What's happening to this site?

I've been around here for a few months and It seem lately that everyone wants to debunk every thread. There has been a huge increase in the ratio of debunkers. It's almost like a board of skeptics. If I posted real picture or story and got treated like that, I would think twice about doing it again. I know there are some very knowledgeable folks on the board, but why not try to prove the validity rather than debunk? Maybe it's just me or it could be human nature to discredit the other person.

I've been here a while and I have to say debunking has happened since I joined. ATSers shouldn't be jumping in to discredit a thread, especially if they are immediately skeptical of the subject. Images, documents etc should be approached with an open mind and not immediately discounted due to other hoaxes or jokes.
However debunking isn't performed by most members to discredit the topic creators. Debunking is a way of separating the wheat from the chaff. You will find when your here for a little longer that many of the people who seem to constantly debunk 'evidence' are not doing so out of spite. Most of them are believers in the subjects, and if not believers are willing to accept the possibility. They debunk to help other members recognise certain shapes or ways things move or a heap of other stuff.

Not all debunking is evil. A lot of it is necessary.

i feel like there should be a little thought before posting articles and pictures. some people post photos and vids that are so fake its funny to see,and ofcourse they will catch heat for it. some people post news stories that have not got a real or trusted source example, i heard ,he said she said kinda of stories, and i hate to say it but there some people just grasping for straws, they want the world to end or a major tragedy to happen so bad they just throw up crap trying to start the end! after all it is what it is and i love ats so sometimes we just overlook the nasayers.

i completely agree with you bro. in the thread ufos over the pentagon in 1949 i invited the owner of the photograph to join the thread and i think he was scared off by naysayers which is very unfortunate.
he joined ats because of an invite from me and he hasn't been on for a while since his last post due to, what i believe, are people telling him that the photo that has been in his family for about 60 years is a stupid photo when he really believes he has something geniune.
its too bad people are like that but hey, this is the world eh?

I haven't noticed that myself.

What I have noticed is a lack of solid threads, the ones that lasted for weeks or months with people posting their points of view about some subject.

The more recent threads look too based on just one specific point, if that point is proved wrong the whole thread falls apart, and that is probably why people try to pick apart that one point that keeps the thread "glued".

The fact that the thread falls apart is not a good indication of the solidity of the data or of the way the data was presented.

That does not mean that there was an idea to deceive or hoax from the person that created the thread, only that he/she was probably expecting that people would accept their thread without any doubts.

And that is the result of too many hoaxes being perpetrated here on ATS, people become less open to accept things as they are presented, although they are still open to new things.

Lots - o - debunker's write in a mean spirited way to assert there profound debunking skills. Only that usually fails to bring out further information since they are to inconsiderate to write there debunk - o - stuff in a compassionate curious tone. Personally, I would ignore such shenanigans from people who attempt to say, shake it up.

I read allot and leave very little in the line of questioning a slippery subject. Although I will at times string a little humour in a reply. But to call em out, well there's enough of them doing that and I have other threads to read.

You have to admit the deliberate debunkers have increased a lot over the past 3 months? and they seem to hang in groups of 3 from what ive seen Someone will post a UFO picture or Video ok it may not be the greatest ever posted but they are still what this forum is for.

As soon as those video's or pictures go up if there isnt a lot of attention then we have the nothing to see here move along or its fake just off the bat
But then you notice they will post a little later in the thread (debunkers) and it is as plain as the nose on your face that they havn't read the whole thread it happened about a week ago in the mike singh thread about the object near Saturn,

Im just glad that the thread had already been backed as fantastic,

It is easy to spot a deliberate debunker (someone who likes to rock the boat by making accusations of falshood) you just need to see the routine, there are some people ive seen on here if you look through their posts you see they debunk everything for no reason,

And as soon as the debunkers arrive the thread begins to die because people wont take on their argument or defend their own beliefs.

Well,I only joined a week or so ago. I thought this would be a good place to read up on some very interesting topics that I take a slight interest in (ufos and conspiracies) It does seem like it's a bit of a hotbed for debunkers and fundamentalist christians.

Which to be truthful,is a little dissapointing.

But saying that,there are alot of very good,honest debunkers,who are showing what is real in certain photos,and not just being harsh/belittling to whoever posted it up. Another factor i think,is that there are so many cases getting reposted (even I can see that after a week or posting) And the majority of the stuff is going to have been previously debunked (or at least discussed in full)

All I can say is,keep posting the threads,and I'll keep reading them. (until I can catch a ufo on camera myself) Shame they didn't have camera phones 15 years ago when I saw my ufo)

reply to post by Larry B.


I know this site is supposed to be a safe haven for people with "alternative" viewpoints, but it cannot help but attract skeptics along with people who have "alternative" viewpoints. This may be one reason why there are a lot of debunkers.

