What have you really learned since joining ATS?

reply to post by Shammael


Shammael thank you for your reply. Your sadness is primarily because everyone has tried to explain away your creator am I correct? Keep what you know in your soul Shammael. Like all of us you will one day get all the answers and boy are we gonna be suprised!

Originally posted by MaganticeWhat have you really learned since joining ATS? » Pos

Good morning Magantice,

1. That there can be excellence in Web Development/Design
   
2. That there can be a higher implementation of forum software.
   
3. That there can be excellence in hands-on moderator forum software management.
   
4. That there can be webmaster control vs. advertiser control/domination of a website.
   
5. That there can be a website where the webmaster takes users seriously
   
6. That getting an article approved for front page submission is extremely difficult even after thorough edits.
   
7. That there are some user attempts to discourage acquisition of the truth in spite of the clear website mission statement.
   

I've learnt that I can't take anything for granted. And I've learnt that existence is much worse than I thought, but also MUCH BETTER!

Thanks ATS!

reply to post by Magantice

Have A Good Laugh & Be Entertained!

At first I was all serious and confused and could not believe what was happening out there. But gradually it has dawned on me that this site is just as controlling and manipulative as any other.
Unfortunately the Fantastical predictions and 'Stories' have taken over and it is nigh on impossible to differentiate between fact or fiction.......as of yet no 'wild' prediction, promise or opinion has actually come true. I am not talking about the financial crisis or swine flu as both of these were predicted by experts within these fields by the mass media. I am talking about specifics highlighted first by ATS and hitherto [4 four years since I ventured into this site], I cannot remember one thing of Great Importance which originated from here

Therefore read on.........but with a 'pinch of salt'......and be royally entertained!!!!

Peace......

I'm not half as smart as I thought I was. That's the first thing I learned.

The second is that no one knows anything for sure.

Which is why most people come up with their theories about life and events in it. They are only trying to make sense of a world that makes no sense. I respect people more. I've never been a mean person but since coming to this site I think I am more tolerant of peoples opinions.

I've learned that I can 100% believe something to be true and then the next day wonder why I believed something so nonsensical was true.

I guess the best thing I've learned since joining is myself. Though I am still trying to attain more info on the subject daily.

[edit on 23-7-2009 by Strictsum]

I learn something each time I come to this website. For example, tonite I learned that SimonGray, the owner of the site has not posted a thread since September 18th, 2008, and that he has not posted a comment since April 20th, 2009, earlier this year. Has he lost interest in his own novel and successful creation or does he just have bigger fish to fry. Simon, I remember your photo avatar back from when I was emanresui...I was honered that you'd responded to my post "care to speculate anyone?"; why doesn't your avatar remain.

I've learned that the site is alive and continually evolving and that to completely rule out intuitiveness is not the same as denying ignorance...which, by the way, is still the site's motto.

I've learned that most people just read the first few pages and then rush to the 8475'th page to publish their own opinion, which will probably be something which was already said in the thread at least 20 times anyway. I know because I'm doing it now too!

What I find especially interesting is how people can post their bright ideas, new philosophies, new ideologies, and whatnot - just to be brought down by someone who's read the same thing in some 2000 year old scripture .
There are some very educated people here, open-minded, intelligent, imaginative and spiritual people - all mixed up in once place, result is guaranteed to be at least entertaining if nothing else!

I learned that Phage is usually right

ats has clearly shown me that their are lots of doom junkies around.
the end is coming in a huge array.
nibiru is going to devistate us.
fema camps are gonna put us all in prison & do nasty things to us all.
web bot preticts bad things
aliens are gonna invade us & abduct us.
swine flu is gonna kill us
obama is the anti christ
global warmists predict co2 is gonna ruin earth
global coolists predict we are gonna freeze to death in an ice age
chemtrails are spraying chemicals on us
governments are gonna enforce martial law on us
huge asteroids are gonna wipe out life on earth.
yellowstone park super volcano is gonna wipe america of the map
area 51 is an alien government conspiracy against the public & have underground tunnels to hide in when the shtf.
the nwo conspiracy to depopulate & control the world.
missing nuclear weapons.
2012 is the end

