You people are making ATS a miserable place....

Originally posted by BrokenCircles
Sadly, you are not alone with that. There are many other lazy punks who wanna complain about it, without even attempting to do something about it.

Sadly you just made the OP's point. It's not the creating of threads that's the problem. It's these insensitive people that have nothing better to do than pick on other people.

Originally posted by restlessinMT
I understand what your feeling. I have felt the same over the last 3 months. It is the same everywhere. If you dare watch the news it is the same mindless propaganda or the same story and commentary over and over. At least here there are options.

I have avoided the gun threads and keep my focus on new threads that seem interesting. Plus try to give ATS a rest for a day or two.

As if I could.

There is and will be plenty new things for us to sink our teeth into. I guarantee it! Don't give up on all of us!

Loves Restless

Thank you!! These type of comments are what makes me know that I am not alone with this and I shouldn't give op on ATS just yet!

To paraphrase:

Everyone Stop Posting Things I Disagree With


You should run for office. They'll love you on capitol hill.

Originally posted by Hefficide

The following is my opinion as a member participating in this discussion.

At the risk of causing a furor, I am going to state that I tend to agree with the OP - at least in spirit. I'll do so by quoting a line from a movie, The Alamo... "Sometimes it's not what you say, Travis, but how you say it...." That pretty much sums up most of the SH / 2nd Amendment posts and threads I've encountered. Many of them aren't conversations - they are manifestos with barely concealed invitations for lynchings to anyone who disagrees.

Of course that all seems to follow the trend. I came to ATS seeing myself as a conservative person - and wound up being pretty much seen as one of the main liberals here. Even though I own guns, love America, have lived a full life, and am one of the minority on ATS who has actually been shot and has shot another human being... I'm pigeon holed as a gun hating hippie, it seems... simply because I don't jump on the "we need an insurrection TODAY" bandwagon.

It seems the fun never stops.

Anyway, OP, I understand your frustration and your feeling like the ATS you knew isn't what you are seeing on a day to day basis currently. To use another quote / cliche... This, too, shall pass. Give it a few weeks and the hyperbole prone will find a totally new subject to go full overdrive about - and hopefully it will be less volatile a subject and one we can all enter into without feeling like somebody is going to rip our heads off.

~Heff

As an ATS Staff Member, I will not moderate in threads such as this where I have participated as a member.

edit on 1/23/13 by Hefficide because: (no reason given)

Firstly welcome back Heff,

As I tend to be less verbose than your good self, I've got to agree that the quality of debate has diminished.
On the other hand aren't we responsible if we choose to enter into an arguement with a troll ? God knows I've made that mistake.

We can always pick and choose to whom we wish to reply, besides I like a good row now and again.

Cody

Originally posted by intrepid

Originally posted by BrokenCircles
Sadly, you are not alone with that. There are many other lazy punks who wanna complain about it, without even attempting to do something about it.

Sadly you just made the OP's point. It's not the creating of threads that's the problem. It's these insensitive people that have nothing better to do than pick on other people.

Ignore them guys, if you ignore them long enough they'll get bored and away.
Worked for my mum with me

reply to post by Djayed

Originally posted by Djayed

I wasn't lashing out....I was ranting about my opinion in the rant forum. These non constructive comments are exactly what I was referencing.

Also, can you see the irony of telling me to deal with other peoples post by not going to those forums. When you are complaining about my post that was posted in the Rants Forum??

LOL....sorry had to point that out!

You could not be any further from the truth, with every bit of that↑. I provided you with suggestions.

Would you have preferred my comment to be more along the lines of:
"Yeah. You're right. I hate that too. S&F for you."??

Or you would you rather find a solution?

Just as it is entirely up to you which threads you decide to read, it is also up to you to decide if you want to find a solution, or if you just wanna see how many people agree with you.







If you just want to continue complaining, then have at it, and don't even bother reading the rest of this reply. The choice is yours.

Originally posted by Djayed

I agree, I go to new and trending topics as a habit but I think I will switch to the forums so I can pick the conversations!

click→My ATS
[color=898989](Which is located on the right side of the blue bar atop this page.)


