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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFlat Earthers: Australia is a fake country and its citizens are actors paid by NASA
Cross-posted from the Weird News group.
Source: DeadState.org
Of all the crackpot conspiracy theories circulating the web, the claims of Flat Earthers are the most fascinating at least to me anyway. Anti-vaxxers, 9/11 Truthers, chemtrails believers all these particular brands of insanity are at least rooted in a tangible, albeit false, method. Although most brands of conspiracy do this at some level, Flat Earthers are forced to outright deny whats in front of their very eyes. Their explanations for a flat earth get the most mockery because so much of it sounds satirical, and one of their latest claims to circulate the web is no exception. Its downright hilarious.
For being the most cartoonish and easily mocked of pseudoscience purveyors, Flat Earthers are surprisingly well organized. In Birmingham, U.K., this past April, more than 200 of them showed up to a conference to hear lectures on the movements (yes, this is a movement) various theories. One of these theories involves the country of Australia or should we say, the *alleged* country of Australia.
As the New Zealand Herald points out, some Flat Earthers think the massive continent down under doesnt exist. But what about those lovely Australians we all know and love? Actors, all of them. Whos paying for this massive fraud? Why, NASA of course.
According to those whove done a little digging, the theory first originated in a Flat Earth Society internet forum back in 2006, but found new life in a now-deleted Facebook post by a woman named Shelley Floryd back in 2017 (see the screenshot via the NZ Herald below).
More at http://deadstate.org/flat-earthers-australia-is-a-fake-country-and-its-citizens-are-actors-paid-by-nasa/
marybourg
(12,633 posts)is a satirical group. Like The Onion, with dues.
Tucker08087
(621 posts)But we have flat earthers who live in this town, and they truly believe what they are saying. (And frankly the people I know arent organized enough to pay dues or smart enough for satire.)
Ron Obvious
(6,261 posts)But I wonder just how many are in on the joke these days.
Even the ancients knew the earth wasn't flat and a Greek came up with a pretty accurate estimate of its circumference.
Mostly anti-science hipsterism and yokelism, I assume.
0rganism
(23,957 posts)(which it remains to some extent, but it is much more now...)
the time for dismissing these people out of hand is long gone, they are determined and organized and willing to destroy western civilization if they can.
Brother Buzz
(36,444 posts)pocket protectors and proficient with slide rules until they were usurped by knuckle draggers
lame54
(35,294 posts)Supporters around the globe
Volaris
(10,272 posts)Well maybe occasionally on accident but that what u did was intentional and don't u tell dirty lies about it.
JHB
(37,161 posts)...that mainly existed just to troll the Solid Citizen scientists by existing.
But those people got bored with, went on to to other things and left, leaving only the genuine tin-foilers.
And those genuine tin-foilers had enough overlap with other conservative tin-foilers that they felt right at home, and normalized.
Takket
(21,577 posts)so.... what does that get them?
If the world really WAS flat, that wouldn't mean Australia can't exist. Australia's existence has no bearing on whether the world is round.... or flat for that matter..............
Therefor.... if Australia didn't actually exist, how does that make the world flat?
Tucker08087
(621 posts)I can tell you right now that I am NOT paying thousands of dollars to sit in a tiny little airplane seat for 16 hours that is just going to fly in circles to land in some movie set that used to be miles of corn crops in Iowa just to interact with actors and trained gators, thats for SURE!
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)jberryhill
(62,444 posts)Well, that explains a lot.
meadowlander
(4,397 posts)The Genealogist
(4,723 posts)Sorry, had to borrow that one from the Intelligent Design nuts.
kudzu22
(1,273 posts)Just take a rectangular state like Wyoming (where I'm sure a lot of these nuts live). All four corners are perfect right angles -- but the northern border is shorter than the southern border. Impossible to achieve on a flat surface, therefore, round. QED.
defacto7
(13,485 posts)csziggy
(34,136 posts)Remember, when Wyoming was originally laid out, they used chains to measure by. Metal contracts when it gets cold so as they moved north to measure Wyoming's northern border, the chains got shorter. People have just left it that way since they are lazy!
First Speaker
(4,858 posts)syringis
(5,101 posts)The only flat thing I see is their brain activity. It's really very, very, very smooth....
Different Drummer
(7,621 posts)roamer65
(36,745 posts)treestar
(82,383 posts)Feels entirely real. And the actors work around the clock!
roamer65
(36,745 posts)krispos42
(49,445 posts)... where Spock noted to Kirk and McCoy that the Flat Earth Society branches sprung up on a few other worlds in the Federation.
I used to think that was really funny...
canetoad
(17,169 posts)I'm yet to receive a paycheck from them.
treestar
(82,383 posts)You know, about sending the checks. And it's a full time job, no breaks at all! 24/7 - that must be exhausting.
canetoad
(17,169 posts)Btw, found some hysterically funny stuff about Soros and paychecks. I think they're worse, I have to supply my own coffee and toilet paper.
Tipperary
(6,930 posts)I took a nap and woke up to this nonsense?
treestar
(82,383 posts)if you dig far enough you will come out on the bottom and that Australians are on the other side of the flat earth?
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Volaris
(10,272 posts)EVERYONE knows that Uranus has a black hole at the center of it.
milestogo
(16,829 posts)kimbutgar
(21,163 posts)And my husband sailed around the world, it is not flat.
Laffy Kat
(16,383 posts)kimbutgar
(21,163 posts)canetoad
(17,169 posts)Of flat-Earthers are trolls, contrarians, nerds and incels. Kinda yearning for the old days of the idiots who believed it themselves.
TheBlackAdder
(28,209 posts).
Why, thank you. Thank you very much!
.
lucca18
(1,242 posts)If I had to move, it would be Australia!