Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Former Flat Earthers Divulge What Made Them Come Around On The Topic

Former Flat Earthers Divulge What Made Them Come Around On The Topic
ActionVance/Unsplash

It takes a lot for someone who used to firmly believe in something proven time and again to be completely false to finally see the light.

While it may seem conspiracy theorists are incapable of abandoning their strongly held beliefs, it is possible for them to come to their senses.


Curious to hear specifically from one particular demographic of converts, Redditor jbarms asked:

"Former Flat Earthers. What made you come round?"

Former flat-earthers really listened to those who knew how to persuade them what they believed in was false.

Explaining The Job

"I talked to a flat-earther about my job working for a company that tracks ship locations, routes, and speeds by satellite. We also had ways of monitoring carbon emissions based on fuel consumption and known weather conditions. None of this would work at all if the earth was flat."

"Not a jot of it. I could only explain the most basic concepts, but it was enough for him to understand and realise that I was right and that he’d been convinced by someone who had no practical experience of the spherical nature of the Earth. I think that’s what really did it - my experience was really tangible. This happens then this happens then we measure this etc etc... no theory, just practice. A bit like showing a child a rock dropping to the ground in order to explain gravity, rather than giving them the whole theoretical shebang. Y’know?"

– Administrative-Task9

Jumping Theories

"The mobius strip earthers had more compelling arguments."

– jnhummel

Yes To The Sphere

"I convinced a flat earther, temporarily, by asking him if it was possible for a sphere to be so large that you could not tell it was a sphere my simply being on the surface of it. It took him a while, I used an analogy of a extremely long line that was so slightly curved you could not tell so by looking at a small section of it. Eventually he said yes to the sphere and I told him that was how big the earth is."

"A few days later he reverted, most of these people aren’t mentally stable, they believe in a lot of conspiracies."

"Edit: Corny edit, but as connoisseur of flat earth content my personal favorite is Professor Dave on YouTube. He is a underappreciated dude who just had a Science channel on YouTube and got brigaded by flat earthers for an unrelated video. He made like 6 video responses in total just owning these guys but they eventually gave up. Check it out."

– McClain3000

Testing The Plumbing Theory

"I was debating a flat earther in Mexico, and I asked him about how GPS worked if there were no satellites. He said that they had devices in the ground to route you."

"I told him the Mexican government is barely able to put decent water pipes in the ground; would he really think they had the tech to put routing devices in the ground?"

"He chuckled with a thousand mile gaze."

– mzaouar

A little sardonic wit helped people see the light.

Growing Up

"Quote I got from somewhere..."

"for 5 years I believed the Earth was flat, then I turned 6"

– -QED-

Helpful Tool

"What I like to do is use telescopes. This telescope is strong enough to see distant stars and galaxies, yes? Okay, look out this direction across the ocean. Can you see Europe?"

– HavanosArcova

Tourist Attraction

"Look, it's really easy:"

"If the Earth is flat, there would be an edge(s). And there would be a f'king Disney park at the edge, and we could bungie jump off the side and paraglide into the void etc etc."

"Someone would be making an absolute sh*t ton of money off of it - if it existed."

"Guess what? Nobody is doing that - adn in this world where absolutely everything is exploited for profit - if no one is making money off of it - it does.not.exist. No edge. Not flat. Get a clue."

– Gedwyn19

A Trusted Source

"A serious answer here."

"The thing that made me stop was just the question 'why would nasa lie to you.'"

"I will try replying to all of yall but will go to a study hall so ill reply later."

– The_Holy_Fork

Why Keep Up With The Ruse?

"This a solid point, there's no way 70,000 scientist could keep it a secret."

– needsmoreusername

For some people, it's all about finding their community.

Inside Look

"I watched a documentary about flat earthers called 'Truth behind the curve' and my analysis from watching that these flat earthers are a group of people who found a community to be a part of. It’s a shame their community is based on a lie, but I saw a bunch of people who were to be part of a community."

"Most of the people were social awkward and whatnot, and so an opportunity to be an influential figure within the community so they double down on their flawed logic."

"The more against you are of them, the harder they rep their flatness."

– imthatguydavid

The Compass Tells All

"I saw that documentary too. The experiment was 'if the Earth is round, this compass will move 3 degrees.' It did, so then they made a new compass and got the same result! Another one was they said 'If the Earth is round, this light won't hit that piece of wood!' It doesn't, so they get a new piece of wood and get the same result."

– UnfinishedComb

The Final Verdict...

"They actually did an experiment, and that if they got one result, the earth was flat, if they got the other, it was round."

"Experiment showed that the earth is…drum roll…round! They claimed it was human error that caused the 'wrong' result."

– SourMelissa

If you were a former flat-earther, congratulations for finally coming to the other side.

We'd love to hear how you were able to be convinced of the truth.

And if you are like the rest of us, how would you persuade someone to join our camp of round-earthers?

More from Trending

Donald Trump
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Trump Blasted For Announcing New Additions To The White House Lawn As Global Tensions Escalate

President Donald Trump was criticized after announcing that two new flagpoles would be added to the North and South Lawns of the White House—not the greatest look amid heightened global unease as tensions between Israel and Iran ramp up.

According to the Associated Press, Trump watched as a crane installed the newest flagpole on the South Lawn, remarking, “It’s such a beautiful pole.” He later returned to the site to salute as the American flag was raised for the first time.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Donald Trump from CNN supercut
CNN

Trump Mocked For 'Two Weeks' Iran Deadline With Supercut Of All His 'Two Weeks' Promises

President Donald Trump has a history of promising to resolve problems within "two weeks," and a new viral supercut mocks him for all the times he's said as much—including right now with tensions in the Middle East higher than ever.

Trump said Thursday he will decide within two weeks whether to involve U.S. forces directly in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, citing what he called a “substantial chance” for renewed nuclear negotiations with Tehran.

Keep ReadingShow less
red flag with pole on seashore
Seoyeon Choi on Unsplash

People Break Down The 'Silent Red Flags' Folks Tend To Ignore In Relationships

A red flag has come to mean any warning sign in life, in addition to the literal red flags that are placed on beaches or industrial sites to warn people of danger.

People will respond to situations by saying, "That’s a red flag." But before that language evolved, they'd just call them "warning signs."

Keep ReadingShow less
Ted Cruz; Tucker Carlson
The Tucker Carlson Show

Tucker Carlson And Ted Cruz Get Into Shouting Match Over Iran In Bonkers Interview Clip

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz—a harsh Donald Trump critic-turned-MAGA minion—sat down with fired Fox News personality Tucker Carlson for the conservative influencer's self-produced online content,The Tucker Carlson Show, for the Tucker Carlson Network.

On Tuesday, Carlson shared a 1.5-minute clip revealing that things got contentious when the pair touched on the Trump administration's escalating tensions with Iran.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Barack Obama
Suzanne Plunkett-Pool/Getty Images; Scott Olson/Getty Images

Resurfaced Trump Tweet Criticizing Obama Over Iran Comes Back To Bite Him

Amid tensions with Iran, President Donald Trump was criticized for hypocrisy after social media users resurfaced a 2013 tweet in which he accused former President Barack Obama of planning an attack on Iran because of his "inability to negotiate properly."

Trump has declined to clarify whether the U.S. is edging closer to launching strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, following a warning from Iran’s supreme leader against any attack and a rejection of Trump’s demand for surrender.

Keep ReadingShow less