I am RIGHT! and you are WRONG!

Can someone maybe educate me or enlighten me as to WHY it is SOOO important to be "RIGHT" or "WRONG" on any speculative/contentious issue?

I mean, ok I get it everyone want's the GLORY of being RIGHT and no one likes the HUMILITY of being WRONG but I guess I just don't understand the need to say "I TOLD YOU SO"...

There seems to be an intellectual expectation of sort to "acknowledge official story/info" etc otherwise you will be labeled any number of unintelligent things. This behavior here, on ATS of all places seems way out of place...I can't imagine that some people would join this site simply because it gives them an opportunity to bash others and their theories, ideas, etc when they turn out to be "wrong"...

People who live a fantasy, will do so until THEY ARE READY TO COME OUT, not because someone on ATS made them see the light... which here seem to have taken that on as their ROLE or DUTY to do in the name of "Denying Ignorance" they enter threads and ridicule and bash for any number of reasons but mostly due to a superior sense of self-intellect based largely on what they interpret as facts and where they get there “facts” from…That my friends is ignorance to the finest degree…

Here is the unfortunate side-effect of bashing and belittling people’s ideas, theories, and beliefs:

By BASHING I mean generalizing them ALL into a category (Tin Foil Hat, Truther, OS’er, Eleniner, Doomsayer, Fear monger, Sheeple etc) as to immediately discredit them and everything have said or will say…By bashing I mean insulting or questioning one’s intelligence or ability to think for themselves etc and this is done on BOTH SIDES of the spectrum…

Anyway the unfortunate side effect of the ridicule is some people (not all) lose their desire to create content or bring up talking points or the worst, ASK QUESTIONS…because of the ridicule that is sure to follow regardless of what questions are asked it seems inevitable that someone come in and destroy the OP. Some of you find this valuable…and that is unfortunate.

I guess this may be the nature of the beast when it comes to “humans” and their “beliefs” but at some point won’t we have to evolve or grow past all that? Its ultimately childish behavior that I TOO AM GUILTY OF on occasion…just as now I am in a way “ridiculing the ridiculers” lol

This site is very important because of the multiple topics that can be discussed and addressed by people from both ends of the spectrum. This gives us all here a much more detailed and informed picture of the world than ANYONE who solely involves themselves in MSM (CNN, FOX, MSNBC) or anyone who solely involves themselves in Alternative News sources. Lets not ridicule members to the point of exile on either side otherwise our views will in the end become predominant on one side and thus be biased. The only thing we all have to agree on is to disagree. The different theories, views, beliefs, etc are crucial in maintaining a full spectrum picture of the world in which we all share. All views are equally valid or worthless…lol

Everyone here is a skeptic period. Whether we are skeptical of conspiracies or MSM stories or official stories or what have you so we all have at least that in common…

I guess ultimately what I’m trying to say that we all to a degree need to learn to “get over ourselves” and how “awesome” we think we are or even how “awesome” some other people think we are…The EGO needs to GO…this is something we all can work on myself included.

I think once the EGO goes out the door the evolution of conversations/topics on this forum would be improved 100%

This is all just my opinion though so take it for what its worth to you.

I agree.... only because I know I'm wrong A LOT!! But I need to learn how to word some things different and I realize this.... I offend people too easily although some of it is misinterpretation on their part.

Anyways, good post and interesting points! I'll try really hard not to bash

That is a fine post..with a lot of truth to it..

On a lot of these theories and speculations, I think being right should fall at the bottom of the list.

I would be really happy actually ..if some one could actually prove me wrong , about the suspicions I have.

Its a difficult world to have trust in these days..and there is some very valid reasons for this.

My ego gets in the way many times, and I want others to see the "truth" in what I say..but ultimately ,the truth about things eventually comes out on certain topics, and for others it may take years, or simply remain confusing and a hidden mystery till we reach our graves.

Thank you for a well written post, and it reminds me to check my ego.. and hopefully "right" reveals itself in time.

You mean have mature, adult conversations? Sacrilege!!!

I felt you handled yourself quite well in the recent, and displayed better restraint than I did.

S&F for a good, common sense thread.

If no one is right or wrong then how low can you go with the bar. If one accepts things as fact simply because they were uttered or written down or even agreed to by a group of people; you have watered down the body of knowledge to the point where it becomes pointless.

I come from an era where understanding the difference between a fact and a fantasy was considered a positive accomplishment -- people admired people who were adept at logic, and we ended up putting men on the moon.

If a school a group or a society does not seek or demand good quality logical thinking and all thinking is considered quality then no thinking has quality.

Most everyone should be heard but not everyone should be believed.

I love to be found wrong and the longer held the belief the more amusing discovery.

Originally posted by spyder550
If no one is right or wrong then how low can you go with the bar. If one accepts things as fact simply because they were uttered or written down or even agreed to by a group of people; you have watered down the body of knowledge to the point where it becomes pointless.

I come from an era where understanding the difference between a fact and a fantasy was considered a positive accomplishment -- people admired people who were adept at logic, and we ended up putting men on the moon.

I don't particularly believe logic alone is what "landed us on the moon"...there is an aweful lot of scientific theory turned fact involved that was at some point or another ridiculted and belittled.

If a school a group or a society does not seek or demand good quality logical thinking and all thinking is considered quality then no thinking has quality.

Most everyone should be heard but not everyone should be believed.

There is room for disbelief of all areas and that is not where the problem is, the problem is in the thought that "IF I call this guy stupid enough times he might finally GET IT" which I have seen multitudes of times within these forums and it is absolutely counter-productive in getting people to actually listen to you or take what your saying as anything but an insult.

I believe that when you mix TRUTH with an INSULT all most people will hear is the insult and internally "shut down" or "figh back" on the same insultive turf (common fight or flight reaction)

I love to be found wrong and the longer held the belief the more amusing discovery.

edit on 27-9-2011 by spyder550 because: (no reason given)

I think it would benefit on both sides of the table if being wrong wasn't so bastardized with insults of persona and overall intellegence and legtimacy... but instead if being wrong was a step to enlightenment or further knowledge on the road to ultimate truth. This is why the EGO needs to go, and this goes for both sides of the spectrum (believers and skeptics alike).


Instulting, name calling, belittleing, discrediting will not convert them to a common line of thought but only push them further away.