What a great video. Thanks, Stephen.
The whole thing is worth quoting, but I’ll just give a few choice snippets:
“The same claims are repeated year after year…or shouted with more confidence.”
“Contradictions aren’t resolved; they’re framed as proof of deception.”
“It trains people to reject corrective feedback.”
“It locks certainty in place and then it builds walls around it.”
The Flat Earth mythology is one of the real successes of social media and the internet. Always a fringe bit of fluff typically associated with a whole host of similarly fervid opinions*, it exploded on YouTube right from the beginning. Now my perception is that there was just as much satire** early on as genuine belief, but now on YouTube there are endless opportunities to revel in the gospel of the Frisbee Earth.
But before there was video there was a literature of sorts. The classic text is ** you do not have permission to see this link ** written in the 19th century by Samuel Birley Rowbotham. This screed, the source of all the Flat Earth mythology, whether or not current believers are even aware of it, began with a pamphlet distributed in 1849, expanded into a book in 1865. What’s interesting, at least to a fringe watcher like myself, is that Rowbotham includes no appeals to Holy Scripture – that came later – but regards the issue as a matter of scientific proof. He provides detailed pseudo-scientific explanations for most observable celestial phenomena. For example, if the earth is flat how do you explain eclipses?
My own favorite current author in this “field” is a gentleman who goes under the pen name of Zen Garcia. Garcia goes full tilt appeal-to-scripture so his is a useful resource for references in the Old Testament to the ancient three-tiered cosmos. See ** you do not have permission to see this link **. Great stuff!
Finally, here is a video ostensibly aimed at children. I suppose we could debate the ethics of this kind of thing but of course Fittest Flat Earther thinks he’s preaching the truth to a dark world befuddled by godless science.
** you do not have permission to see this link **
*Notice how often hard-core FEers are also superfundie Christians.
**I can appreciate the value of taking an “alternative” position just to see what responses you get.
My own absolute favorite historical crank is ** you do not have permission to see this link ** (Now that I am retired I look forward very much to making a pilgrimage to this holy site.)
The whole fascinating story has been told in a terrific book written by journalist Lyn Millner entitled, ** you do not have permission to see this link **. People seem to think cults and fringe occultists and God-driven zanies originated in the 1960s but man oh man that decade had nothing on 19th century America!
I have relatives in Estero and visited them recently. Noticed the Koresh place but did not go. The brochures made it sound interesting and perhaps quit nice.
Stephen, in that area there is a massive farm to table store which had shrines to Donald Trump in it, which may cause you to re evaluate how odd different centuries have been.
Here is a very readable scholarly paper entitled
** you do not have permission to see this link **
that helps explain why so many people believe such strange things. The authors use the Flat Earth mythology as an example to illustrate their points.
Here’s a brief synopsis (with links to the original paper) written by one of the authors for those who don’t have time right now to read the entire 25 page paper.
** you do not have permission to see this link **
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