ATS In Decline?

Agreed .

I've minimized my posts as well, treading carefully just because I don't like entertaining the nonsensical retorts, or the jagged edge of the daggers of sarcasm aimed from one member to another. I was just thinking the other day it seems to have gotten a little bit better but nothing like the "good ol days"

To be clear I'm not speaking in terms of what end or density of the political spectrum you find yourself on, I'm speaking on everything. Everyone. A lot of people are just being vile and hurtful on here, for what purpose I have no idea other than self serving. Used to be when someone didn't like something they would say why with facts and data to back up what they said. These days it's just a lot of opinions "He likes trump so I hate him" "Gays are disgusting my bible said so, you're all going to hell" "I bet you're a stupid liberal" "I bet you're a coward republiCON" Really what and where positively is this taking the site or the members???

Jesus Christ can we just stop with this nonsense? I understand in the mudpit it's acceptable and I do my best to stay out of there. What happened to the days where we presented facts, and spoke to one another like human beings? When we had fruitful discussions instead of tiring and wearisome keyboard wars?

Even when I joined in 2011 there was so much productive conversation, people helped each other deny ignorance in a polite manner without ridiculing one another to the ends of earth or ganging up on each other because of wrong information or maybe even someone who is disillusioned here and there.

There were great debate adversaries and hardly it seemed anyone you'd think of in disgust. Now a days I see some thread titles or even how the first few comments go and it's just like....... Really? I came here because I wanted to be able to share in the splendor of those who held more knowledge than me, to learn, to share, to be a part of a tight community.... and now I feel like it's a ball of yarn someone sliced through and frayed and burned and melted the loose edges...... It's a mess.

BUT it's still ATS, and I'm a ride or die member.

-Alee

OP, I agree with you. This has virtually become an alt right site. Personally I think that all of us who aren't alt right should leave. After a while the echo chamber will get boring, and they will start to drop off. Then we can come back to more civil debates with the more reasonable among us.

originally posted by: Reverbs
The real conspiracy now is you guys used to renember politics is just pro wrestling.. now you are divided and conqured.

This.

a reply to: eriktheawful

You realized that you just made an OP that is doing exactly what you're complaining about? You've basically stated that you wish ATS was a Left Wing Echo Chamber.

That's *not* what he stated. Not even close...

His post was about civil discourse and being able to disagree without ad hominem invective being hurled at you. He did state an opinion that it appears to be coming from the far right, but it is his right to have an opinion.

It's also one with which I agree. If I had the time or the burning desire to do so, I think it would be very easy to prove that opinion as being valid. Most people without an agenda or bias and 15 minutes to read thru some of the posts would see that very quickly.

We cannot solve that which we deny exists.

But, carry on. And reap the "benefits" of same...

a reply to: JohnnyCanuck

Cowboy up butter cup
or go sit with split tails
Cause the world don't give a #.
And the sun will rise tomorrow just like always.

originally posted by: Riffrafter
His post was about civil discourse and being able to disagree without ad hominem invective being hurled at you.

When that occurs you report it and it gets removed, this is one of the best moderated sites I've been to but they cannot be in every thread.

All those that are complaining are using all the wrong words..

Alt right?

Conservatives?

Non-liberals?

It's none of those.

It's pro-Trump

Vs anti-Trump

This alone tells me where your mentality is and explains to me why some of you feel the way you do..


Think. For. Your. Self

aww poor you.

originally posted by: eriktheawful
a reply to: JohnnyCanuck

You realized that you just made an OP that is doing exactly what you're complaining about? You've basically stated that you wish ATS was a Left Wing Echo Chamber.........

Members have been complaining about how ATS has changed since just a few months after ATS came into existence.....

As for staff members that participate in discussions, we're members first, staff second. That's always been a condition of the volunteer FREE work that we do here:

Moderators Are People Too. (and they have opinions)

If we (staff) were not allowed to participate in discussions anymore after becoming staff, none of us would be here. We do have one golden rule that we follow though: we are not allowed to moderate in threads (or our own threads) that we participate in.

If you're no longer happy being here at ATS, there is a solution: click on the Log Off button and go to a different online discussion board that makes you happy. There is no ball and chain keeping you here at ATS.

And bear in mind the same holds true for you also. If you don't like Johnny's thread and others like it, there is no ball and chain on you either.

If you're no longer happy being here at ATS, there is a solution: click on the Log Off button and go to a different online discussion board that makes you happy. There is no ball and chain keeping you here at ATS.

Really, the old don't let the door...

Perfect.

