CDub06 said:
Complete Idiot said:
I wouldnt waste a single second trying to disprove a flat earther, they have issues deeper than just a stated belief in the shape of the world.
I'd say most actual flat earthers (or other conspiracy theorists of this magnitude), trolls aside, fall into one of these categories:
1. People that believed, but realize they're wrong and are too far in to admit it.
2. People with mental illness.
3. People that believe simply because they want it to be true so can feel a since of belonging in a community and because it lets them feel like they know something no one else does.
I wouldn't use the term illness, but some personality traits and quirks, which we all have, do lead some to believe in things related to "those in power are hiding from us powerless people". It's not just flat earth, but many other theories, which may seem believable and belief in them gives the believer some feeling of regaining personal power "I know it, few others do". It doesn't help that some conspiracy theories have been proven to be true, maybe 0.01%, but they can be pointed to as "you can't trust those in power". I have traits that lead me to be cynical, or to over analyze things before making decisions, etc - these are annoying to both me and others at times, but ultimately harmless. Belief in flat earth is basically harmless, some other group beliefs in conspiracy theories have proven to be harmful when the group acts on their belief but 98% of the time these beliefs are harmless.
I do think everyone feels good being part of an "exclusive" club, as you note in #3. We are Aggies, too bad everyone else doesn't understand how great that is! Or religion, or running marathons, or collecting classic Porsches, on and on.