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Flat Earth on the ballot? Debunked claim pops up in US politics.

iguanaman said:
It is no more stupid than believing in some cosmic muffin that is looking down at all of us. We have religious freedom so people can believe anything they want.
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In 1990 90% of US adults identified with a religion vs 62% in 2023. Yes, the majority of flat Earthers are religious, but if religion alone could explain things we should be seeing fewer flat Earthers, not more. I think the main culprit here is the internet and social media which have facilitated the spread of conspiracy theories and a distrust in institutions, which I think religious people in particular are susceptible to. So maybe religion alone isn't bad, but religion and the internet? Deadly combo.
 
AJG said:
In 1990 90% of US adults identified with a religion vs 62% in 2023. Yes, the majority of flat Earthers are religious, but if religion alone could explain things we should be seeing fewer flat Earthers, not more. I think the main culprit here is the internet and social media which have facilitated the spread of conspiracy theories and a distrust in institutions, which I think religious people in particular are susceptible to.
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AJG said:
So maybe religion alone isn't bad, but religion and the internet? Deadly combo.
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i don't think so. most of my stuff comes clean off the net, and i am not 'deadly'.

maybe some have: Truth Derangement Syndrome.
 
dmpi said:
Nobody really believes the world is flat. However people may just want to play devils advocate just to get a rise out of others. This is doable because in your personal observations the world does in fact look flat.
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Bro these people do exist. They live in a world of psudo science experiments and echo chambers.
 
It is possible, because nothing is true and everything is possible. Why would the Earth being flat be any less true than the Earth being round.
 
joluoto said:
It is possible, because nothing is true and everything is possible. Why would the Earth being flat be any less true than the Earth being round.
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I guess all those shots of Earth from space were faked.
 
WorldWatcher said:
We don't claim the Earth is one dimensional.

The Earth definitely has depth. But if you dig down far enough you will find the Earth is held up be elephants that ride on the back of a giant space turtle.

Please stop slandering us and trying to make out that we are kooks.

WW
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View attachment 67570530
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I was thinking the same.
 
SNOWFLAKE said:
www.usatoday.com

Flat Earth on the ballot? Debunked claim pops up in US politics.

A few politicians are making news for accepting a once-fringe conspiracy theory that the Earth is flat. Voters aren't embracing it − yet.
www.usatoday.com

10% ??

Any flat Earthers on here? Don't be embarrassed, tell us how it is possible that the Earth is flat. We need edumacation.
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I wonder if Hollow Earthers will re-emerge as a thing. They can call it the "John Cleves Symmes Jr. Hollow Earthers Club". And they can show the movie The Mole People starring John Agar & Hugh Beaumont at annual get-togethers.
 
Roadvirus said:
I wonder if Hollow Earthers will re-emerge as a thing. They can call it the "John Cleves Symmes Jr. Hollow Earthers Club". And they can show the movie The Mole People starring John Agar & Hugh Beaumont at annual get-togethers.
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Hollow Earthers are just whack-a-doodles and need their heads examined because they are off their meds.

Signed

WW
National Director of the Flat Earth Society
 
soylentgreen said:
In fact the horizon is always seen at eye level whether you stand on the beach or are in a plane.
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This is categorically false.

I fly planes for a living. The horizon is well below eye level when I am at high altitude. This actually creates a little bit of a challenge for new jet pilots in looking for other aircraft at cruise altitude. When ATC tells us about a plane +/- 1000 feet, our instinct is to look near the horizon because that's what you'd do at very low altitudes. Up there, you gotta look well above the horizon. Takes a little getting used to.

And at very high altitudes, the curvature can in fact be seen. (although it's hard to see at airliner altitudes, it was much easier to see when I flew private jets up to 45000 feet)
 
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soylentgreen said:
the limit of our vision due to atmospheric haze is only 3 miles. S
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Hysterically false. On a clear day I can a couple hundred miles from my cockpit.

Is there some reason you believe all this weird shit? It can't be personal observations. Someone said these words to you and you just believed them. Who was it?
 