Each individual forum on that page has a:
small green triangle pointing upwards.
small blue triangle pointing down.
& a red 'X'


Order them any which way you want. Move the forums for the topics that you're most interested in, up towards the top of the list. Click the red 'X' to remove the forums based on subjects that you're not interested in.

if a member is a day to day visitor, for over a year, they would see a pattern on how ATS works...

there is the political trend, abortion trend, gun trend...racism.. religion, doomsday porn....there is sometimes circumcision..... people eating people...

These gets repeated each year.. of course there are lot of good stuff that happens in the middle and the good stuff is what i'm here for.

Originally posted by intrepid
Sadly you just made the OP's point. It's not the creating of threads that's the problem. It's these insensitive people that have nothing better to do than pick on other people.

Or like your colleague-moderator neformore puts it quite eloquently:

Debate the members posts and NOT the poster. Its a simple thing to remember.

ATS is NOT a battleground, its a place for civil discussion, debate and reasoned understanding. Please respect other peoples rights to have an opinion.

It is that simple really...

Peace

reply to post by intrepid

As I just stated ↑↑↑↑, I offered suggestions.

Originally posted by intrepid

Sadly you just made the OP's point. It's not the creating of threads that's the problem. It's these insensitive people that have nothing better to do than pick on other people.

What the hell did you do with your post?
It has no substance.




As is clearly shown by the several stars(and the several more that will surely come to your post), most people don't actually want to find a solution at all. They just wanna see how many others agree with their complaint. It's completely irrational.

Originally posted by Djayed

1. I do not feel that I cannot express myself, it is just easy to be distracted by shiny objects, and when I say shiny objects I mean propaganda, lies, or comments threads posted without any factual data behind it. We are not in a verbal coversation where you can only rely on what is in your head. We are on the Internet, we should be able to have factual conversations instead of bs.

2. Self expression is one thing but opinions or non factual information being passed as fact is another.

3. Leaving something open to debate is one thing, but stating this is how it is and if you do not see it you are a sheep or blind is another

4. The negativity will steer noobs from even posting for fear that everyone will start to attack them from evey side.

That was my point...

You are steering people away in much the same way.

Fear of posting because of judgment. And your solution is Judge the judgers...

BE the change you want to see. Support the posts you like..

What more do you want?

Fascism?

Hint: I am not asking for gripes, I am asking what do you propose? I know I'm coming in at a weird angle.. My angle is help people by supporting them and ask many many questions.. This lets them know they better bring it all to the table next time..

The solution to making this site better isn't banning stupid posts, it's making stupid posts unacceptable socially, not through judgement, but through clarifying questions.. Help people grow and soon enough the "noobs" will get the hint..

Complaining about it won't get anything but resistance.

The Post below mine gets a star.. It's saying what I've been saying, or trying to say.

Here is my opinion, such as it is. You open and read the threads you do by choice. You sidetrack yourself into other subjects by choice. You do not post the threads you originally joined in order to post by choice. Might I suggest you choose to be the change you wish and ignore the trends. Post the threads you intended to post and step away from the flow for a bit. The funny thing about ATS is that when one of these trends hit there are a lot of people that want to step away from them but due to there being little other choices step away from the site itself. So I state again BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH IT TO BE. Write your threads so those of us that wish to step out of the trends have something else to read and comment on. It really is that simple.

The nature of these sites is filled with negativity. It's an outlet for many people. A lot of these people wouldn't dare act in society, as they do on these online forums, because obviously, they'd get the arse beat. It's just the nature of forum's. Not just this type of forum, but very nearly all forums, I've seen outrageously rude and inappropriate behavior. Even I've been worked up in a bother, and let loose at times.

When I get weighed down by the negativity of not just posters, but the sort of content that gets posted on forums such as ATS, I take a break. It's either that, or my own self-control breaks, and I start acting/posting in ways that I wouldn't normally. What's more, it can affect how I am in the actual mundane world.

But one thing I've learned not to do - Is let myself believe that anyone, other than myself, can make me miserable.


Cirque

I would say you have to be a rock...

But it's more fitting to say you have to be metal to survive on this mofo.

Originally posted by ararisq
To paraphrase:

Everyone Stop Posting Things I Disagree With


You should run for office. They'll love you on capitol hill.

Now that's just plain silly. It is quite clear the OP is fed up with the often anachronistic peddlers of agenda, and not those who want to discuss the pro's and con's in thread subjects that come out of real present day crisis.
Sultans of swing, these peddlers are not.

reply to post by Djayed


I think it is fair to feel that way. Before I responded, I checked the threads you started. They are indeed across the spectrum in a number of different forums. Seems to me your input is what ATS needs. Keep up the good work.

