This is a conspiracy website!

a reply to: deadlyhope

I know I have the required WATS number to start a thread in the 9/11 forum but still can't do it. It's shut down.

That's the greatest conspiracy and crime of the century in modern times.

a reply to: deadlyhope

It's a conspiracy site TRUE but it covers MANY subjects, so if members post links to KNOWN hoax sites or quote well known BS other members will point it out. Just because a quote comes from a non official source doesn't mean it's true and vice versa.

Many members have an in depth knowledge of certain subjects either through work or long term hobbies and will usually post some REAL PROOF to back what they say that's the REAL strength of ATS compared to other sites because we DENY IGNORANCE

a reply to: deadlyhope

ATS long died a death when these political threads came about now most posts are thinly veiled attacks on anyone who doesn't confirm to their view and just a catalyst for people to vent their bigoted prejudiced views on the rest of us.

I still remember when you could come onto ATS and find some seriously wild posts with subjects that got the minds going but that was a long time ago and I am too old for this #.

a reply to: nOraKat

Alternative media doesn't have to be Infowars. It can be news stations from other countries like NHK. They also broadcast versions in English and their news can have different angles that, at times can be more honest.

There are also plenty of smaller news sites on the internet that are legit. You don't have to get your news from CNN, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, etc.

I agree 100% and I wish people would flock to them instead of every other post citing Infowars, Breitbart, WND, etc. In any case, the key is to be a discriminating consumer of media, ask questions and draw from multiple sources that aren't simply aggregating from one another.

originally posted by: Blue_Jay33
It is a place to vet stories that the MSM won't touch, we have some really good researchers here, I am ok with posting stories and then them being vetted as either true or untrue perhaps even a hoax.

It's actually indistinguishable from Drudge. The difference is that Drudge posts its own stories and does not take user input. ATS users just repeat stories from Drudge or the MSM. ATS has become just another "news aggregator" site. That's the original rant here. The MSM has "touched" nearly every story on here, especially the political stuff.

What you are describing is the ATS of old, when UFO and paranormal stories were the norm, and THOSE were stories the MSM only touched with a condescending amusing viewpoint, if at all.

We learn at faster rate than the MSM audiences, we are ahead of the curve at ATS, but being ahead of the curve sometimes means vetting bogus reports, and that's ok. But if people get angry just because we are discussing it and trying to verify or deny it, then you are on the wrong website.

We don't learn any faster than anyone else; we're just a bit more gullible. We are no more capable of distinguishing hoaxes from reality than anyone else. Indeed, we often promote them. Many times I have seen stories on Drudge, Slashdot, or even Fox News before they became yet another copied after-the-fact headline on ATS. That's the lament here; that's the original criticism. Some people are "angry" (I wouldn't go quite that far.) because they see ATS simply discussing what the MSM has already brought up, along with a fair amount of stupid stuff like Chemtrails and the Mandela Effect. Add the predominance of US politics into the mix with "Yay Trump! Yay Hillary!" and this site is indistinguishable from any comment section on any news story from any MSM site that allows comments. It's just more of the same. Politics is mainstream. The comments on any story are exactly the same as seen on Fox News or CNN. Go look.

In some sense you could say that ATS has been taken over by people who want to comment on mainstream topics. Gone are the days when the site attracted people who were interested in fringe areas like UFOs, the paranormal, and similar topics. Oh, they're still there all right, but in terms of the amount of attention they get, it's far less than it used to be.

In terms of quality, focus, and original intent the best thing ATS could do would be to shut down political forums along with forums about dogs, cooking, movies, jokes and puns, and similar stuff. They clutter the site with noise. On the other hand, they bring more people to the forums, who click on more ads, who bring in more revenue that keeps ATS on the air and at least give it the chance of being a profitable enterprise for the owners.

So you can see why ATS has evolved (or devolved) the way it has. It may have even been completely necessary to ATS survival. But if you've been around awhile, it's like a rural area that become inundated with Home Depot and McDonalds stores. Yes, the place has grown and now is "economically viable," but we've also lost something we'll never get back. If you don't get that, you don't understand what has happened here over time.

originally posted by: old_god
a reply to: deadlyhope

ATS long died a death when these political threads came about now most posts are thinly veiled attacks on anyone who doesn't confirm to their view and just a catalyst for people to vent their bigoted prejudiced views on the rest of us.

I still remember when you could come onto ATS and find some seriously wild posts with subjects that got the minds going but that was a long time ago and I am too old for this #.

How has ATS died mate?

You can type any conspiracy theory you can possibly think of into the search engine and you'll get multiple well written and fascinating threads on the subject...

ATS has just grown to big, that's all... They've needed to evolve to keep the threads from just being a lesser 2.0 version of previous threads.

It was once a forum where you came to strictly discuss 'conspiracy theories'... but is now a forum where people who are interested in conspiracy theories can come to discuss basically anything they want.

I think of ATS as a kind of virtual bar or night club for conspiracy theorists.

I cant wait for this election to be over...for a number of reasons. Not least of which I look forward to the front page of ATS NOT being full of "MY candidate is the best, YOUR candidate is obviously going to destroy the country"

The sooner the political madness shrinks back into the Political Forums the better. It cant happen fast enough for me.

One thing I do once in a while, whether people like it or not, is do an OP without links just my ideas and thoughts.


Usually they are the less appreciated since most people here are internet link news (info) junkies and unfortunately NOT really independent thinkers though they think they are.

originally posted by: schuyler
That's the lament here; that's the original criticism. Some people are "angry" (I wouldn't go quite that far.) because they see ATS simply discussing what the MSM has already brought up, along with a fair amount of stupid stuff like Chemtrails and the Mandela Effect.

