posted on Jan, 12 2011 @ 12:30 PM
ATS is not a live being, therefore it is incapable of causing hurt, pain, or any other emotion. ATS, like all inanimate objects, requires human
participation to be or become anything.
So the question you should really ask is:
How much do the people of ATS hurt or help the world?
That question, like any other that pertains to the human race, varies depending on the particular person that is participating. Some people on this
site do go overboard. Some purposefully try and antagonize those with different beliefs and stop at nothing until the situation is red hot and out of
control [or they get banned....whichever happens first]. Then there are those that try always to remember common courtesy, are aware of others
opinions and feelings, and act accordingly. Again, it boils down to who you are as a person and not what site you are on. I guarantee that someone
that acts childish and disrespectful on this site, does so in real life, and on other sites, as well. The argument can be made that the Internet
allows for exaggerated reaction/emotion, but that would still require the reaction/emotion to exist within a person first.
However, just as in everyday life, the majority of people, on ATS and everywhere, are all good people with good intentions: finding/creating a better
life for themselves, their neighbors, their friends, and their families.
Perhaps to some this is merely a case of semantics, but to me it is the very ground we seem to be losing sight of. Not to mention that this is merely
yet another layer to the ultimate question of "What/who is to blame for our current lot in life."
People everywhere, in light of the Tucson tragedy, are seemingly beginning to forget that violence is not a result of available weaponry but rather a
desire to create or cause violence in the first place. This correlates to your question regarding ATS in my opinion. It is not ATS that incites
violence. Nor is it ATS that can save the world. Only people can do either.
If ATS didn't exist, those that wished to create chaos and anger would do so via an alternative method.
Now, as far as the people that own ATS and the moderators, administrators, etc. I believe that they do all they can to reign in the crazies, the ones
that are here just to stir the pot, the members and posters that don't necessarily have good intentions, etc. ATS at least tries....which is more
than I can say for a lot of other sites.