Deuce said:
This is categorically false.

I fly planes for a living. The horizon is well below eye level when I am at high altitude. This actually creates a little bit of a challenge for new jet pilots in looking for other aircraft at cruise altitude. When ATC tells us about a plane +/- 1000 feet, our instinct is to look near the horizon because that's what you'd do at very low altitudes. Up there, you gotta look well above the horizon. Takes a little getting used to.

And at very high altitudes, the curvature can in fact be seen. (although it's hard to see at airliner altitudes, it was much easier to see when I flew private jets up to 45000 feet)
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The effect is an optical illusion. If you are high enough to see the curvature of the earth then you are also high enough to be above the atmospheric density that creates the illusion. From an average plane flying low the horizon is an "ïnfinite "plane which would put the horizon at eye level. In reality the atmosphere blocks your vision and you can at best only see around 3 miles away. But the lensing effect lets you see the horizon. Like the effect of the moon being larger at the horizon than it is directly above you.
Optical illusions only work when you lack a reference point. Thus the sailing ship on the horizon gives you a focus point. But just a view of the horizon without anything to focus on then you get the illusion of the horizon being at eye level.
 
Deuce said:
Hysterically false. On a clear day I can a couple hundred miles from my cockpit.

Is there some reason you believe all this weird shit? It can't be personal observations. Someone said these words to you and you just believed them. Who was it?
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Which you just said you fly at a high enough altitude to see the curvature. meaning it puts you above the denses part of the atmosphere that causes the illusion.
Really! They do not teach you basic psychology in flight school?
 
soylentgreen said:
The effect is an optical illusion.
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No, it's not.
soylentgreen said:
If you are high enough to see the curvature of the earth then you are also high enough to be above the atmospheric density that creates the illusion.
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Wrong.
soylentgreen said:
From an average plane flying low the horizon is an "ïnfinite "plane which would put the horizon at eye level.
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Close to eye level, anyway. And it's not infinite, because the earth is curved. The distance to the horizon from any given eye height is a calculable figure.
soylentgreen said:
In reality the atmosphere blocks your vision and you can at best only see around 3 miles away.
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Comically wrong.
 
soylentgreen said:
Which you just said you fly at a high enough altitude to see the curvature. meaning it puts you above the denses part of the atmosphere that causes the illusion.
Really! They do not teach you basic psychology in flight school?
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Psychology? lol you don't even know what field of science we're talking about.
 
Deuce said:
No, it's not.

Wrong.

Close to eye level, anyway. And it's not infinite, because the earth is curved. The distance to the horizon from any given eye height is a calculable figure.

Comically wrong.
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If we are going to resort to childish taunts then, yes it is.
No I am right
Of course it is not infinite. But with out a point of reference there is no difference to the what the mind interprets.
You really do not have a clue how our minds interprets the space around us.
Deuce said:
Psychology? lol you don't even know what field of science we're talking about.
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We are talking about an illusion created by the atmosphere. Illusions are part of how the mind interprets the area around us Psychology.
Where as you think how we see things is part of a flying lesson.
 
soylentgreen said:
If we are going to resort to childish taunts then, yes it is.
No I am right
Of course it is not infinite. But with out a point of reference there is no difference to the what the mind interprets.
You really do not have a clue how our minds interprets the space around us.

We are talking about an illusion created by the atmosphere. Illusions are part of how the mind interprets the area around us Psychology.
Where as you think how we see things is part of a flying lesson.
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I am quite familiar with how atmosphere distorts light, thank you, and you are just wrong. The horizon going below eye level with altitude is not an illusion. It's geometry.
 
Deuce said:
I am quite familiar with how atmosphere distorts light, thank you, and you are just wrong. The horizon going below eye level with altitude is not an illusion. It's geometry.
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It is also an illusion that the horizon always appears at eye level. Given that you are not flying so high that the atmosphere no longer creates that illusion or that you have a focal point.
And no you are not familiar with how the atmosphere distorts light if you think there is no illusion.
 
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