Look no further~ The Gentleperson's Guide To Forum Spies

...COINTELPRO was concluded in the 70s. I know several in the FBI and they can confirm such projects don't exist. If you're not talking about the FBI, then what? And where's the proof it exists? Surely there's a name and address for this corporation that employs "shills".

You won't find any evidence because it's just nonsense spread by kooks.

This moderator has been here since 2003. Being in such an environment for so long has obviously taken its toll on his sensibilities. He's a radical conspiracy buff who sees messages from God in his Alphabet Soup.

Personally I'd like to know why he doesn't tip Chinese waiters and why he eyeballed a schoolyard girl in 1995. That's what this thread should be about instead of looking at generic traits that apply to almost any sane user here.

reply to post by TheLegend


How much do they pay you?

My two cents is TPTB work passively online moreso than actively.

Wonderful post this is something to be learned! Arguments that are irrational and illogical
on ATS dismantle any true information that we get here. Unless you do some critical thinking which you should be doing anyway.......

This is a topic that has kept me from logging in and saying something or contributing...until now. Heck, I almost wanted to forget about this website! From the topics I have replied to or threads I've created in the past, I can tell when/who the buzzard debunkers, disinfomants, and paid shills/trolls chime in.
As a lurker for the past two years, I've become the hawk to watch the buzzards. I'm not going to reveal my tactics or who the paid shills are, but it has become very obvious. I've done my research. ATS has been infiltrated with this disease and it needs to be purged of this. Has this site been sold to a third party? What's going on here?

Kratos40

Yet again, if any government wants to buy my services I am open for business.....but being a bit serious....it isn't that hard to identify a cointelpro.

Originally posted by deadeyedick
reply to post by TheLegend

 

How much do they pay you?

Haha that's funny...

Exactly my thought!

It seems to me that this list of disinformation techniques isn't just applied to internet forums, but also applied to almost every form of MSM information we have in the USA.

To both OA and TL
I'm not too sure it is so much the individual or agency. As it is the modes used by certain individuals or gaggles of.

The point of my posting this thread was to bring awareness to the forms and modes of topic derailment or ignorance proliferation as I like to call it. Obviously not everybody is a disinfo or COINTELPRO agent, but their actions may be. Not every one who qualifies on the range as an expert rifleman is a sniper, but they can shoot like one.

I hope that clears up the difference of understanding.
Sure those methods may apply to any one, doesn't make them an agent. A pattern of habitual use of those methods however, could indicate otherwise.

Not to mention when a few people start slinging acronyms around like COINTELPRO, the majority are puzzled.
This thread hopefully will help, versus wandering around a hall of mirrors without a clue.

reply to post by ADVISOR


I don't want to be agressive, or even suggest you are wrong. I mean -- how would I know?

But here's the thing: The list at the top of this post is kind of like astrology. It applies to pretty much everyone at some point or another. Then there is the overall language of the piece, which uses words and phrases which imply the intelligence officer doing things to bury truth and forum heroes are fighting for freedom. Does that seem right to you? Who -- outside of Bond villainy talks like that? In my experience, real bad guys always think they are doing "right;" it's what makes them so terrifying.

ATS is a lot of things, but it is not the front lines of freedom, ok? The Chinese don't need to monitor an ATS thread on the Higgs Bosun to know that most Americans can't talk about theoretical physics without invoking "the godhead," or "intuitive cosmic knowledge."

If we are going to deny ignorance around here, lets start right here, right now. Who wrote this? What is it's pedigree? Why does the author speak like a cartoon supervillain? Once we've nailed down some of that, then I might be prepared to get on board the search for forum private eyes. Until then? I am glowering dubious.

reply to post by 0zzymand0s


No worries, that's totally cool.

I guess my disinterested posture towards the author may be in conflict with those who are.
Let the record show I'm in support of that and encourage any one it bothers to find that out.

Completely relevant given the atmosphere , please do not let my lack of curiosity get in the way.
The content is my focus not so much the format, but if those of you who want to proceed in that direction are welcome, I didn't notice any resistance.