these are just a few subjects for doom junkies to get a super paranoia hit.
i think some people cant get through the week without a confirmation that yes time is running out .....................aaahhhhh
quick dig a deep hole & buy 10 years worth of dry pasta or you wont survive.
but hey all the paranoia aside ats sure is an interesting site & ive enjoyed watching various people successfully debunk various dubious ufo videos, & offer friendly advice & usefull links to all kinds of areas of interest.
& now i need to put on my tinfoil hat & my home made bubble wrap space suit or i probably wont survive this weeks doom fix

reply to post by NiggersWithoutFaces


I've learned that people who are extrodinarily offensive get banned.

reply to post by Magantice


I have learned many things. Not to believe in certain predictions, when people freak out it's only for the moment. That's about it, not much to really learn. I come on here read, and see that people really want attention which is why they set off alarms about up and coming predictions. Yes, i was one of the crazy people that believed Blossom Goodchild. When that failed to happen I decided not to take everything on here seriously, and I do take everything on here with a grain of salt. Nothing scares me much anymore, except for the swine flu, and I usually don't believe what anyone writes on here anymore. That's about it! This is my soap opera for the day!

well i have learned that the world is one screwed up place, i have learned that there are some messed up paranoid people out there who freak me out iv learned that tinfoil hats look rather silly

iv also learned that we have to take things in context, whilst there are true phenomenon out there, and some truly evil people, and things that go on in this world that are scandalous, we have to use our common sence and do the research to really find out the truth. never take things at face value, you wouldnt in the real outside world so don't on a site. Question everything and deny ignorance.

My eyes have been opened alot to what goes on in this world and some of it is some scary [insert swear word here], BUT dont allow the paranoia etc to run your lives or we will all be holed up in a bunker somewere with our tinfoil hats CB radios and paranoia and bugs for company.

Iv also learned that just because your paranoid, it doesnt mean they aint out to get you.

I've learned that everyone on here has their own beliefs and that KNOWLEGE IS POWER...

BTW...



reply to post by hisshadow


...you're not allowed to have 2 profiles Phage.. just kidding

I have learnt that I can only use thread's as places of discussion very rarely as it is only very rarely in which I have seen discussions take place.

Instead I see the members of this brilliant site as an army of alternative news investagative journalists relentlessly searching away around the clock to uncover just about anything that moves.

Well done ATS and well done members...You've done Beautifully.

[edit on 23-7-2009 by bonsaisert]

i did not learn anything that i did not already know about the facts in the news or conspiracy theories. i found the forum some time ago while looking for alternative technologies that the ancients used and were forgotten (after seeing a documentary on discovery or was it nat geo?) - technologies that could make our lives easier and save on the good old bills.

what i did learn however was about people. there is a lot of paranoia around the world and people to like to think they are much more special than they actually are. some believe (or want others to believe) they are aliens or able to experience some different planes of existence without presenting any real proof of that. or offer "visions" and "predictions" based on outrageous pseudo-scientific claims such as the fractal time (aka timewave zero)...

others love to fear the govt and criticize everything that's (not) done. and then of course there are some who claim to be US citizens who apparently hate their country: they want to violently overthrow a democratically elected govt just like one of those banana republics... or have their state secede from the union in the name of some principles which are mostly inspired by hate or misinformation... some may be teens, easy to brainwash while others are probably adults who grew up before the civil rights movement. quite fascinating!

overall it's a waste of time but i still read/post when bored...

What have I’ve learned? Well buy Gold and Silver, keep my guns clean and have a stock pile of food and water on hand. Also after that I have decided to take the “Blue pill” I have discovered how deep the rabbit hole really goes. In that there are TPTB that are really in control and not the elected officials.

I for one are not part of the ‘sheepel’ anymore!!!!

I have a love/hate relationship with ATS.

