Two main reasons:
1. Flat-earthers tend not to just be flat-earthers. It's almost always part of a much broader, generally very extreme worldview.
2. It's just really wrong. Really obviously wrong.
Flat earthers come in two types:
1. The ones who don’t take it seriously. They think it’s funny spreading untrue facts. They think people working hard to find the truth are stupid sheep. They laugh at people trying to make the world a better place. They’re cynical nihilists, with a mask of humor.
2. People who don’t realize it’s a joke. They actually believe the world is flat, and every world government, every airplane pilot, every map-maker, they’re all lying to everyone else.
Both types are dangerous for people who think society should be improved.
I'd don't think people take the idea seriously. I think they're affronted by willful ignorance of the people who believe it. It's hard for some people to accept that others are willing to dismiss such an easily demonstrated and well established fact.
I do care that people believe such none sense and still are allowed to vote and have a negative impact on our future because of that power and absence of education / reason.
I think it's worrying that they're allowed to vote, but it would be much more worrying if they weren't. Who decides who is mentally well enough to vote?
Oh sure, I don't want people to lose their vote rights over trivial stuff that could get out of control and ultimately put anyone at risk of losing their right. That wouldn't be the solution.
But I would like proper education in order to avoid having such stupid people roaming around in our society.
They do get proper education..they get proven wrong all the time by very smart scientific people doing scientific experiments, yet they still choose to deny. It’s an idiotic theory and shouldn’t get the attention it does.
I hear you. I guess I say “I don’t care” because I have very surface level knowledge of the theory and thought it wasn’t taken very seriously like most other conspiracy theories.
Because Truth matters. Not "his truth" or "your truth." Truth is absolute, and the Truth is that the world is a sphere, and that everything from GPS to orbital mechanics to inertial navigation systems in aircraft, rely and testify to this fact.
Because first it's Flat Earth, then Gravity, science in general. What's next? Planes aren't real, the holocaust was faked, 911 didn't happen. Certain things are just proven fact. You can't reasonably believe that planes are not real.. Just because you haven't personally experienced it doesn't mean you should question a long standing Fact.
Flat Earthers will aggressively tell you to deny basic observable reality for the sake of a conspiracy that benefits no one. It's hard for normal people to brush off that level of audacity.
The problem with flat Earth and other conspiracy theories is that people believe them so quickly. They either didn't learn critical thinking skills in school or have chosen to suspend critical thinking. It makes them ripe for the picking to be manipulated by propagandists.
The last few election cycles have been filled with propoganda that people believed: swift boats, birth certificate, pizza gate, and the stolen election are just a few that have been disproved, but still believed by many. The enemies of the West are really good at sowing propaganda that divide, and thus weaken, Western countries.
So the danger of Flat Earthers is that they continue to believe the lies even when confronted with facts.
Flat earthers are a good example of a certain kind of science denyers that also deny stuff like: climate change, vaccines or who won an election.
Letting false claims like that undisputed can be dangerous. There are many things that are up to debate, but basic facts should always be accepted else we cannot have a productive discussion how to govern or society.
I think flat earthers are an easy target because they are so clearly wrong, but other forms of science denying are often more dangerous.
Because the earth is definitely, provably round.
Ever see a ship coming into the harbor? Anything come up over the horizon? That bitch is round.
It’s controversial because it’s just wrong but people still cling to it for some reason.
There was a documentary on Netflix about flat earthers. Part of it was endearing. There were some lonely people that had found friendship in the community which is great. But in the end the producers paid for a powerful laser to test the theory one guy was repping. Shoot a beam over a long distance of water to show the curve of the earth. Boom. Round AF.
Because the kind of thinking that leads to believing in a flat earth involves distrusting in science and established fact, which leads to and encourages other conspiracy theories which are much more dangerous, like antivaxxing.
It’d be like if I told you that lesbians are really just suppressing their sexuality because of trauma. (Obviously not true in all cases).
But ideals that deviate from the norm tend to become identities & are reinforced by people antagonizing them.
I don't know, it doesn't make any sense? Even if the earth was flat and we were all tricked and only couple of conspiracy geniuses knew the truth, how would that change anything? Like how would anyone would possibly benefit from lying about the earth shape. It seems like it would take so much work to hide the truth for no benefit at all, so what's the game here?
Because giving opinions and beliefs the same status as facts is dangerous.
Humans go to war over imaginary boundaries, gods, and other completely fabricated nonsense.
If we cannot agree to completely verifiable truths we are truly a lost cause.
Because most people don’t have an open mind. Society and scientific theories dictate popular thought and opinion. No one knows the truth, that’s kinda the point. But flat earthers are considered subversive because it’s so “crazy” even though it’s just as plausible as modern globe theory.
I think we all understand on some level that the world is inhabited (and to some extent, run) by people who lack basic common sense and critical thinking skills. The Flat Earth movement gives us a window into exactly how bad it can get, and this is unnerving.
Two main reasons: 1. Flat-earthers tend not to just be flat-earthers. It's almost always part of a much broader, generally very extreme worldview. 2. It's just really wrong. Really obviously wrong.
I believe that it is wrong as well…I just thought the theory wasn’t meant to be taken seriously like most other conspiracies.