Just keep in mind, the author is not the topic only an aspect of it.

In addition as an afterthought, who's to say the information isn't just chicken feed used as a plant for measuring the response to said subject matter?

reply to post by ADVISOR


Fair enough. It just seems kind of suspicious that the information would be worded the way it was.

reply to post by 0zzymand0s


See my above edit.

Actually, very little needs to be done actively; the community itself does the job all on its own.

Because of the sheer numbers of people, we get so much noise that any 'truth' is obscured in the dust. Couple that with the natural tendency for cognitive bias and you get a very polarized community, one that has a very loud, fringe group that decries anything that might disturb their world view, calling any criticism 'shrills' and 'cointelpro'. Any real effort at disinformation has very little work to do on their own, since the forums population does the work for them.

You won't find any misdirection until you can teach the population a few simple skills, such as vetting their sources and multi-sourcing their data, removing emotional statements and opinion from debate and understanding the 'peer review' process.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. Be prepared to present such, or, to stand down, open minded, without a preconceived conclusion.

We also need to learn to have a conversation - a thing sadly lacking around here. Please read through a thread before contributing, our efforts must be collaborative in order to be strong. Otherwise you're just singing in the wind to yourself.

Learning critical thinking skills is essential to preventing what could be a great endeavor for joint exploration to become a bed of endless repetitive rhetoric and noise.

reply to post by Neocrusader


Did you link to my profile?? Was this a trick??? Have I even been on a thread with you???

Please explain...

- AB

Woah - neat trick!!! Now you know who actually clicks on the links!!!!

I need to start reporting off topic posts.
I see alot of that.

Technique #3 - 'TOPIC DILUTION'

Topic dilution is not only effective in forum sliding it is also very useful in keeping the forum readers on unrelated and non-productive issues. This is a critical and useful technique to cause a 'RESOURCE BURN.' By implementing continual and non-related postings that distract and disrupt (trolling ) the forum readers they are more effectively stopped from anything of any real productivity. If the intensity of gradual dilution is intense enough, the readers will effectively stop researching and simply slip into a 'gossip mode.' In this state they can be more easily misdirected away from facts towards uninformed conjecture and opinion. The less informed they are the more effective and easy it becomes to control the entire group in the direction that you would desire the group to go in. It must be stressed that a proper assessment of the psychological capabilities and levels of education is first determined of the group to determine at what level to 'drive in the wedge.' By being too far off topic too quickly it may trigger censorship by a forum moderator.

reply to post by MidnightTide


I thought you were already getting paid by subway.
Your avater makes me hungry and envious of super heros!

These are great comments and are absolutely what happens.

I had the personal experience of posting on another blog about very controversial issue. It turned out there were government employees on government time posting. (without disclosure of who they were). This side also had professional marketing people post almost 24 hours a day. There were two multi-millionaires who funded groups in favor of the government stance.

The same tactics stated in the article were employed. They used government resources to track down people and called their employer. They found out my name and employment info too. They had the newspaper ban anyone who opposed the government position.

These people have posted here on ATS too. I won't say their names. Luckily, there's enough people here on ATS that they didn't get to take over posting like they did on other boards.

It was incredible what they did. If I told you the issue, you would almost laugh. I can't imagine what goes on with the real serious stuff like 9-11.

Originally posted by RealSpoke
So what is your guys favorite firearm other than a shotgun? If you don't answer me you're racist.

edit on 12-7-2012 by RealSpoke because: (no reason given)

I'm cool with anything that's belt fed.

love the guide
kick ass thread

wonder how they came up with the title.
also love how they use ATS as an example
with a link to the site and everything.
makes me think it was written by some1
who spends a lot on time here

what do the letters to the right of my reply stand for? i understand the s&f...what of the rest?
my apologies for this question, but i am unable to find the answer anywhere...

I will bid you a farewell with a quote from dmx.
"Because i found the devil working here i know that GOD is real."