# Flat Earthers Gaining Prominence **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 25, 2018, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earthers-gaining-prominence/814803 "2018-05-25T15:40:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earthers-gaining-prominence/814803/1 "2018-05-25T15:40:24Z")
I remember reading about people who believed that the Earth is flat years ago, in Gardner’s [Fads and Fallacies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fads_and_Fallacies_in_the_Name_of_Science), but it was a curiosity to know that such people existed. You didn’t encounter or hear about such people otherwise. But now ISTM that they’re a lot more prominent, and you don’t go a couple of weeks without encountering some reference to them. I would speculate that this is related to the internet, but in two different ways. [ul] [li]The internet has a tendency to emphasize the weird and unusual, and even if the percentage of flat earthers is unchanged, they would naturally gain prominence as a result of internet coverage.[/li][li]The internet is a real boost to fringe groups, in that it gives adherence a means to get reinforcement from other people predisposed to the same belief. So that 50 years ago if you were a guy whose intelligence, worldview, and psychological state were such that you were predisposed to be receptive to a flat earth viewpoint, you would likely never encounter anyone who actually maintained such a view, and even if you did, you would be overwhelmed by the force of the entire world against this viewpoint. So you’d be less likely to actually adopt such a viewpoint. But now, if you were predisposed to this viewpoint, you would have ample opportunity to encounter it, and you would also be more easily become part of a group of likeminded people who reinforce each other. So the same predisposed guy is much more likely to actually adopt this viewpoint, as compared to pre-internet times.[/li][/ul] This latter aspect has practical ramifications for other fringe viewpoints as well. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earthers-gaining-prominence/814803/2 "2018-05-25T15:53:25Z")
Also the internet allows trolls to falsely amplify a message. Back in the day, if you wanted to espouse a flat Earth theory, you’d likely be doing it in person and the stigma would keep most people from doing it as a “serious” joke. You wouldn’t want to actually be known as the moron who thinks the world is flat among your physical social circle unless you sincerely believed it. These days, anyone can go on Facebook or other media with a fake name and claim loud and proud to be a Flat Earther and spit out memes and ridiculous arguments for the laughs, thus amplifying the message with no personal cost. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2018, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earthers-gaining-prominence/814803/3 "2018-05-27T11:13:06Z")
Also, I’d respectfully suggest that idiocy does seem to be in the ascendant at the moment. j ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2018, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earthers-gaining-prominence/814803/4 "2018-05-27T14:32:26Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Also, I’d respectfully suggest that idiocy does seem to be in the ascendant at the moment. > > j Not really idiocy, but more of a desire to believe in what you want to believe, rather than what reality dictates is real. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2018, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earthers-gaining-prominence/814803/5 "2018-05-27T15:47:40Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Not really idiocy, but more of a desire to believe in what you want to believe, rather than what reality dictates is real. And the distinction is? ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2018, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earthers-gaining-prominence/814803/6 "2018-05-27T15:51:35Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > And the distinction is? Idiots _can’t_ understand the world. Others simply refuse to. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2018, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earthers-gaining-prominence/814803/7 "2018-05-27T15:59:59Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Also, I’d respectfully suggest that idiocy does seem to be in the ascendant at the moment. > > j Yeah, there does seem to have been a disturbingly growing wave of anti-Enlightenment for the past few decades, I would say, and it doesn’t seem to be waning. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2018, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earthers-gaining-prominence/814803/8 "2018-05-27T16:01:31Z")
Some statistics about what percentage of Americans believe that the Earth is flat: > **[No, One-Third of Millennials Don't Actually Think Earth Is Flat](https://www.sciencealert.com/one-third-millennials-believe-flat-earth-conspiracy-statistics-yougov-debunk)** > > Give the internet some weird statistic on millennials and it's gonna have a field day with it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2018, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earthers-gaining-prominence/814803/9 "2018-05-27T16:18:05Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Some statistics about what percentage of Americans believe that the Earth is flat: > > [No, One-Third of Millennials Don't Actually Think Earth Is Flat : ScienceAlert](https://www.sciencealert.com/one-third-millennials-believe-flat-earth-conspiracy-statistics-yougov-debunk) Yeah, that shows the worrying trend I’ve noticed. From 94% of 55+ year olds always believing the world is round, down to 66% of 18-24 year olds. It’s the worrying trend that over the years, skepticism at science has been growing. I mean, yes, it’s good to have a healthy skepticism, but this, to me, goes beyond that. Now, granted, I understand trolling these sorts of surveys, but that doesn’t appear to be happening here, as I’d figure the trolls would go straight for the “world is flat!” answer rather than more honest and nuanced, well, I think it’s round, but I’m beginning to wonder if it really is… ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2018, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earthers-gaining-prominence/814803/10 "2018-05-27T16:43:17Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, that shows the worrying trend I’ve noticed. From 94% of 55+ year olds always believing the world is round, down to 66% of 18-24 year olds. It’s the worrying trend that over the years, skepticism at science has been growing. I mean, yes, it’s good to have a healthy skepticism, but this, to me, goes beyond that. Now, granted, I understand trolling these sorts of surveys, but that doesn’t appear to be happening here, as I’d figure the trolls would go straight for the “world is flat!” answer rather than more honest and nuanced, well, I think it’s round, but I’m beginning to wonder if it really is… It’s a hard balance. If you question everything, you know nothing. If you question nothing, you know even less. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2018, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earthers-gaining-prominence/814803/11 "2018-05-28T04:57:21Z")
I think there’s a lot of people who will troll those asking research questions, especially when there’s one clearly right answer and one clearly misguided answer. A lot of people would find it hilarious to anonymously pretend to be a complete idiot for the record. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2018, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earthers-gaining-prominence/814803/12 "2018-05-28T06:36:10Z")
That article isn’t reassuring. Any survey in which fewer than 99.9999999999% of people agree or think that the world is round, is cause for concern. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2018, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earthers-gaining-prominence/814803/13 "2018-05-28T09:12:28Z")
So you’re saying that if 1/14-th of one person in the entire world believes that the Earth is round, something is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2018, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earthers-gaining-prominence/814803/14 "2018-05-28T13:25:40Z")
Excuse me. I got the arithmetic wrong. What I meant was that you’re saying that if 1/132-th of one person in the entire world believes that the Earth is round, something is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2018, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earthers-gaining-prominence/814803/15 "2018-05-28T15:06:49Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > I think there’s a lot of people who will troll those asking research questions, especially when there’s one clearly right answer and one clearly misguided answer. A lot of people would find it hilarious to anonymously pretend to be a complete idiot for the record. Yes, but look at the ones who are not giving the “clearly misguided answer.” _That’s_ the disturbing trend. I don’t think they’re trolling, unless they’re subtly trolling. That was my point that the troll would respond with the “earth is flat” option, and that’s still a very small minority. The upward trend of people questioning whether the earth is actually round is the concerning statistic, not the amount of people who think the world actually is flat. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2018, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earthers-gaining-prominence/814803/16 "2018-05-28T15:17:02Z")
Do you have any clear evidence about what kind of answers trolls respond to polls with? ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2018, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earthers-gaining-prominence/814803/17 "2018-05-28T15:51:48Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > I remember reading about people who believed that the Earth is flat years ago, in Gardner’s [Fads and Fallacies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fads_and_Fallacies_in_the_Name_of_Science), but it was a curiosity to know that such people existed. You didn’t encounter or hear about such people otherwise. But now ISTM that they’re a lot more prominent, and you don’t go a couple of weeks without encountering some reference to them. > … The only place I keep running into references to flat earthers are here. If I’d just stop dropping in here, I’d not run into any? Also, as stated, a pizza is round. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2018, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earthers-gaining-prominence/814803/18 "2018-05-28T17:13:36Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Do you have any clear evidence about what kind of answers trolls respond to polls with? Of course not, but I think a reasonable guess can be made. Regardless, look at the stats. From 55+, 94% have always believed the earth is flat. for the next age group, 45-54, 85% have always believed it, 35-44 82% believe it, 25-34 76% believe it, 18-24, 66% believe it. That’s a pretty linear trend and I find it hard to believe that it mostly can be accounted for by trolls. I think the more reasonable explanation is that over the past few decades there’s been a challenge to the scientific orthodoxy such that skepticism over settled facts has become more commonplace and even socially acceptable. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2018, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earthers-gaining-prominence/814803/19 "2018-05-28T17:19:29Z")
Let’s say that, when you were a stupid little kid, you thought the world was flat. Let’s also say that, while you still remember that, it hasn’t been the case since you were a stupid little kid. Take a good look at those options: how would you answer? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2018, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earthers-gaining-prominence/814803/20 "2018-05-28T17:28:54Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Let’s say that, when you were a stupid little kid, you thought the world was flat. Let’s also say that, while you still remember that, it hasn’t been the case since you were a stupid little kid. Take a good look at those options: how would you answer? I would answer A. The only other applicable answer might be “other.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earthers-gaining-prominence/814803.md?page=2)