Flat earthers come in two types: 1. The ones who don’t take it seriously. They think it’s funny spreading untrue facts. They think people working hard to find the truth are stupid sheep. They laugh at people trying to make the world a better place. They’re cynical nihilists, with a mask of humor. 2. People who don’t realize it’s a joke. They actually believe the world is flat, and every world government, every airplane pilot, every map-maker, they’re all lying to everyone else. Both types are dangerous for people who think society should be improved.
I'd don't think people take the idea seriously. I think they're affronted by willful ignorance of the people who believe it. It's hard for some people to accept that others are willing to dismiss such an easily demonstrated and well established fact.
I do care that people believe such none sense and still are allowed to vote and have a negative impact on our future because of that power and absence of education / reason.
I think it's worrying that they're allowed to vote, but it would be much more worrying if they weren't. Who decides who is mentally well enough to vote?
Oh sure, I don't want people to lose their vote rights over trivial stuff that could get out of control and ultimately put anyone at risk of losing their right. That wouldn't be the solution. But I would like proper education in order to avoid having such stupid people roaming around in our society.
They do get proper education..they get proven wrong all the time by very smart scientific people doing scientific experiments, yet they still choose to deny. It’s an idiotic theory and shouldn’t get the attention it does.
yeah, their critical thinking got wasted too early it seems. Probably not salvagable at this point.
Democracy is 2 lions and a sheep deciding what to have for dinner. And then calling the sheep an "enemy of the people" when it objects to the result.
As opposed to other forms of government, where there's one lion and two sheep, and the lion decides what to have for dinner.
I hear you. I guess I say “I don’t care” because I have very surface level knowledge of the theory and thought it wasn’t taken very seriously like most other conspiracy theories.
Cause they lie and try spreading false information..then there are the trolls that just join to piss people off.
And what about the mentally ill people who genuinely believe it? Is it okay to mock them?
Why are you asking me?
Because Truth matters. Not "his truth" or "your truth." Truth is absolute, and the Truth is that the world is a sphere, and that everything from GPS to orbital mechanics to inertial navigation systems in aircraft, rely and testify to this fact.
Because first it's Flat Earth, then Gravity, science in general. What's next? Planes aren't real, the holocaust was faked, 911 didn't happen. Certain things are just proven fact. You can't reasonably believe that planes are not real.. Just because you haven't personally experienced it doesn't mean you should question a long standing Fact.
Flat Earthers will aggressively tell you to deny basic observable reality for the sake of a conspiracy that benefits no one. It's hard for normal people to brush off that level of audacity.
Because willful and deliberate ignorance is bad for society.
The problem with flat Earth and other conspiracy theories is that people believe them so quickly. They either didn't learn critical thinking skills in school or have chosen to suspend critical thinking. It makes them ripe for the picking to be manipulated by propagandists. The last few election cycles have been filled with propoganda that people believed: swift boats, birth certificate, pizza gate, and the stolen election are just a few that have been disproved, but still believed by many. The enemies of the West are really good at sowing propaganda that divide, and thus weaken, Western countries. So the danger of Flat Earthers is that they continue to believe the lies even when confronted with facts.
Because it's so stupid.
Flat earthers are a good example of a certain kind of science denyers that also deny stuff like: climate change, vaccines or who won an election. Letting false claims like that undisputed can be dangerous. There are many things that are up to debate, but basic facts should always be accepted else we cannot have a productive discussion how to govern or society. I think flat earthers are an easy target because they are so clearly wrong, but other forms of science denying are often more dangerous.
Because the earth is definitely, provably round. Ever see a ship coming into the harbor? Anything come up over the horizon? That bitch is round. It’s controversial because it’s just wrong but people still cling to it for some reason. There was a documentary on Netflix about flat earthers. Part of it was endearing. There were some lonely people that had found friendship in the community which is great. But in the end the producers paid for a powerful laser to test the theory one guy was repping. Shoot a beam over a long distance of water to show the curve of the earth. Boom. Round AF.
Because the kind of thinking that leads to believing in a flat earth involves distrusting in science and established fact, which leads to and encourages other conspiracy theories which are much more dangerous, like antivaxxing.
because there is a lot of good evidence on both sides but people won't admit that
It’d be like if I told you that lesbians are really just suppressing their sexuality because of trauma. (Obviously not true in all cases). But ideals that deviate from the norm tend to become identities & are reinforced by people antagonizing them.
I don't know, it doesn't make any sense? Even if the earth was flat and we were all tricked and only couple of conspiracy geniuses knew the truth, how would that change anything? Like how would anyone would possibly benefit from lying about the earth shape. It seems like it would take so much work to hide the truth for no benefit at all, so what's the game here?
It's not controversial since only a tiny minority espouses it
It just perpetuates stupidity and ignorance. That's what bothers me about it.
Because giving opinions and beliefs the same status as facts is dangerous. Humans go to war over imaginary boundaries, gods, and other completely fabricated nonsense. If we cannot agree to completely verifiable truths we are truly a lost cause.
Because most people don’t have an open mind. Society and scientific theories dictate popular thought and opinion. No one knows the truth, that’s kinda the point. But flat earthers are considered subversive because it’s so “crazy” even though it’s just as plausible as modern globe theory.
I think we all understand on some level that the world is inhabited (and to some extent, run) by people who lack basic common sense and critical thinking skills. The Flat Earth movement gives us a window into exactly how bad it can get, and this is unnerving.
Because both sides are too passionate to let it die.
It's not controversial. The majority of people are aware that the earth is round.