I love the schisms that exist within the FE movement. There’s a huge debate over whether there is a dome covering the flat earth. There are those who think that the circle of Antarctic mountains defines the edge of the earth, and others that think there are unknown lands beyond that, and others that think the flat earth extends infinitely in all directions.
Maybe it’s a matter of age, but at this point in my life I’ve seen enough cranks and charlatans to have a good grasp of the various reasons and means by which they reject reality. Due to that, I also don’t waste time engaging them, let alone trying to help them out of their delusions. Unless they’re affecting others adversely, my reaction to these types is more pity than outrage.
That’s me speaking personally, of course. If others get some value from it and want to spend their time arguing with fools that’s their choice.
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I get that, and it’s part of where I was coming from. I’d like to find a way to have a conversation with my nephews that doesn’t sound like echoes of their parents.
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I’ve flattened some earth. It got messy, especially wet.
Y’know that Colombo set sail with four ships. Alas, the Santa Cruz fell off the edge. Musk’s car will catch up with it soon.
What really puzzles me about it all is probably one reason the belief persists.
In terms of everyday life, it doesn’t matter much. They do the same things everyone else does, travel in the same ways, there are no benefits to them being “right” in their lives, no special precautions that keep them safer than anyone else. Anti-Vaxxers at least have the belief that they are keeping themselves safe.
Basically, the only way it changes their lives is when they walk past a globe they can say “Ha! Morons!” Maybe there’s a social aspect of it, maybe it gives them a big club to be a part of, but otherwise, really, why bother? They spend so much time trying to disprove reality when it changes absolutely nothing about their lives other than the belief.
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Family and friends falling into the orbit of conspiracy nuts are the one exception that I’ll make, but I find that pre-emptive action and catching things early is the most effective and efficient way to to deal with that while preserving my sanity.
For example, years ago one of my closest friends was going through a difficult divorce. I knew that some of his personality traits made him particularly vulnerable to MRA rhetoric, so I made a point of warning him away from what we now know as the “manosphere” sector of the alt-right. As it turned out he’d already taken a look and, fortunately, found it disgusting, too. But he also trusted my judgment.
In another case, when one of my nephews mentioned that some of his friends were watching Jordaddy videos I immediately explained to him exactly how they were a gateway to the alt-right. I did it with respect for his intellect but made it clear what his friends were missing.
What kind of woo are your nephews into?
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