only posted the party line and didn't read the links provided. I think he was blocked by his gov't handlers from the Youtube and news links. He hasn't been here in a while. Must have been given a new duty station by his handlers or something.

Every so often we'll get a busload of folks from different christian fundamentalist groups. They all arrive together to save souls. They all get banned or bored at the same time and disappear together.

Sometimes you can see patterns like that. Like I said, I don't know if these folks are paid or not ... but the patterns are interesting.

So...who do I send the invoice to?

No.

As for my reasons to vote that way:

What there has been, in my opinion, is an infestation of a mindset that is guiding people to simply not accepting that other people have different beliefs, different opinions, different points of view, different backgrounds and different upbringings. All variables that end up shaping your opinions.

What might be wrong to you, might be right to me, or the opposite.

The concept of "paid shills" is a useful scapegoat to the inability of some people to exchange arguments in a polite and cordial manner. Mostly because it doesn't matter. What people consider "shills" will only be effective if people give them attention.

Ask yourselves, how many times around ATS you see people treating each-other cordially? Most discussions start with an offensive tone, and it's almost a instinct reaction to defend yourselves when some a-hole treats you like sh# because you have a different look into things.

That spirals into more pointless and futile discussions, and when reason is out the window the fall-back argument is always "I don't know what more to say, so you must be a shill".

It's stupid, moronic, and a dangerous scapegoat argument that people use so that they can continue with their lazy minds, parroting bull# they heard in websites that the only purpose they have, is to play with social and mass fear - and no, I'm not referring to ATS.

This kind of crap and accusations reminds me of the lightly used accusation of "communist" in the US during the Cold War. Remember that? When people where labeled something the whole community feared so that they could be controlled, locked out and humiliated?

"paid shill" is ATS's version of "commies".

A vague and stupid accusation that creates division and prevents people from exchanging ideas freely. And that's what scary.

Don't get me wrong, but some of you parrot freedom all day long and pretend that you have any strength in the fight against tyranny and oppression. But we all know that's BS, don't we? Most of us are just people with normal and calm routine that come here for a spice in their life, to find that nudge of knowledge that doesn't float around, or maybe that secret that was first leaked out. And hey, nothing wrong with that, I do it too. But I'm not an hypocrite.

I don't b# all day about how horrible the World is, how controlled we all are and how we live in suffering from corrupt leaderships, so that the first opportunity I get I transform my discussions into a cyber-bullying session, pointing fingers and collecting support from my peers to bring down someone who's opinion, intellect, skin color, ethnicity, nationality or just freaking point of view, gives a sense of threat to my beliefs.

I also don't buy into most conspiracies around here. I'm the kind of guy who has a list of things I would like to find the truth about and some of which are part of/involved in conspiracy theories, and I believe the truth was never fully revealed. The voids of certainty in History fascinates me, to know there are stories out there nobody will ever know.

But there is secrecy all around the World. Some is intentional, but some isn't. If 4 people have contact with aliens and then they die in a car crash on their way back to a news channel, they were not silenced... sh# just happens.

It's up to places like ATS to have members discussing these things and finding out what is valid, reasonable, provable or possible... Not wasting time, bandwidth and patience making b#tchy arguments like we are little girls in some kindergarten mud brawl, pulling each-others hair.

Do you think that the fact that I don't agree with something you say makes me any different? It doesn't. I don't feel threatened by your opinion or point of view. You believe the Government is controlled by reptilians? Awesome! If you have access to some information that makes you point into that direction, then so be it...

Just be polite and reasonable enough to accept that someone who has been researching most of their adult life historical events, might actually understand a little bit better how a government works than you do, just because you read Alex Jones morning report. And maybe, when I voice my opinion that we are just controlled by a-holes with money who bribe politicians and leaders, and that people with money and power can be truly inhumane, it doesn't become your duty to call me a shill and "expose me", that I support that type tyranny or anything like that.

If I teach you something about Economics, Sociology or History - which are my areas of knowledge, as an example - then you should be humble enough to learn something from what I said, the same way I do with your posts. Do I want you to stop believing there is a reptilian in power? No, even though I disagree with it. But maybe from my opinion, you will learn something about areas that will actually help you figure out your own opinion and stand.

What if I'm wrong, and there is a reptilian in power? Maybe, it was because of people like me, who disagree with you but understand the nature of the systems, that could give a piece of insight that leads you to that final clue. It's not by chance that the most respected members in ATS are also the people more knowledgeable in their multiple areas.

If we talk about a reptilian in power, then I tell you why I think that's not possible, and you tell me why you think it is. A consensus will be achieved in the middle - or not, no harm done - and we move forward. If you make the decision of accusing me of being a shill because I don't believe in that stuff, then you will be ignored or my reply will be a defense and not a response to the subject.

You must first understand the beast before you try to kill it. Whichever your "beast" might be, whichever your "kill" might be. Just don't bite into the fear.

Obviously this is just an example, an allegory, but it is my point of view in this discussion regarding paid shills.

I applaud the ATS staff for making the decision of allowing it's member to discuss this subject openly, and hopefully, clean out some skeletons in ATS's closet..

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

I really hate to point out this but OUR opinions are just not that important in the scheme of things. Perhaps there are some subjects that could attract a government worker attempting to influence opinion it is more like a subject like health care. Just because people see the Russian-Ukraine thing differently than a couple of people does not mean its a paid "shill". And so what ? Are they going to change someones opinion that easily, no I don't think so.

ATS is much like the rest of the web, a bastion of opinions from all walks of life and just because one crybaby who cannot convince someone to change their opinion on a subject and they don't spout his agenda he calls them a paid shill...marlarkey

originally posted by: Flatcoat
a reply to: DJW001

Five members joined ATS in March. Each of them posts pro-Russian and anti-NATO propaganda. Each such post always receives four stars.

And a couple of pro-western, anti-russian members signed up, replete with nice avatars and flawless posting/embedding skills from the very first post. Your point is....?

Compare and contacts that to older members(not to single out all new members or returning which surely some are) that the same spend 12 to 16 plus hours a day on a subject just the same. They seemingly are "experts" on the matter. Why so, to be that passionate when very well people on average probably have zero connection to the area, and or have just found it on the map? Is it some kind of "I can prevent war!" or "Dis-info!" Or something more?

originally posted by: DJMSN
a reply to: SkepticOverlord

I really hate to point out this but OUR opinions are just not that important in the scheme of things. Perhaps there are some subjects that could attract a government worker attempting to influence opinion it is more like a subject like health care. Just because people see the Russian-Ukraine thing differently than a couple of people does not mean its a paid "shill". And so what ? Are they going to change someones opinion that easily, no I don't think so.

ATS is much like the rest of the web, a bastion of opinions from all walks of life and just because one crybaby who cannot convince someone to change their opinion on a subject and they don't spout his agenda he calls them a paid shill...marlarkey

It's because shill tacts are really used. Lately there was an article explaining how "terrorists are trolled" their observation is that it changes the terrorists thoughts through trolling*. If the same or similar hired types are told that they may see conspiracy circles "deemed terrorists now", territory for their intervention. However, they do have another thing coming, conspiracy people tend to be more hard headed on views than their usual targets.

*More here

PAID? No. In the course of specific agencies they may or may not have jobs with? Probably...but highly unlikely.

As a paid shill, I voted that there absolutely are paid shills. That way, by outing those around me and taking a clearly popular belief, no one will suspect that I'm secretly a paid shill. All of us paid shills agreed that it was the route to take, am I right, guys?

Now back to your regularly scheduled exercise in paranoia.