Paying too much attention, causes distraction...

Ok folks, let's take a look at what we're missing here.
Within these pages, the quantity of argumentative "discussion" and "speculation", has evolved into the no more than the very "medium of distraction" that brought many of here to begin with.
I don't know about any of you, but to me this was an area that brought me information that ,
(a) I had not been aware off,
(b) didn't know where to find more information on, or
(c) brought rational, intelligent and valid points and questions to the given subjects.
Lately, I seem to come across information that is false, fake and seemingly intentionally misdirecting.
While members are busy "arguing" and name-calling, important issues on the world stage are slipping by unnoticed to most. In effect making this site another "media of distraction" site, and we're all getting sucked in.
Is it just me or has anyone else found the quality of postings and it's members, less than the "standard" ATS had once set?
Perhaps it is me, that has come to expect more from ATS and it's members.

I don't post often (sometimes I do so in flurries like tonight) and I have been lurking ATS for a long long time now and only recently made an account purely because I got sick of reading so much useless discussion I hoped trying to post the opposite would help.

ATS has essentially turned into a distraction. People will star and flag a thread, then feel the need to simply reply saying "good post, star'd and flagged" which really doesn't contribute to anything and down the line when the first page of a thread is filled with things like this people stop bothering reading the actually thought out replies.

I partly blame the political forums and encouragement of discussion between the conservatives and liberals, where it essentially becomes at any given moment a pretty dumb conversation.

Also, a couple years ago seeing posts with "ur" instead of "your" would have been non-existent, but it appears even spelling and grammar has gone out the window here.