I come to ATS for all the free salt on the daily .

a reply to: knowledgehunter0986

I'm okay with debating someone who is pro-Trump. What I am getting tired of is all the rhetoric about the left being mentally ill and stupid.

Boo freaking hoo. Ban all the conservatives? What's your solution here?

I had to deal with Ron Paul and Bernie Sanders, you have to deal with Trump and his nonsense. For the record I just sort of despise all of them.

Aren't you Canadian?

Just don't participate in threads you don't like, start your own threads, and calm your mooses.

People on ATS flip out every time there is a presidential election. You've been here long enough to know that.

a reply to: Riffrafter

Yes, he did do exactly what he was complaining about: trolling one side of the political spectrum, and then claiming that is what is "wrong" with ATS.

Look: we get complaints all the time that we (ATS) are a right wing site, and that staff is all right wing.

Guess what?

We also get complaints all the time that we (ATS) are a LEFT wing site, and that staff is all left wing.

Would y'all please make up your minds?

The reality is: ATS staff is made up of many different people from all over the world, and no one political ideology holds sway with us back here.

ATS is member content driven. We see content brought here from both sides of the political spectrum.

We also see the "hate" and "trolling" talked about on both sides of the political spectrum here on ATS.

It's not limited to just one side or the other.

What we DO see is how much time and energy is spent on so many of you members in the political forums, especially the Political Mud Pit.

You get mud on you, and then come crying to us and going on about how bad ATS is.......

Staff has not made ATS the way it is: All of YOU MEMBERS have made ATS the way it is.

Don't want to see politics here anymore? Stop bringing it to here then. Stop responding to it. Stop participating in it.

Want to discuss it outside the Pit but you have other members acting badly?

THEN REPORT IT FOR GOD'S SAKE.

Seriously. How many times do we have to point out that we can not be everywhere, read every post, every thread, and be on here 24/7???

"Oh, but I don't want to snitch........"

Don't want to report the bad behavior? Then deal with it. We are not all knowing and all seeing on here.

"But I have reported it, and nothing was done!!!"

Yep...that happens some times. Want to know why?

Because a LOT of the complaints we get are for....wait for it........political trolling in the....again, wait for it.....POLITICAL MUD PIT FORUM........doh! It's allowed there, so NO we won't be doing anything about it if it's there.

Politics will be discussed here. If we stopped it, people would be screaming CENSORSHIP!!!!

So we allow the discussions......and then get accused of siding with one side or another, or that we're paid shills, or many other things.

I'd love it if we had some way for each of you to be a moderator here on ATS for just one day........There would be a LOT more open eyes here, and a lot less baseless claims.

originally posted by: eriktheawful
If you're no longer happy being here at ATS, there is a solution: click on the Log Off button and go to a different online discussion board that makes you happy. There is no ball and chain keeping you here at ATS.

I expected better.
I am talking about the manner in which a difference of opinion is being expressed. And I am also talking about racism and xenophobia, particularly that being expressed against Muslims. It was a couple of those that prompted this thread. And you don't see a lot of that coming from the Left.
But, as you say, there are options. That's why I took a couple of months off for the crazy to settle. Apparently my expectations were a mite high. But I will make one important point. I took the time to say that things are going downhill. How many have expressed the same sentiment by taking your guidance on the matter and simply saying "# this #!" ?

originally posted by: eriktheawful
I'd love it if we had some way for each of you to be a moderator here on ATS for just one day........There would be a LOT more open eyes here, and a lot less baseless claims.

Why not post one of the 'alert' threads from the moderator forum where there was some back and forth between all of you and just remove everyone's names, mods included? It would show the internal dynamic and how not everyone is aligned.

I think some of the issue is the left-right stuff being dragged into almost every thread. The right vs left isn't always the cause of problem.

I suppose that why there is that old saying about staying away from discussions of politics and religion. But then, it's going to happen somewhere and this seems to one of those places.

Heavens. It's depressing to see the alt-right members piling into this post throwing insults and offensive pictures around as they angrily disagree in a way that totally and completely proves OPs point.



For what it's worth I very much agree with OP, the alt-right takeover of ATS seems almost complete, particularly as I too have noticed moderators getting involved with the alt-right propaganda stuff.


Sometimes it seems like it's 4chan night here on ATS.

a reply to: kaylaluv

Well I don't think you're mentally ill or stupid, I think your a great human being with a great heart, great qualities, but also leaves you very vulnerable and easy to manipulate. Doesn't make you stupid at all, maybe a bit naive at best.

But it's not even your fault.. you guys didn't choose to be like this.

I could also say this exact thing to many others as well..