I will dare to say this in the context individuals champion their own causes and this is a site to reveal truth.

Conjecture is not evidence. So why debate conjecture as it was gospel.

If you are wasting time on false narratives pushed by snake oil salespersons from any side, you will never get to the truth.

I really think some things are purposely posted as distractions or to increase traffic to YouTube.

I am bias against YouTube. It's great it gives individuals a platform. But it's content is not rated by a persons credentials or accountability in the areas of conspiracy, ufology, or cryptozoology. YouTube content is geared for targeted viewpoints and rated by sensationalism and emotional production quality. Or sometimes even to perpetuate a hoax.

I've been surfing this website for years and it is clear there are many more shills on here than there used to be. Also a lot of idiots on here looking for the truth but then instantly shutting down anyone's argument, all while using MSM to back up theirs. Agree with OP, it is extremely disappointing for those of us who actually like to discuss things.

a reply to: Saibotkram1988

Who do you trust for news? What credible sources would you cite. I bet they make a profit, make a living, fulfill speaking engagements, gain market share, book deals, and gain a following / notoriety catering to your view point. Sounds a bit like MSM?

a reply to: schuyler

You have been here just about as long as me, I am approaching a decade now.

The biggest change that effected what you talk about was BTS merging with ATS, BTS was not as popular, but now all its topics would be front page. It was almost a sub-website of ATS back in those days.
We used to be able to observe thread views, BTS topic threads in it's own forums had maybe 20% of the thread views of ATS threads.

I used to like seeing the thread view count, it let me now if I posted a thread how many people were interested in that topic and clicked it, because you could get 5 stars and five flags but 500 people clicked. Or you could get 5 flags and five stars but only 50 people clicked it.

a reply to: deadlyhope

Peace and love ! Conspiracy means a scheme to do harm ! The conspirators of the grand conspiracy are exposed ! Peace and love love from the mystical metal hippie

LOL

You mean you come here to speak your mind, yet still can't get away with saying the S word?

Stuff like that?

You mean you don't like it when the media censors or bans people when they hit a little too close to home?

Like how they close topics from further discussion when someone says or posts something true, but is politically incorrect, or "anti-Semitic"?

Don't like that kind of stuff?

......................................

a reply to: Blue_Jay33

I used to avoid BTS specifically... I didn't know they merged...

Just got back on here yesterday for the first time in like 4-5 years...

Ok, I think I'm done with ATS.

There was a reason I left, and it's only gotten worse. They're just as controlled as the rest.

They deleted my thread on State Nationality. It wouldn't be deleted if they didn't want the info out there. Maybe I shouldn't have used factual evidence for proof...

Truth does hurt.

Maybe a MOD can explain why this thread was deleted??
"On being a U.S. Citizen instead of a State National..."

Otherwise, you guys deserve each other (unless my phone just won't load the page all of a sudden...)

ATS had a slogan, something like, "The truth isn't out there, it's in here! ... Somewhere!"

They're totally right - it's in here, but they will never point it out or have it verified, as misinformation is their game.

Let's see how long before they delete this post...

Please, ATS, prove me wrong... Say it isn't so...

originally posted by: Subaeruginosa

originally posted by: old_god
a reply to: deadlyhope

ATS long died a death when these political threads came about now most posts are thinly veiled attacks on anyone who doesn't confirm to their view and just a catalyst for people to vent their bigoted prejudiced views on the rest of us.

I still remember when you could come onto ATS and find some seriously wild posts with subjects that got the minds going but that was a long time ago and I am too old for this #.

How has ATS died mate?

You can type any conspiracy theory you can possibly think of into the search engine and you'll get multiple well written and fascinating threads on the subject...

ATS has just grown to big, that's all... They've needed to evolve to keep the threads from just being a lesser 2.0 version of previous threads.

It was once a forum where you came to strictly discuss 'conspiracy theories'... but is now a forum where people who are interested in conspiracy theories can come to discuss basically anything they want.

I think of ATS as a kind of virtual bar or night club for conspiracy theorists.

I am referring to the old, or what some of us old codgers consider to be the original ATS. Yes the forums are there but most are rarely active. Lets be honest ATS is very much a political rant platform now.

I have been on this site, off and on, since 2006. During that time, I have seen many changes here. It has always fluctuated between being inundated with MSM shills that buy into every and anything the status quo pilfers out and conspiracy "theorists'" who seem to want to believe EVERYTHING is some orchestrated event.
While I probably come a lot closer to being one of the latter than former, either extreme makes for a very difficult place to try and rationally discuss anything.

a reply to: SpeakerofTruth

Honestly, I'm against censorship in general... but sometimes my petty bitterness kicks in and I wish ATS would just delete the threads and posts from people with a 12,000 post count, who're complaining about how much they hate coming here.

Its like... if your dissatisfied with the quality of threads your seeing, then quit whining about it and instead write your own... show us all how its done!

Otherwise, build a bridge and just lurk here daily... which we all know the people who write threads about how ATS has gone down hill actually do.

If you were actually over it, then you wouldn't feel the need to come and tell us all about it... lol.

It's an election year on the internet on a conspiracy website. Hell, based upon this post, I'm probably a paid shill for somebody or other.

MSM has always been in the pocket of the shadow rulers of this planet. They got you good, too, arguing over which of their disposable puppets you'd like to hate/love for the next four to eight years. They're probably laughing right now in their highly polished offices with a glass of cognac swirling in their hand.