On the love side this site provides very good news updates at a regular pace and is one of the best site to discuss the bigger picture conspiracy theories that are becoming apparent in our societies. So it has it's place in helping form the colective consensus on what's going on, which basically comes down to spiritual supression and the NWO materialistic conspiracy and Ponerology. So being a member of ATS and reading like minded posts has allowed my overall understanding to become clearer and some errors of mine to be corrected.

The hate side is perhaps natural. This is an important site, way up in the frontlines of a counter culture movement, so it's obvious that the others, the dark side, the manipulators, the liars, the psychopaths which ponerology speaks of, would necesserily come here. Their influence becomes all the more obvious as the members become all the more awake. This site is littered with disinformation threads. This site is full of cointelpro accounts. This site is very restrictive in it's terms and conditions. This site censors topics like zionism (which is a secular political movement and should not ever be given racial protection) and drugs (not just heavy and known to be prejudicial drugs, but all drugs, it's almost like there's some spiritual enlightenment to be hidden...). This site is full of fear threads and psuedoprophetic nonsense. This site willingly trashes valuable members' accounts if "the management" deems necessary, either because they are touching on the hot topics of zionism and drugs or because they are critical of the corporate stance. Who knows, they might trash mine just because I know of this practice of free speech suppression. I'm not saying ATS is a NWO outpost, what I'm saying is that this site is run from a control culture viewpoint as a private enterprise. This brings a tendency for the ownership of the site to, erroneously, think they can shape the opinions of those posting here. This should be a free forum, where the ownership just enforces etiquette. But they have crossed that line and have become a very subtle sort of thought police.

So it takes some wading to find the truth here. But that just makes it all the more gratifying when some truth is found.

At the end of the day it's all about the individual, how he looks at himself and how he relates to others. The authoritive stance of some people and the lies of others are a small price to pay to realise that most people are good and concerned people and that there is no solid foundation for the construction of fascism and slavery, no matter how much the psychopaths try. In this picture ATS can be nice stepping stone on the way to somewhere else

reply to post by Magantice


I learnt about all sorts since monitoring and eventually joining ATS(monitored for 10 months then eventually joined in Jan/Feb this year), i was the kind of person who looked at the government as saviours then ATS taught me of the NWO and their agenda and all the symbols related to it and i woke up to it all. Not to mention the 9/11 conspiracy and the secret societies.. and the 2012 theory

Including alien visititation since "waking" up i've seen and been near many UFO's and Aliens many more than the few i had seen in previous years and the one occasion where i stood beside the craft itself, so thank you ATS for letting me grow intelectually and "spiritually"

[edit on 17/05/09 by Raider of Truth]

I have learned many thing from ATS:

1. That I easily get sickened by the overwhelming predictions of doom and gloom made on a daily basis.
2. That I usually leave ATS feeling crappy about life and yet I keep coming back.
3. The number of positive topics hover at about .05%
4. That while there are indeed intelligent people on ATS, the VAST majority have about as much common sense, scientific know how and reasoning skills as an average sized boulder.
5. That people will believe ANYTHING with virtually no evidence.
6. That many people come to ATS to feel special (empath anyone?)
7. ATS'ers believe that anyone questioning their beliefs are government shills.
8. There is absolutely no accountability on ATS, you can post your doom and gloom earthquake prediction for Monday, and when nothing comes to pass, post another one for Tuesday and you'll still be starred 50 times.


Here's my extended take for anyone who cares...

1. That I easily get sickened by the overwhelming predictions of doom and gloom made on a daily basis.
The sheer volume of earthquake, 2012, virus, pandemic, food shortage, sky is falling threads is enough to make even the most optimistic person feel a bit queasy. Honestly, can anyone say that after lurking on ATS for an hour or so makes them feel BETTER?

2. That I usually leave ATS feeling crappy about life and yet I keep coming back.
This is a sickness and I should see a shrink about it I think. I get so disheartened after visiting ATS, and not just about the postings, about humanity itself.

3. The number of positive topics hover at about .05%
Honestly.. this is sad. I know it's a conspiracy site, but come one.. does every thread have to be about someone in the government trying to kill us?

