Courtesy Is Mandatory

Our forums are here for people to be able to share opinions they cannot share with anyone else.

Confiding in people you've never met and trusting them with information you would otherwise never discuss is a step which takes courage.

When members are rude, they not only discourage those whom they intend to hurt, but offend everyone who reads their rude posts, and make the discussion environment less pleasant for everyone.

To engage in stimulating, topical discussion we must minimize the disruption caused by off-topic digressions, and insults or other forms of personal commentary are always off-topic.

Thus the AboveTopSecret.com Terms And Conditions Of Use require us to be civil:

2) Behavior: You will not behave in an abusive and/or hateful manner, and will not harass, threaten, nor attack anyone.

This is not a request, this is a requirement for membership.

As a member of the senior staff, I want to attract the highest quality of members possible (in other words, you), and make your visits to our forums as pleasant as possible.

Rudeness is contrary to that goal.

So please, be respectful of other members and the goals of the community to deny ignorance, apathy and boredom.

Success depends on it.

Amen to that Majic.

I have noticed recently that even just a handful of rude posters can change the entire feel of a forum and make posting there less pleasant.

Being the type of people that most of us are at ATS / BTS / PTS, many of us have had unique experiences or have unique theories and ideas to discuss. It is the very nature of these types of experiences and / or theories and ideas that they are unusual, outside of the norm, innovative, and at times, downright outrageous. In my opinion, that's one of the things that makes ATS / BTS / PTS such an incredible site. If we all remain civil, then we can ensure an environment where all of our experiences and ideas can be shared.

[edit on 7/13/06 by wellwhatnow]

The Name 'anxietydisorder' Means I Have Anxiety Disorder In My Life...........
When a member hurls an insult I feel the pain and hurt intdended for that member.

Originally posted by Majic
Our forums are here for people to be able to share opinions they cannot share with anyone else.

Confiding in people you've never met and trusting them with information you would otherwise never discuss is a step which takes courage.

When members are rude, they not only discourage those whom they intend to hurt, but offend everyone who reads their rude posts....

So please, be respectful of other members...........

I came to ATS because I find a safe environment where I can exspress my views without undue criticism, or being berated for my point of view.
I exspect to be challenged, and that's part of the fundemental basis of ATS.
BUT, I expect other members to reply with a certain amount of decorum and recpect for their fellow members.


ATS is above the rest.
Let's keep it that way.




I Can't Do This, But..............

You have voted Majic for the Way Above Top Secret award. You have two more votes this month.

sorry, but no vote for you Majic.
I wish I could.....



edit:sp


[edit on 13/7/2006 by anxietydisorder]

Majic..well said

If people keep being rude to other people i think we will see less & less threads being posted & more people just looking

Nail on the head Majic

When I first joined this site I fell into a common trap that many(that I have seen) have also fallen prey to. I felt that I was always right and that others that I disagreed with were somehow inferior for they're beliefs. After only my 3rd or fourth post I recieved my first (and only) warning. I was humbled after re-reading my post and realized that I had indeed been so inconsiderate. Since then, I have made it a of the highest order, to be as polite and respectful as possible.Not because I did not wish to receive another warning; but rather, because I said to myself "Gee, how would I feel if someone treated me this way." And for the last six months I can happily say I have received 0 warnings and 7 applauses. So I think I have seen the light. Also since my recovery from false pride syndrome or FPS, I have learned alot of information that I would have never absorbed before my internal revelation.

The first sign of true wisdom comes when we realize we do not know anything at all.

How can we as people be critical of the ethical practices of our political leaders if we practice the same ideals. Pride, greed, gluttony, sloth, envy, lust, vanity.
Great job on helping to keep this topic in the forefront of our members thought processes here on the board. Most of the members here are an absolute joy to debate and share info with. But there are always a few bad apples.. I know I used to be one of them.



[edit on 13-7-2006 by TONE23]

Tone, that was a very good post. I fall prey to it sometimes too. I try to be easy to get along with when in a debate, but then I have to become a complete and total know-it all-moron when I see misinformation being posted. I'm trying to tame the ol' ego down some, but it's hard when you're getting your buttons pushed. Alas, just another one of my many internal struggles.

