Are we all here to discredit each other?

Evenin',

Don't forget the lessons of Cointelpro.
The Feds (and most others here) are well aware that regardless of a topic, 90% of them can be "shutdown" (discredited) by 3 or 4 negative comments before a positive one can appear. The average reader will only browse the comments and skip any source material. A Nobel Prize winner could admonish your research but as long as a few negative comments start out the thread, most people will never see the facts you presented or know they were even there in the first place.
It's why many mainstream media and political websites disable their comments section on videos.
Sad but true.


-Peace-

originally posted by: Eryiedes
Evenin',

Don't forget the lessons of Cointelpro.
The Feds (and most others here) are well aware that regardless of a topic, 90% of them can be "shutdown" (discredited) by 3 or 4 negative comments before a positive one can appear. The average reader will only browse the comments and skip any source material. A Nobel Prize winner could admonish your research but as long as a few negative comments start out the thread, most people will never see the facts you presented or know they were even there in the first place.
It's why many mainstream media and political websites disable their comments section on videos.
Sad but true.


-Peace-

I tried to say the same thing...but my literacy skills are ...nah it was laziness. Well said sir.

originally posted by: DigitalJedi805
So I've been an ATSer for some time now - and I seem to note this recurring theme of discrediting before crediting.

Every post here was composed with the posters belief that whatever they are posting is real and valid - otherwise they wouldn't be posting it.

This being said; why is the communities immediate response to anything questionable - that the topic is moot, or the sources are invalid, or the video was CG'd?

To me, it's this sort of lack of open-mindedness that has us trapped in this society; in part.

Why can't we put ourselves in someone else's shoes? Assume, that someone's 'IIS SEES SPACE SHIP' thread IS valid; before assuming that it isn't. If you can still discredit it from That perspective, then feel free - but making sure that you're the one that discredits the video before anyone else can promote it - doesn't help any of us.

How many thousand videos uploaded to ATS? How many have been discredited? How many in the first reply? How many of those discredited films do us ATSers believe to be real?

I'd bet every time, that the OP and anyone who started with an 'open mind', finds potential in most of these examples - but anyone who clicked on a heading with any skepticism and immediately replied with doubt - doesn't.

Just an observation; and hope, that the evolving availability of information doesn't lead us to further misdirection.

We're all here because we want to know, right? Then stop pretending that you know best - you might be a 15-year JPL Engineer with degrees in 20 fields of study - but you might be wrong.

It is this behavior that is chasing people away from ATS. I come and go. When someone post something that really speaks to me, I sign in and share my 2 bits and then I run for cover.

originally posted by: mysterioustranger
a reply to: DigitalJedi805

I know. I agree...we should be more tolerant.

I would like add...we should also be more civil.
Common courtesy and civility have become memories of the past.

The problem is many of these posts follow the same line of debate.

1. A person states something as fact that is actually an opinion or assumption.
2. People Google support for their side with very little validity as long as it supports their view it is valid to them.
3. They work their way though the list of logical fallacies.
4. They basically rinse and repeat for the next 50 posts, never providing anything further to support their side past their original OP post.
5. At some point they use the term sheeple to replace their lack of facts and support.

Lively debates are ones that expand and grow with both sides walking away with some new found knowledge, but unfortunately these are extremely rare on AST though.

originally posted by: NightSkyeB4Dawn
I sign in and share my 2 bits and then I run for cover.

Ah.
So you've visited the 9-11 and Geoengineering forums have we?



-Peace-

Glad I'm not the only one that feels this way - I hope the thread gets some more exposure and the masses lighten up.

To reiterate though - because there still seems to be some misconception about my intention -

I do not ask that we do not comment negatively on erroneous material - I ask that we allow the option for its validity before allowing our own feelings on the topic cloud our judgement.

Someone said it well - if a 40 minute video is posted and 2 minutes later a disclaiming reply is posted; there was obviously no sentiment that the OP could be valid to begin with - and the time taken to watch the video was ruled unnecessary because 'the whole topic is invalid' - and information can be overlooked or lost because of someones negative sentiment.

If I had the time to troll the forums all day and do the research - I would crusade to build credit in posts, rather than discredit them - it is truth that we should seek, not falsehood. If something is falsely presented, it should be deemed such - but many things could be evaluated as true until proven false - versus the contrary.

Afternoon,

Let's not forget that people (in general) do a pretty good job of discrediting themselves.
All you have to do is give them just enough rope to do the job.
Am I wrong?

-Peace-