A wide ranging bar conversation stumbled into the subject of overt and intention idiocy. Rather predictably, flat earthers came up. We all marveled at the idea of someone looking through telescopes and looking at photos taken by other telescopes and not seeing any obviously flat objects yet, coming to the conclusion that the entire astrophysics community is in on the con. Our heads shook at the various experiences we had with travel that made it look as though the surface of the planet was curved. We pointed out every flaw in their “arguments” and the obviousity of said flaws.
Later on though, it occurred to me that we had “missed a trick”. I challenged myself with a thought experiment. If we were to stipulate the flat earthers had a point. If we said that there was indeed proof that Earth was uniquely shaped in comparison to all of the objects viewable in the sky. It is a strain on the intellect of rational peoples but go ahead and try to imagine it. Imagine that everything you can remember, everything you have experienced in this life happened on the one non-spherical object in the observable universe the size of our planet. Go ahead, fix that in your imaginations. Ready?
Now tell me what has changed.
Seriously, imagine the planet as the flat earthers describe it and then tell me how your life was improved or degraded by the revelation or the deception. I am not asking for the math to describe the orbit of a satellite of a flat object. I am talking about your life, your status, your existence. What specifically changes if the planet is proved to be flat? What if there are other flat planets? What if there are flat stars being edited on the official photos of every nation with a telescope, how is your life improved??
Now, perhaps I am just a paranoid from waaaaaaaay back but, when someone exerts an undue amount of effort in promoting something that is effectively meaningless, I immediately suspect them of trying to hide something of trying to distract from something. However, I am willing to consider the idea that there might be something I am missing. So clue a brotha in. If there is a reason or effect that I have missed, feel free to tell me.
I am also more than mildly curious as to what the flat earthers are attempting to distract us from. I have no problem believing that many, perhaps even a majority of the flat earthers, are simply useful idiots to some controlling authority. But somewhere, there must be someone that is getting some benefit from folks ignoring evidence in the pursuit of convincing others to not trust their lying eyes.
So tell me, true, false or inbetween, what are the reasons and effects of spreading flat Earth theories?
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