Flat Earthers

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I am not giving them any credit, I am just saying that its just not worth worrying about..

So what if 0.00000000000000000001  % of the populous believe in something stupid?

About to move this thread to the stupid list ;)

 
Would it do any good to have him talk to someone that has been on the International Space Station? He does understand the concept of orbiting around a spherical mass, doesn't he? :dunno:
Anyone who claims to have been on the ISS would be a part of the conspiracy, don't you see?

To respond to @Road Guy, my point is that this type of thinking is part of a growing and increasingly acceptable way of thinking that rejects and distrusts science and is willing to believe almost anything that plays to their particular biases.  The flat earthers probably don't present any particular threat to the rest of us, I am sure, but people who refuse vaccinations do.  As time goes on, if this mindset isn't controlled and is in fact rewarded with ridiculous excuses such as "they are just demonstrating that one should do one's own research", then what will be next?  It's not like humanity hasn't reversed progress before because of superstition , non-rational beliefs, and thinking of scientists as the enemy .  One could easily argue that the internet and the age of mass media makes it even easier for that to occur (choose whatever information appeals to you the most), hence my mention of the "dark ages" as a possible outcome.   

(and to correct your math, it would be 0.2% of the populous that believes the flat earth theory according to the article int he original post, and 20% of the populous that still believes that the MMR vaccine causes autism according to the conspiracy theory paper above)

 
Well everyone used to think the earth was flat, so I definitely think their numbers are on the decline.  As far as other conspiracy theorists, I really think the reason they seem to be increasing is because of social media.  We never used to hear about them or from them - now they have a platform to get their message out. 

The solution may be in the messenger. Scientists aren't always the best ones to try to convince skeptics.  I saw a cool video about a scientist who convinced the Pope that climate change was real and worth doing something about (Scientist gets the message out).  He is someone that many trust and believe in and will listen too, and it made a difference. You have to convince a leader in their community to believe and he or she will do the rest.

But don't waste your time on the Flat Earthers...they're just stupid.

 
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Anyone who claims to have been on the ISS would be a part of the conspiracy, don't you see?

To respond to @Road Guy, my point is that this type of thinking is part of a growing and increasingly acceptable way of thinking that rejects and distrusts science and is willing to believe almost anything that plays to their particular biases.  The flat earthers probably don't present any particular threat to the rest of us, I am sure, but people who refuse vaccinations do.  As time goes on, if this mindset isn't controlled and is in fact rewarded with ridiculous excuses such as "they are just demonstrating that one should do one's own research", then what will be next?  It's not like humanity hasn't reversed progress before because of superstition , non-rational beliefs, and thinking of scientists as the enemy .  One could easily argue that the internet and the age of mass media makes it even easier for that to occur (choose whatever information appeals to you the most), hence my mention of the "dark ages" as a possible outcome.   

(and to correct your math, it would be 0.2% of the populous that believes the flat earth theory according to the article int he original post, and 20% of the populous that still believes that the MMR vaccine causes autism according to the conspiracy theory paper above)
When it comes to vaccines, they are a victim of their own success. Parents today have no idea what an iron lung is or the effects of polio. As these anti-vaxers' children start to get sick, often-times they switch course very quickly once they are faced with the harsh realities of what these diseases are capable of.

 
Yawn, (about this whole thing)

but no way is it 0.2% - there's no way that around a million people fall for this. Heck I don't think were even that many votes for gary johnson

 
Yawn, (about this whole thing)

but no way is it 0.2% - there's no way that around a million people fall for this. Heck I don't think were even that many votes for gary johnson
"They say 65 percent of all statistics
Are made up right there on the spot
82.4 percent of people believe 'em
Whether they're accurate statistics or not
I don't know what you believe
But I do know there's no doubt
I need another double-shot of something 90 proof
I got too much to think about" - Statistician's Blues by Todd Snider

 
Here's a good analysis of the problem from Psychology Today, in which they argue that many are confusing skepticism (healthy) with denialism (unhealthy):

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/psych-unseen/201702/flat-earthers-belief-skepticism-and-denialism

In terms of psychological and social health, we would all do well to be more flexible with our personal belief convictions, keeping an open mind to the possibility that we might be wrong. But at the same time, we would also do well to “believe in” the process of “believing that.” According to that advice, denialism holds us back, tethering us to false beliefs that are inconsistent with the facts and worthy of ridicule.