4. That while there are indeed intelligent people on ATS, the VAST majority have about as much common sense, scientific know how and reasoning skills as an average sized boulder.

I think this one is self-explanatory, the level of scientific knowledge on ATS for the vast majority would fit in a thimble.
I don't claim to be an expert, but neither do I see Jesus in a grilled cheese sandwich. The lack of ANY logical methodical thought processes in a personal pet belief is astounding.

Post a blurry pic in UFO and instantly you have 5-10 members saying it MUST be from outer space.
Post a pretty graph predicting an earthquake or other catastrophe and you have 5-10 members saying it WILL happen.

Where are the meteorologists? The physicists? The experts? Hell we have photo experts up the ying yang here and yet, seriously lacking in almost every other area.. what does that say? I think it says at one point they got tired of posting even the most basics physics, or otherwise scientific information to refute a claim and got frustrated and left.

Now what we are left with is what seems like 98% of high school dropouts.

5. That people will believe ANYTHING with virtually no evidence.
This is my absolute pet peeve...and folds back into 4 above. I understand that if you believe in ghost, you are more likely to believe a picture purporting to be of a ghost but come on.. I don't see any critical challenges by anyone other that "skeptics" or the dreaded "debunkers".
I could EASILY make a few videos and pictures that would absolutely have people defending their validity with a voracious attitude in minutes, based on nothing more that an uploaded photo.

6. That many people come to ATS to feel special (empath anyone?)
How many people on ATS fancy themselves psychics? Empaths? OOB? Future readers, predictors, seer of ghosts, all that supernatural bunk.. and yet, never is there any actual proof. We have people here who believe they can heal faster, talk to animals, talk to GOD...

ATS is a magnet for the delusional.
Don't get me wrong, I'd be the first to line up and praise our new Alien Overlords.. but they'd have to poke their heads in and say "hi" first, others.. just don't seem to have as high a standard, a cheesy photo is just fine thank you very much.

7. ATS'ers believe that anyone questioning their beliefs are government shills.
Yea right.. this gets in my craw! No one can possibly believe EVERYTHING, so in effect that leaves us with everyone being a skeptic of at least something. So how are you different that a "skeptic"?

Do you believe in UFO's, chem-trails, 9/11, Bigfoot, Illuminati, NWO.. all of it without question? Or are there just some subjects that are just beyond belief for you?

If you are not a true believer of EVERYTHING, then the next time you shoot off your mouth about skeptic this or debunker that, keep it in mind that you.. are also partly a skeptic. We all are. You personal belief shouldn't be excluded from challenge.


8. There is no accountability on ATS, you can post your doom and gloom earthquake prediction for Monday, and when nothing comes to pass, post another one for Tuesday and you'll still be starred 50 times.

I don't think I have to expound on this one.. there are several members who continually post earthquake, Tsunami, Planet X, and other doomsday threads and just continue to move the goal posts when it doesn't come to pass.

Rinse, Lather.. repeat.

It's sad.. and dangerous, we have already established that the ATS membership is a bit.. impressionable and when these posts come out, earthquake, buy gold, learn to garden, virus will kill us, don't take vaccinations, drink silver.. blah blah blah.. they SCARE people. It's like stealing money from a kid in a wheelchairs, it's just not right.

Some of the threads on ATS cause people to spend all their savings on food packets, duck tape and plastic sheets and possible alienate a family member or two in the process. Then still others convince them not to get flu shots or vaccinations or approved drugs that could help them.


I wonder how many people could potentially DIE from the "advice" of ATS members?


I started with ATS a long time ago, when it was fun.. now it's not so much fun. No one wants to be challenged.. no one seems to care either. You say something and the legions scream you down with rhetoric, call you names and dismiss even the simplest question.

Which leads me to my final take on what I learned from ATS..
My fellow man (at least in this context) is almost always an embarrassment.


And just in case someone feels the need to come back with the always witty "then leave" comment ... see # 2 above. It's a sickness.