There, But For The Grace Of Mod, Go I

Originally posted by TONE23
When I first joined this site I fell into a common trap that many(that I have seen) have also fallen prey to. I felt that I was always right and that others that I disagreed with were somehow inferior for they're beliefs.

You too, huh? Tell me about it.

If you hunt out some of my really old posts you can find me being "Mr. Snippy" -- that side of my personality which is never wrong and eternally impatient with everyone else for being wrong.

Believe me, I know how easy it is to get in a mood, forget myself and go off on other members. I've done it plenty of times. :shk:

And I have always ended up regretting it.

Now the punishment for my sins is even more ironic -- and poetic. Now, next to all those nasty old posts is my name and the title "Super Moderator".

Whenever I see one of them (those old threads get bumped now and then), I am forced to see my name next to a post I'm ashamed of, and a supposedly respectable member of the staff acting like an idiot (even though I wasn't a staff member then).

I hate it, but I deserve it, because I earned it with my thoughtlessness. And if I ever need a reminder of why I need to keep my cool, those old posts do nicely.

As I like to say, "There are no saints, only sinners."

We're all human, including me. I hold no position of moral superiority, and when I post reminders like "Courtesy Is Mandatory", I try to never forget that they are here to remind me too.

original quote by:zenlover28
Alas, just another one of my many internal struggles.

Internal struggles are often times the most difficult that we face throughout our lives.. at least for us TinFoil types...

Majic
It is ironic indeed. To see your less than stellar moments displayed for all the world to see... with the title Super Moderator no less.

original quote by:Majic
As I like to say, "There are no saints, only sinners."

I believe Thomas Jefferson once said "A man without vices probably has no virtue either."

For me, the thing that really put my online "self " into check was reading the thread by Springer D-Ego. I keep this thread in my sig so that I am always reminded of my transgressions. Making mistakes is human. Learning from those mistakes as to not repeat them is intelligence. And repeating mistakes is ignorance. And you all well know what we think of ignorance here at ATS; D.I.!!!

The staff here has really made ethics a top priority
Now, if we can only get Business and Govt to do the same..

In The Heat Of Battle

Just a friendly reminder that courtesy is required in all ATS-family forums, including all forums on [email protected] (PTS).

Though passions are flaring over the ongoing violence in the Middle East and other hot topics, it's important to remember that mutual respect and tolerance of differing opinions is what sets us apart and makes our community so unique -- and discussion here so worthwhile.

Even after being subjected to hour after hour of horrifying images of mangled bodies and blood in the streets, it is still the responsibility of every member to honor the AboveTopSecret.com Terms And Conditions Of Use.

So if you find your temperature rising and have the urge to lay into another member, or hurl racial or bigoted insults, please do yourself and everyone a favor and push back from the keyboard for a while.

We're all human, we all have feelings, and there's nothing wrong with feeling strongly about such dire and tragic events, but that makes it all the more important for all of us to discuss these matters with the respect they deserve, and that means keeping ourselves under control even when the world seems to be tumbling into chaos.

Only by keeping our wits about us can we hope to Deny Ignorance, and only by channeling our passion constructively can we hope to Deny Apathy.

Magic,

Thank you for this thread. I have fallen victim as well as victimized others (does that sound like good English)? :shk:

Anyway, sometimes things get so heated at home, and on ATS that i take it out on someone, or say things i would normally never say. I'm guilty and i will work on my temperature.

BTW, you do a great job, Majic.

dgtempe,

I remember one day about a week and a half ago, you woke up feelin really mad. You started a couple threads that were...lets just say... not your typical dg post..

I remember saying to myself..I hope he/she is ok.
But 99% of the posts I have read of yours, tempe, have been a pleasure.
I know, for me, all the BS seems to just pile up sometimes. You just have to vent once in a while. You did it ok though(as far as I know) even though those posts were uncharacteristic of your usual D-Ego.

the threads I remember that day were:
Who's naive enough...

and

Who is Mad as hell...

Only pointing out the threads BTW, so that you remember what day I was referring to. I enjoy moany of your posts tempe

TONE-

You're very sensitive and you know me very well. I DID wake up on the wrong side of the bed that day!