 
Various scientific fields can provide proof that the Earth is indeed spherical, but many such proofs require the person requesting the proof to be basically competent in basic math and/or science. 

For the flat-earther crowd, their "proof" is actually far more simplistic.  Just show me the edge of the Earth, and I'll be convinced.  In order for the Earth to be flat, there either has to be edges in each direction, or the surface area of the Earth has to be infinite.

 
So I always thought that the flat earthers didn't actually believe the earth was flat but just wanted to claim something outrageous to spark interest in their belief that people should do their own research and challenge the scientists for proof or something along those lines. I didn't realize they actually thought that.  I didn't think a movement so easily disproved could hold any water,  guess I gave people too much credit. 
Trust me man, I know one.  She is a 7th Day Adventist and her argument for a flat earth is because the bible says that the earth is flat (which is true, it does).  

Another thing she believes in which I don't think anyone has brought up yet is the Illuminati and the New World Order.  She believes there is a secret world elite that has plans for us all when they take over the world.    

This is certainly a fascinating topic. I'm not necessarily an advocate for conspiracy theories, but I do recall one that I take particular interest in that I think @ptatohed was part of. Where he provided some pretty convincing arguments in favor of how the moon landing was staged. But to all the points made above, how could all those involved keep something like that quiet for as long as it has been? :dunno:
Ha-ha, I remember that thread.  Yeah, as I've said I am not a conspiracy theorist on any other topic (as far as I know), and I do consider myself rational and logical, but I am just not convinced that we had the technology to fly humans to the moon in 1969.  Anyway, I won't list the other arguments (unless requested) but, yeah, call me a nut, it's ok.

As for climate change, I am not convinced that any climate change is human caused.  But I wouldn't call it a conspiracy as Dleg's publication did.  I just think there is a chance scientists are wrong about the man-made causes of climate change.  I don't doubt that parts of the earth are rising in temperature and that the climate is experiencing changes.  But the earth has been around for millions and millions of years and has undergone countless natural climate changes long before man was here.  All the time, we hear failed prediction attempts by weather forecasters and meteorologists.  Last winter here in southern California, we were supposed to have a huge "El Nino" and people were warned and advised to prepare.  Sandbags were handed out, response teams were formed, evacuation routes were planned, etc., etc.  No El Nino.  Again, here in CA, we were in a "drought" and this drought was supposed to last another 7 years at least.  We had mandatory water cutbacks, could only water our lawns 3 days per week, new construction could not plant grass, etc. etc.  Well?  This winter was incredibly wet and no more drought.  My point is weather forecasters can do a reasonably good job predicting the weather a day, even a week or two in advance.  But ask them to predict a year or more out?  Nearly always wrong.  I am just not compelled that anyone can "know" current changes in global climate are directly associated with human activity.  Again, call me a nut.  

 
Actually The flat earthers follow the same logic as the global warming alarmists - they base things on what they see in their short insignificant life. 

I walked from Florida to California and the earth is flat by my observation the earth must also

be flat.  

We had hurricanes during "hurricane season" - must be global warming....

 
https://www.livescience.com/14754-ingenious-flat-earth-theory-revealed-map.html 

Orlando-Ferguson-flat-earth-map_edit.jpg


 
Actually The flat earthers follow the same logic as the global warming alarmists - they base things on what they see in their short insignificant life. 

I walked from Florida to California and the earth is flat by my observation the earth must also

be flat.  

We had hurricanes during "hurricane season" - must be global warming....
It's worse than that, because they can not do math.

 
Back to the more clearly nuts:  did you know that some Flat Earthers have also started to believe that mountains are actually the remains of giant trees that once covered the Earth?  Crazy shit but as of this article in The Atlantic last year, there were 10,000 - yes ten f'ing thousand - videos on youtube about the idea:

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/09/flat-earth-truthers/499322/

Here's an excerpt:


....New discoveries in mainstream science just tell us about the physical universe; earth-shattering developments in the conspiracy-theory fringe tell us what’s happening to ourselves. ‘No Forests on Flat Earth’ might be the future of weirdness, and it’s utterly magnificent.