Total empathy on the frustration though. I used to put good threads together but got little response. Either I suck at writing or my group think compass is significantly off track....(deep sigh)...

Originally posted by Djayed

Originally posted by TheSparrowSings
Perhaps, instead of looking at the "new topics" or "trending" ones, go straight to the forums. I usually skip the main page and go directly to fragile earth. Looking at all the forums that I like allows more of a variation and ATS is just like it used to be, atleast for me.

I agree, I go to new and trending topics as a habit but I think I will switch to the forums so I can pick the conversations!

edit on 1/23/2013 by Djayed because: (no reason given)

Atta girl! (Girl, right?) Even with 7 threads running the same topic that leaves hundreds of threads to choose from. I'm not political, and I think I may have posted a couple of times in the threads on shootings, but for the most it just hurts to talk about it. I said what I wanted in the threads on the right to bear arms, so I no longer participate in those. But still, the good people here always come up with something of interest. Just have to look for them.

It's true. People that cannot argue with valid points here (AKA 90% of the gun rights folks) resort to name calling and sneering rhetoric. 1st They come off as though you have insulted them personally, and sure enough the other pro-gun buddies chime in/ give out stars like robots to make their own idiocy seem relevant. 2nd they claim that your post is off topic, or squeal for the mods to move the posts/threads to somewhere that the public has a harder time finding it. 3rd they come off as though you have no business in their business. Which is complete BS, especially on an international forum. The Conservative minded folks have banded together, call it a monopoly and smear their ridiculous paranoia on EVERY forum here.
I gave up on the gun control threads. It's not worth my time to argue with Hoss off of Gunsmoke,
Good rant, stars and flags .

*Not much you can do about it, except make a "Gun Control" forum (hint hint) You'd think that both sides of the issue would like that, but when it's suggested you get pretty much slapped by the gun-rights folks. They see it as an infraction of their rights here

Originally posted by ABNARTY
reply to post by Djayed

 

I think it is fair to feel that way. Before I responded, I checked the threads you started. They are indeed across the spectrum in a number of different forums. Seems to me your input is what ATS needs. Keep up the good work.

Total empathy on the frustration though. I used to put good threads together but got little response. Either I suck at writing or my group think compass is significantly off track....(deep sigh)...

A lot of times it's because you write better. i don't know first hand. But generally when people act like that it's because they can't measure up and every time you write a thread it hurts their ego just a little bit more.

Bye

OP is essentially correct. Haughtily telling him to bugger off is missing the point. That's easy to say because essentially you are telling anyone who doesn't like it here to just leave. That's a very superficial point of view. Consider the issues.

ATS has become a MSM barely-conspiracy site. You get the same news on Drudge or even Fox. (I know: You HATE Fox! Well, I hate MSNBC and CNN, so we're even.) The site is no longer special. You can get anything here. Once ANYTHING happens on ANY subject, it gets posted here, usually several times. As a result, the subjects that originally made ATS special have been shunted to the side and can hardly get a word in sidewise.

THAT, I think, is the issue. In many ways ATS is a victim of its own success. As it gets more popular, then people who are interested in more popular things show up and contribute popular things. Thus the more unpopular issues get over-shadowed. When special places get popular, they become no longer special. They look just like everywhere else. It's like a quaint small town that suddenly gets a cruise line. Suddenly it changes to accommodate the tourists and becomes a parody of itself selling trinkets of local sites made in China.

Have you ever been to the Vatican? Like it or not it is one of the most important sites in the Western World. Now that anyone can get there everyone does. They walk in shorts and flip flops, talk and text in the Sistine Chapel, form long lines at the restrooms, and often have no idea of what they are viewing. But they go to the gift shop and can buy postcards with multiple Vatican scenes, including a picture of the Pope. It has taken the sacred and made it mundane.

The Vatican has helped do that just as ATS has participated in what I would call the dilution of the site. That's because ATS is a business, It's designed to maximize hits, to make "user generated content" into a revenue stream. The more hits, the more clicks, the more bucks. It's in their best interests to hecome a "hub," and if they aren't, really, they'll exaggerate the stats to show it.

ATS is a circus and a carnival. It's fun and entertaining and we all gleefully participate. But we're the Marks, folks. Don't forget that.