Flat Earth believers

[Dekalb_Blues]

So I recently found out that there are literally organizations out there who still believe and promote the belief that the Earth is not a sphere, but is indeed flat.... this "belief" certainly has no place to be taught in our schools....To be fair, I don't believe everything mainstream science says either...

 The guy has a point, however inconveniently unflattering...

 Ditto (albeit on another controversial topic, but very applicable to this one)...


Terry Pratchett knew what's what!

 PROOF!!! Flat as a bloody pancake, no exceptions.

Uh-oh. Well, due to persuasive new contrarian data just received, I may have to rethink this whole thing more than somewhat.

 Ummm... 

GreatSpirit, the "flat earth" cult seems to me to bear some of the earmarks of a movement originally introduced into the culture by the Wise and meant as a dryly humorous educational satire on the human propensity to believe (like the imperious Red Queen in Alice's Adventure in Wonderland [1865]) in any number of impossible things with fervor:

"I can't believe that!" said Alice.

"Can't you?" the queen said in a pitying tone. "Try again, draw a long breath, and shut your eyes."

Alice laughed. "There's no use trying," she said. "One can't believe impossible things."

"I dare say you haven't had much practice," said the queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

It seems to have gained a new hold on a certain humorless type of person's imagination as more and more conventional ideas of "reality" (including "scientific" ones) become obviously outmoded, and a widespread feeling of insecurity triggers the radical and often ludicrous questioning of everything and anything, no matter how deeply foundational to consensus-reality it may be. It reminds me of some other humorous satires on the sort of fragmented, alienated, hyper-rationalistic paranoid mentality that is ever the gullible prey for pseudoscientific high-techy-sounding jargon and high-flown abstractions presented persuasively as something to rally against or for, or even to take seriously to begin with:

Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division -- A clearinghouse of information for citizens concerned about the dangerous-sounding chemical Dihydrogen Monoxide which is present in numerous toxic substances and can be lethal if inhaled! Of course, Dihydrogen Monoxide is more popularly known as... water. http://www.dhmo.org/

Improbable Research -- "Feline Reactions to Bearded Men" http://www.improbable.com/airchives/classical/cat/cat.html

McWhortle Enterprises, Inc. -- Prestigious manufacturer of mechanisms offers you amazing investment opportunity! "The Stage 2 share price means that current investors have already made an average 217% annualized profit!" http://www.mcwhortle.com/

The Ova Prima Foundation Which came first, the chicken or the egg? This organization has produced scientific evidence to suggest that it was the egg which came first. http://www.ovaprima.org/

Rockwell Automation Corp. -- Presenting the revolutionary Retro Encabulator! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXJKdh1KZ0w 


Of course, some nefariously tricky types present long lists of frauds like these just as persuasive context just so they can slip in certain extraordinary non-consensus-reality phenomena so as to debunk them through sheer association, neatly avoiding having to address them scientifically on their merits.  If you have any doubt of your ability to tell the difference, have no fear -- simply become an officially-accredited expert in the required field!:

General Delivery University -- America's Only Genuine Diploma Mill! http://www.bandersnatch.com/guide.htm
(In a hurry? Cut right to the chase: http://www.bandersnatch.com/dip.htm)

Cheers!