Another reason for debunking is that people who have sincere, reasonable and passionate beliefs about "alternative" viewpoints do not want to see their beliefs made to look foolish or irrational. Internal debunking can advance the cause of an "alternative viewpoint by giving it more credibility.

Irregardless of what your viewpoints are, you must concede that many of the people out there that spread information in favor of "alternative" beliefs are hoaxers and irrational people. For example many reports of UFO sightings are done by hoaxers. Many reports of UFO sightings (not necessarily all) are also made by people who are drunk, high, or mentally ill. AS a result of this, the general public perceives those who claim to see UFO's as hoaxers or crazy.

Internal debunking can solve the credibility that the general public has of an "alternative"' viewpoint. For one thing, the public is more likely to perceive those people having the "alternative" viewpoint as rational and sincere if there are less hoaxers and crazy people in the viewpoints' tent. The viewpoint is also given more credibility because it is bolstered by evidence that has withstood vigourous scrutiny.

reply to post by Larry B.


i like the debunkers because it shows both sides of the topic.

to let something go without anyone to question it , would make me leave this site.

if it's something of real value it will survive the debunking. there are people on this site that will know the real thing.

reply to post by Acidtastic
A couple things,
First, welcome to ats.

Second, Having a cell phone camera doesn't nessecarily mean you will think to use it. Two years ago, my cell cam was within fifteen feet of me and I never thought of grabbing it, and if I had, the picture would have been too small to see anything, even though the ufo was huge and within a mile as the crow flys. I took a pic with my cell cam of my wife cutting the grass on a riding lawn mower, she was within 4 feet of me when I took the pic, in the pic she looked as if she were 20 feet away.
anyway glad you're here.

I've been resisting the pseudo-skeptic movement on this board since I joined.

I'm a newbie actually, but you'll see that I've already had plenty of experience.

I do not believe this site is for skeptics and debunkers. I just don't.

In conspiracy theory, ALL of us are expected to use critical thinking. We can ALL be skeptics.

You have noticed I'm sure, that some people are nothing BUT skeptics. They offer no conspiracy topics of their own, they openly dismiss entire topics like UFO's etc.

I have said plenty of times this forum is for conspiracy theorists and people who are INTERESTED in these topics. No matter how huffy and puffy the pseudos become, they will never convince me otherwise. This is not their site.

I hate it when you call someone disagreeing a "debunker". To me, debunking a theory is providing proof that its impossible, not just simply offering some mundane explanation for something that may or may not be true.

But yes, there have been a large amount of people immediately disagreeing with threads based on knee jerk reactions. Guess it comes with the increased visitor numbers.

reply to post by Larry B.


1. Some of said debunkers could be getting paid to do just that.

2. Disinformation is a key tactic of intelligence agencies, and some earmarks of this activity can be found in the Stealth program, when it was said that it didn't exist.

3. Many people have been falsely discredited, some have been killed. Some have had their internet access denied, some have been redirected to false pages. So forth and so on.

These people are smart...But they aren't that smart.



[edit on 15-3-2008 by projectvxn]

reply to post by projectvxn


Its just beginning. Ive already seen various shows talk about how dangerous the Internet is because conspiracy theories gain ground so fast and is impossible to control by the powers that be.

The Internet will be another controlled medium in the future. Enjoy being alive while its still possible to speak freely.



[edit on 15-3-2008 by Copernicus]

I'vew made my feelings on this topic known in quite a few threads already, so I'm not about to repeat myself.

Kudos to the OP for his post. Agree totally ... have a star

reply to post by Larry B.


The reason you can't approach proving the validity of a UFO or Alien, is because there is no physical proof (that we know of) to compare it to. There is only more fake accounts to compare things to. When proving something as true, it's easier to find a false and then move up from there. The quicker you can find a indication of a fake, the less time "we" have waisted. We all want the truth we know that is out there, that's why this forum still exists.

I think debunkers (or any other level-headed skeptics) are absolutely necessary on a forum such as ATS. A bit like needing a prosecution as well as a defence in court. I also think it acts as a kind of moderating influence and helps to both even out the opinion of the board and, in my opinion, establish the truth in a more balanced, objective way.

In short, I love ATS. I think it's quite possibly the best online community in the history of the internet.

reply to post by Brad.T


of course there's got to be debunkers,more grounded views are better. But then there are people who steam in,shouting "fake" at everything. It doesn't matter what it is,or what the material people are looking at is. You could introduce people like that to an alien,floating in the sky,and they'd think it was a man in a rubber suit. I believe the term used on here is psuedoskeptic.

Originally posted by Acidtastic
reply to post by Brad.T

 

But then there are people who steam in,shouting "fake" at everything. It doesn't matter what it is,or what the material people are looking at is.

Because 500 times out of 1000, if someone presented something to you on this site, you could scream fake without seeing any of the footage and you would be right!

The other 500 times out of 1000, it would be another retread of the same debunked crap over and over again.

That is what is happening to this site to answer the question.