So one of my students is a flat-Earther. A couple others may be on the fence.
It's been a long time since I've posted, but I feel like my head is going to explode and I don't have anyone to share this with.
I have a group of 8th graders (thankfully, only for two more days) and the end of the course was a unit on critical thinking. I showed an obviously fake website and we had a good laugh at almost being tricked by it. Then as a contrast, I showed them the flat Earth society's page and asked if they thought it was real. I expected them to say "no, it's fake" or to know it was a real group because they'd heard of them before.
So, I start playing a video about the group where they folks explain what they believe. A few people in the group were giggling or making comments about them being stupid. The girl sitting closest to me was getting visibly agitated. Somewhere, she said out loud to the group that she believes the Earth is flat.
So I had to take control of the tone in the room, and make sure we were being respectful to her. It was a challenge!
She saw the guy on the video with a round model of the flat Earth, and she explained that his model is wrong because the Earth is a SQUARE. The bible says there's four corners to the world, and so it has to be a square.
The whole class went off the rails.
When the class left, I sat alone in the room with my face in my hands muttering obscenities to myself.
Today I had them again, and I just laid out some critical thinking points without getting into the details of the shape of the Earth. But the kids kept wanting to dive in. At least one had found some of the Flat Earther's arguments persuasive. I didn't want to go down the rabbit hole. The girl threatened to walk out. I put on a movie and pretty much gave up.
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I can tell you are a good person.....so I will ask "what are you doing to yourself"?? Unless these people are putting you on, they have been so brainwashed by some they have allowed to have authority over them,....that for a layperson to try to break that hold.....you're beating your head against a brick wall....take care of you, and good luck.
HankSherman
Level 8
Apr 14, 2019
0
"The church says the earth is flat, but I know that it is round, for I have seen the shadow on the moon, and I have more faith in a shadow than in the church." --Ferdinand Magellan
Here are some things I have written about them . . .
I think their whole motive of flat earthers is to discredit science . . . . . why would they want to do that? It boils down to $$$$$$$. If people keep learning the truth and leaving the churches, the churches will go broke, and the poor parasites who live off of the takings, while supporting charity only as an extremely weak gesture, will have to find a REAL job to support themselves.
The flat earth retards seem to have forgotten one very significant detail when they decided to promote the idea of the Earth as flat in an attempt to discredit science so as to bolster their religious doctrine. What they did was only damage it more. If it is flat, how is it that a flood that would bury even the highest mountains could occur, if indeed, the Earth were flat? If the Earth were flat, as they maintain, the water would run off so fast that it would be impossible to have a flood that covered even the highest mountains. So the Earth is not flat, Noah's ark is a bullshit story . . . .
Some references
[facebook.com]
I have a Facebook page, and the minute I see one on my timeline, I flush them down the toilet, they are gone, gone, gone, because most of them are so fucking brainwashed it is a waste of time.
THHA
Level 7
Apr 2, 2019
0
Ugg, how tough to be faced with such ignorance or naïveté, or whatever, and not really be able to do anything about it!!
Rustee
Level 7
Apr 2, 2019
0
That's why this is so troubling. I'm not a science teacher, but I do feel the obligation to teach students how to think critically and how to examine evidence. How to approach a truth claim, etc. I feel an obligation to do my part in ensuring that they don't go through life as an idiot.
I encountered a flat earther a couple of years ago. He could counter many arguments with flat earth logic, but couldn't stand scientific fact of naval gunnery - firing over the horizon with big guns must take into account curvature of the earth, atmospheric density and planetary rotation.
Sofabeast
Level 7
Apr 2, 2019
0
I don't know enough about Naval gunnery to even tackle that. But they do claim that bridge builders don't factor in the curve of the Earth, and they're just wrong. I found plenty of engineers online who worked on bridge projects and they explained it in great detail.
@carlyhorton Some time ago the Discovery/History channels use to put programmes on that involved facts rather than aliens. I found it there.
Ask them if they keep a base dive suit on to keep from falling off when they travel lol.
azzow2
Level 9
Apr 2, 2019
0
There's a wall of ice all around the disc. That holds the water in. They believe this.
But I did bring up travel. I looked up flights from South Africa to South America. Based on the distances represented in a globe Earth, it's a 10 hour flight. On a flat Earth model, the distance is many times greater. Even if it was only twice the distance, that's the max for most airplanes without refueling. So what's the distance flat Earthers? How do you measure the distance from Johannesburg to Buenos Aires? How do you explain that people can get there in 10 hours? Secret superfast airplanes? None of the engineers have leaked this secret? None of the pilots, mechanics, flight crews, logisticians, flight planners? The Travelocity people would be in on it too. And every other website that books flights. And ZERO whistle blowers!
Sorry, just read that again and see "base dive." That didn't click before. BUT, they don't believe in gravity, so they wouldn't need it. 
The Earth disc is flying upward, and that keeps us on the ground.
OH! Also! I think they believe there's a dome shaped barrier holding the atmosphere in, so they wouldn't fall off anyway.
@carlyhorton Well, you have to give them some points for imagination lol.
@azzow2 Ya know, one of the reasons I chose it was because it's so absurd (and yet creative) that I find it almost funny. If it was just a pocket of nuts somewhere in California it would be easy to dismiss. But now I find out that these nuts are in the same room as me! Mindblown.
Wow in NY state quite surprised you have a flat earther.
sassygirl3869
Level 9
Apr 2, 2019
0
This was my first time meeting an actual Flat Earther, and I was left shaken.
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