Behind the Curve

[kiaa]

Watch on YouTube

The question about Earth's shape of course is no question at all. Right? It isn't supposed to be at least. Well, turns out that's not exactly been the case for some time. Any sane person would be shocked to realize that this is even an issue, and yet, you'd occasionally hear someone claim the planet is actually flat for real; you'd see some Youtube vid claiming to have "proof", and then go viral. All in all, paradoxically, in our day and time of modern technology, scientific advancement and instant information (or maybe exactly because of the latter), people genuinely believing in the Flat Earth are getting more and more.

See, I'm generally a patient and tolerant person and I'd probably hear out anybody, regardless of their opinion on a certian subject. But at some point I'm starting to get too much of the bullshit.

The final straw was watching Behind the Curve. It's a documentary about Flat Earthers. It's not just about people believing in secret conspiracies and government plots for controlling the populace - it's actually about people who literally live with the belief in the flat Earth. They've taken it upon themselves to "spread the word" to the rest of the world, regardless of the cost. And the cost is steep at times.

The movie is a documentary, and though I wouldn't say I'm rather fond of the genre, leaving the cinematic qualities of the piece aside, I'd still recommend it. If only to see what grotesque lengths a non-serious story could go to when many people become victims of the same mass hallucination. And by saying this I'm not exaggerating even one bit. Hell, these folks even do their own summits! They convene and share their delusions among themselves, their gurus hold speeches... there are even kids present, and listening. THINK ABOUT THE CHILDREN, WHY DON'T YOU!!!1!1 It all looks like some kind of weird-ass sect from aside.

Why am I even bothering to start this subject, you may ask? Well, I'm kind of worried. Kind of. Nah, not that I want to sound too dramatic. I don't want to create useless hype or cause some kind of hysteria. When I hear that such kind of conspiracy theories are being spread in America, I couldn't care less. "Screw it, let'em be as ignorant as they like", I say. But when such voices start to spread across the Pond and affect people closer to home, I naturally start to worry. And the rate at which this delusion is spreading right now, is quite frankly, as bewildering as it's worrisome. Let's face it. They're practically everywhere now! Especially in presumably advanced, modern societies! What the hell?

But back to the movie. Behind the Curve is in no way judgmental. It's not mocking those poor souls, either. More like, it's trying to show us how the minds of those people operate. And it's a unusual mind process by any means, to put it mildly. Still, those are ordinary folks like you and me. They have their own troubles in life, their own thoughts and joys. All this movie is trying to do is investigate how the hell they've achieved this type of thought process and why. And where the reason for the problem might be.

So I'd refrain from labeling all that segment as fools. Like I said, there are plenty of "good folks" (heh!) among them, people who are not necessarily insane, or stupid, and who don't spend their time sitting home with a tinfoil hat on. Many are actually quite intelligent, highly qualified, of good social status. The problem can't solely be in about what's (or rather, is NOT) inside their skulls.

But what's MY problem with that community anyway? Well, what tortures me is the thought that those people would stop at nothing to "prove" and spread their conspiracies and nonsense, and thus infect others with it. It's not just that Earth is literally flat for them. They also don't believe gravity works in the way it does. They don't believe we've ever been to the Moon. They don't believe in Evolution. They believe dinosaurs never roamed Earth because the Bible doesn't mention them. They don't believe vaccines are helpful. In a nutshell, by putting everything in doubt, and turning this from a hobby into an obsession, they're endangering the most precious asset for a society - people's health. And I honestly have no idea where this will end.

I'm aware it must be enthralling to reach by your own efforts to a truth that others have purportedly been trying to keep from you. It's so cool to be able to just click and enter Youtube, and see tons of short vids claiming to have proof that Earth is not a ball of rock. Especially when all of this is wrapped up in a nice neat shiny package, making it all look both mysterious and legit at the same time. I'm not sure this is even the right term to call it. After all, what you've got on the other side are a bunch of mathematicians and physicists with their endless and complicated, mind-boggling calculations and scientific explanations. So boring and incomprehensible! Even if it's light years closer to the truth than you'd like to believe. Who are they to tell me what to believe! I'm entitled to my own opinion! Teach the controversy!

Even thoudh we're speaking of denial of hard evidence and established science here, of which there's been billions of pages and tons of evidence supporting it, without a single piece of evidence putting it into doubt, the Internet still abounds of pseudo-scientific nonsense that's being bought by people with minimum comprehension skills, limited common sense, and a huge amount of self-esteem and stubbornness. Oh, and a pinch of mavericky rebellious know-it-all attitude to everything and anything of authority.

Having watched Behind the Curve, I felt mostly saddened. Because all those folks, sunken deep into their self-delusion, are fighting tooth and nail to prove they're right - at times trying so hard that they somehow manage to contradict what they've just said, and disprove their own convoluted conspiracy theory. And even then they keep denying their failure. That's telling. And frightening.

My personal verdict on the movie? Just watch it.

Comments

[johnny9fingers]

Mad is as mad does.

You can't deal with that sort of person. You can't educate them, you can't shoot them, and you can't no platform them.

But you sure as hell shouldn't marry them or ever let any of them anywhere near your reproductive organs.

[abomvubuso]

Well, technically the Earth is not exactly round, either. It's a geoid, meaning something like a slightly deflated soccer ball.

[johnny9fingers]

Is that the same thing as an oblate spheroid?

[abomvubuso]

Pretty much.