The response to the video has been huge—since it was first posted by a Crimean man calling himself Людин Рɣси, ‘There are no forests on Flat Earth Wake Up’ has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, spawned hundreds of blog posts in the broader flat-earth-o-sphere and, at the time of writing, has gathered over ten thousand response videos. There’s been an ‘explainer,’ a ‘decoding,’ a biblical exegesis, a roundtable discussion (in fact, many, many roundtable discussions), and, inevitably, accusations that the precipitous popularity of the video is proof that it’s all a plot by the ‘control grid’ to distract from the real truth. Unfortunately, the ‘No Forests on Flat Earth’ video is also nearly an hour-and-a-half long. You should absolutely watch the whole thing—but if you’re not the kind of dedicated weirdo who wants to waste a decent chunk of their day watching ludic conspiracy-theory pseudogeology, I’m willing to give you a summary.

We start with a montage of forests, peaceful scenes studded with sunlight, the kind of pictures just waiting for some inspirational quote to be plastered on top of them. We’ve all seen forests, we all know what they are; how could anyone claim that they don’t exist? But our narrator knows better. “They make us think that this is a forest,” he tells us, “when you are actually looking at thirty-meter bushes. After watching this video, you will reverse your concept of forests by 360 degrees.” This isn’t a forest at all: only a diminished imitation. Thousands of years ago, a cataclysmic event destroyed 99% of the Earth’s biosphere, and when it happened, it took away the real forests. Real trees are nothing like their stunted cousins, the miserable perishing scraps of wood that we see today; they were truly vast, hundreds of kilometers tall, magical organisms that sustained a total living ecology of the flat earth. These things were the anchor of a beautiful world that has now vanished forever. And how does he know? Because everywhere around us, we can see their stumps.

The first piece of evidence is Devils Tower in Wyoming, U.S.A., a great geological stub (pictured above) rising out of the rolling lowlands on all sides, four hundred meters of towering igneous rock that may have formed as a volcanic plug, rising out of the ground as the sedimentary stone that surrounded it slowly eroded away. Or so they want you to think. See its intricate hexagonal columns, curving up in a way that looks almost organic. See the perfection of its sheared-flat summit. Doesn’t this remind you of something?

For several minutes, our guide to this new reality shows us images of mesas, plateaux, flat-topped mountains, chunks of isolated cliffs, placed next to pictures of astoundingly similar-looking tree-stumps. Every time there’s the same challenge. ‘Name ten differences.’ You can’t. ‘There are only two differences: material and size.’ These things look the same: they are the same thing.

Not just mesas—ordinary mountains are contrasted with the shattered, splintered remnants of trees; the Giant’s Causeway in Ireland is revealed to be a petrified organic structure, because (we’re told) cooling lava simply does not assume these shapes. There is no such thing as a mountain; there is no such thing as inert rock. Everything we walk on was once living wood, the mountain ranges were once tremendous forests reaching up to the stellar canopy, providing a link between humanity and the celestial spheres. The earth was really flat. But some malignant power cut all these trees down using vast machinery, and ever since then they’ve been gouging into the corpse of the earth, mining the dead trees for precious minerals, carving deep quarries that we, in our ignorance, call gorges and canyons (you can see the monstrous tracks leading away from Antarctic valleys); we think they’re natural, we even think that the traces of our destruction are somehow beautiful.

...

 
I think we are all forgetting the biggest conspiracy of them all. The one that is right under our noses...crab people
Glad to see someone else recognizes this. Crab people are the biggest threat to our society right next to ManBearPig.

 
I spent the better part of the afternoon researching the crab people and I will be stocking up on munitions and initiating a grass roots defense plan for my suburban hell neighborhood- first meeting to plan our defenses is tomorrow(at the elementary school). 

 
I tried to research the crab people, but I started worrying that our IT people would know that I am on to them.

 
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