Wow, i've apologized over the past week over my aggression and hostility. Hormones, i think.
I'm better now, though. I'm ok.
Sorry about that...It WAS a bit out of character for me, huh?

You know, its funny looking back...When you post something you more or less think nobody will detect anger and hostility...how wrong!!!

I'm really lovable.

original quote by dgtempe
I'm really lovable.

we all know this to be true

original quote by: dgtempe
You know, its funny looking back...When you post something you more or less think nobody will detect anger and hostility...how wrong!!!

I have had this happen only a couple of times so far.. but I found that I needed to go back and make sure the people knew that I wasnt mad or that I wasnt mad at them. But sometimes the damage is already done

Your definately one of our nicest members(on a consistent basis) next to Majic of course..

BTW Majic could you post the ATS T&C just one more time, I dont think the cheap seats got it yet....lmao... ... I am totally kidding BTW. You can never post it enough really... thats why I keep it in my sig. we must never forget.

Very many thanks for these communication rules. ATS is the only discussion board I use, partly because of the focus on fringe/frontier topics, but mostly because of the ground rules. Far too many discussion boards are just bedlam due to lack of defined and enforced communication norms.

The late great science fiction writer Robert Heinlein once stated that the most reliable sign of a sick culture is personal rudeness. He also said that rude people consider their rudeness a sign of strength, not weakness.

[edit on 27-7-2006 by FutureLibrarian]

This is a very good post Majic.

I love how you bring out the best in people.

FutureLibrarian, I appreciate the Heinlein reference, and I think what he's quoted as saying is true. Rude people see their rudeness as a sign of strength - indeed, they do.

So, the problem is not that they are choosing to avoid virtue, their problem is that they are ignorant when it comes to the true nature of virtue.

Goes back to some Confucian theories on the motivations that drive people, that I think are quite accurate in their thrust. One can usually count on people trying to do what is good, and all that remains is to dispel ignorance of true virtue.

People are sometimes weak, and even if they know the nature of virtue one cannot expect them to follow the path perfectly all the time. As long as it's clear that members have a good grasp of where our compass points, then I think we're all willing to cut them some slack on those bad days. We all have them.

How ever much I agree with you majic, there are some people here that don't intend on being rude or mean, DEBUNKERS, you all know what i'm talking about. I'm a debunker in a funny sort of way, and people post thinge expecting everyone to believe it, which in this case, really isn't true, I understand that they need the confidence and courage to post things they couldn't talk about. But alot of, what I see, are that people post things expecting that everyone will believe them.

That is where us debunkers come into play, almost everyone hates debunkers, and really I don't blame them seeing as we ruin alot of peoples fun by pointing out the obvious truth. Alot of us don't mean to sound rude or mean in our posts but we state the truth plainly, and that is what, I think, alot of people take as rude here, seeing as the person then gets defensive then it turns into WWIII.

But yes everyone be nice when your posting or talking to anyone.

debunkers are not always viewed as the truth seekers that we are

It's really not hard to question the authenticity of a story, or question the plausibility of a particular theory, without resorting to rudeness.

No doubt some people will see honest, constructive debunking as rudeness, but I think you can trust the mods to be a little more discriminating.

This site wouldn't be the same without skeptics, and I don't think any of us want to culture an environment where they feel unwelcome. The key is to be pleasant, and to stick to the story without attacking fellow members.

It doesn't help anyone when debunkers (or theorists for that matter) resort to sarcasm and mockery in order to make their point.

this is why i love ATS...

i visit other forums daily and see that there is no respect by members towards other members...

it's sick

Does ATS already provide evaluation criteria for our members to use in analyzing the accuracy and usability of internet sites being included in their member posts? If so, could you point me to that info? Thanks!

Internet site debunking, and possibly posting rancor, could thus be minimized.

If ATS would like to create a list of those criteria, let me know and I'll give you a list of what I'm currently using in my studies.

Online, more is sometimes less, such as the infamous site about Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr, which turns out to be owned by a white supremacy group. It used to always pop up at the very top of internet searches on that person... sigh. Even more common is the online influence of commerce, such as a search on "flowers" that results in about 90% sites for florist companies.