Why are all these flat earth theory people coming out of the woodwork?

[mathew101281]

Crazy isn't it.

[Iron Maiden]

[Tami]

More exposition would help. Do you have examples?

[Kirby101]

I only heard of one nutty basketball player. Who are "all these"?

I don't know about flat earth. But there are some Creationist and Climate Change denialist on these boards.

[Daryl]

Has-been rapper B.O.B. was talking about it last year. Then I think Tila Tequila said she believes but she has done a lot of crazy crap. Now Shaquille O'Neal has reportedly said he agrees it is flat to go with Kyrie Irving, a basketball player I had never heard of until I heard he was a flat-earther. I guess they like their basketballs spherical and their earth flat.

I have visited some flat-earth believer message boards recently because the uptick in public attention increased my curiousity. Hoo-boy. Conspiracy theories galore, way beyond just flat earth.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

I suspect these nuts were hiding under rocks with their dumbass theories until Donald Trump made poorly educated people fashionable. Now they're out in force with their science and fact proof craziness.

[jeanvaljean]

But if the Earth is flat, then why are chemtrails bent?

[Abe]

To make us believe that Earth is not flat, I guess.

[Daryl]

Layers within layers, man...

[Chris Lang]

Layers within layers, man...

So, what's the story? I can't believe that people SERIOUSLY, without a trace of irony, believe the Earth is flat in this modern era. People have sailed ships and flown airplanes all over the world. If the Earth were flat, eventually, they'd reach an edge. Some point where they either fall off or hit a wall or something. And we know that's not true.

People didn't even widely believe the Earth was flat in Columbus' day, contrary to popular belief. The Greeks figured out the world was round centuries before then. Honestly, the very idea that generations of people have been involved in a 1000-year old conspiracy to keep secret the Earth's true shape is so ridiculous that I find it hard to believe that there are people (including famous people) who take it seriously.

[Kirby101]

Strange theories come from all sort of places.

[Daryl]

I have no idea. At least some of the people I have seen appear to be fairly strict biblical literalist-creationists. I don't know if the Bible cares at all if the earth were round or flat, but that is some of it.

Otherwise, I guess it is just that mindset that the unknown cabal of "THEY" are secretly running everything and the flat-earth truther is a "free thinker" who isn't fooled and has some special truth/knowledge that the rest of us are too blind or trusting to see. I guess a "round earth" is just part of the whole mind-control thing. Yeah most of these conspiracy theories don't seem to hold up too well to scrutiny,

[The Darknight Detective]

So, what's the story? I can't believe that people SERIOUSLY, without a trace of irony, believe the Earth is flat in this modern era. People have sailed ships and flown airplanes all over the world. If the Earth were flat, eventually, they'd reach an edge. Some point where they either fall off or hit a wall or something. And we know that's not true.

People didn't even widely believe the Earth was flat in Columbus' day, contrary to popular belief. The Greeks figured out the world was round centuries before then. Honestly, the very idea that generations of people have been involved in a 1000-year old conspiracy to keep secret the Earth's true shape is so ridiculous that I find it hard to believe that there are people (including famous people) who take it seriously.

Yeah, I have to think the number who actually believe this stupidity is very, very small.

[Tami]

Strange theories come from all sort of places.

As a geologist, that video is an insult to logic and reason.

[Powerboy]

Yeah, I have to think the number who actually believe this stupidity is very, very small.

Back in the 1970s when I was in college, the Flat Earth Society had a fair number of members but most of them were just people in it on a lark. It was just sort of a big joke. Of course, there was a core membership that really believed it. But it wasn't remotely comparable to Creationism or, nowadays, Climate Change denial.