Wow, sounds like your friend became one of those conspiracy nut jobs, my condolences.

I have no first-hand experience with "flat earthers" as I live in a country where the department of education tries to do a good job and make citizens smarter.

It's a pity that with all the information at peoples' fingertips through the internet, there are still dumb people that don't know how to handle it and start drawing obscenely idiotic conclusions.

No, sorry. I don't deal with flat-earthers because I deal with enough absurdly delusional crap in the alt-right discussions to willingly add more real world absurdity to my life.

One guy at work was going on about it for a while. Also doesn't believe that we've gone into space at all, let alone to the Moon. Big believer in how a non-specific 'they' are lacing airplane exhaust with deadly amounts of lithium and aluminum. Says he learned that from Youtube[1]. Asked why once. Told me he didn't know why, but that I "should think about it". I decided I had better things to do. Honestly, none of us can be bothered anymore. Occasionally, a new guy will engage him, but they learn quickly.

Not sure whether he actually believes it all, or he's just trolling. I'm kinda guessing the latter cuz he's the kind of guy who thinks himself way smarter than he actually is.

But, we DO know that the Earth is flat - why are you being so unreasonable with your friend? 0_0

There are a couple of questions that I would ask them, one being what exactly was the first thing that made them seriously consider the theory for realsies...the initiator of change perhaps. And second; are they a form of fundamentalist Christian? Because it seems like an easy and efficient way of justification for keeping hold of that belief without the pesky worries of scientific research prodding those doubt glands all the time.

Then, a further tactic would be to out-crazy them by trying to convince them of less established conspiracy theories, such as TIME CUBE! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Cube --- http://timecube.2enp.com/ (that second link is a literal migraine waiting to happen though. So be warned.

Or gang stalking; https://conspiracypsychology.com/2016/06/11/the-psychology-of-gang-stalking-and-the-difference-between-conspiracy-theory-and-delusion/
Which might not be as good an idea if you suspect they may harbour actual psychological issues that encourage such thinking. Time cube is safer. I think.

As for people I know into these things. Hm, not so much. Spent some time in a ward at one point for less than stable people, but even there hadn't talked to anyone who would fall into any of these types of conspiracy theorists.

I remember meeting a guy at a bar once, he was wasted, and made Fox Mulder look like a glass of water. His big thing was that its not possible to make the technological advancements we've made in the last 10,000 in only 10,000. He's convinced the real year is closer to 1,000,000AD and that the 'Government' had time machines that stopped time for the entire world while they worked on technology.
So while the calendar may be 2018 because that's just what we've accepted, humans have had advanced tech for millions of years and the 'Government' was keeping its citizens in the dark about just how advanced we really are.

Also something about underwater cities for the super rich.

To this day one of the best bar talks I've had with a complete stranger.

Silentpony:
I remember meeting a guy at a bar once, he was wasted, and made Fox Mulder look like a glass of water. His big thing was that its not possible to make the technological advancements we've made in the last 10,000 in only 10,000. He's convinced the real year is closer to 1,000,000AD and that the 'Government' had time machines that stopped time for the entire world while they worked on technology.
So while the calendar may be 2018 because that's just what we've accepted, humans have had advanced tech for millions of years and the 'Government' was keeping its citizens in the dark about just how advanced we really are.

Also something about underwater cities for the super rich.

To this day one of the best bar talks I've had with a complete stranger.

Cause time machines are such old tech.

Saelune:

Silentpony:
I remember meeting a guy at a bar once, he was wasted, and made Fox Mulder look like a glass of water. His big thing was that its not possible to make the technological advancements we've made in the last 10,000 in only 10,000. He's convinced the real year is closer to 1,000,000AD and that the 'Government' had time machines that stopped time for the entire world while they worked on technology.
So while the calendar may be 2018 because that's just what we've accepted, humans have had advanced tech for millions of years and the 'Government' was keeping its citizens in the dark about just how advanced we really are.

Also something about underwater cities for the super rich.

To this day one of the best bar talks I've had with a complete stranger.

Cause time machines are such old tech.

I think what he meant is that these time-stopping machines have stopped time for hundreds of thousands of years at a time. So to you and me, the victims of time-stop, time machines were only invented in the last 60s for example. But to the scientist who made them it took them millions of years of stopped-time to perfect it.

Like I said pretty great conversation.

Redlin5:

obligatoryPHA+PGltZyBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vc3RhdGljLmJvcmVkcGFuZGEuY29tL2Jsb2cvd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzIwMTgvMDYvZmxhdC1lYXJ0aC1mdW5ueS1tZW1lcy0yOC01YjMyNTM2NDkwMWJmX183MDAuanBnIiBhbHQ9ImltYWdlIi8+PC9wPg==

The idea that 'everyone is in on a grand lie' can be intoxicating. Why the fact the Earth is actually flat turned into a popular conspiracy theory will always baffle me.

Redlin, you forget the Ice World theory. That one definitely makes sense and is totally true.

I doubt a lot of these people actually believe that shit -- they just WANT to rebel against the system so badly and not be part of the establishment. They want to feel special, thinking they're onto some big secret. I can assure if they did by some miracle manage to convince the world that the Earth actually is flat, they'd feel the need to try and debunk that and claim it's really a sphere just for the sake of rebeling against the establishment.

Never had any encounters with them myself, thank god. Probably because most of these conspiracy nuts live in America.

Redlin5:
The idea that 'everyone is in on a grand lie' can be intoxicating.

It takes a lot of pressure off of a person. "My life isn't a failure because of my own stupidity and poor choices; it's because the government is using its massive power to keep me down so that I don't learn the truth!"

I live quite close to the equator, and it's pretty obvious from here that the Earf is flat. The high murder rate you hear so much about in Brazil is a myth, it's just people falling off the edge.

Silentpony:
I remember meeting a guy at a bar once, he was wasted, and made Fox Mulder look like a glass of water. His big thing was that its not possible to make the technological advancements we've made in the last 10,000 in only 10,000. He's convinced the real year is closer to 1,000,000AD and that the 'Government' had time machines that stopped time for the entire world while they worked on technology.
So while the calendar may be 2018 because that's just what we've accepted, humans have had advanced tech for millions of years and the 'Government' was keeping its citizens in the dark about just how advanced we really are.

Also something about underwater cities for the super rich.

To this day one of the best bar talks I've had with a complete stranger.

Sounds like a mix of Bioshock and Deus Ex.

Never known a Flat-Earther. I've argued with Creationists, 9/11 "Truthers", and the occasional pro-lifer who went off the deep end and claimed that abortion was in fact nothing more than a stealthy form of ethnic cleansing[1]. I've been frustrated by more than a few would-be missionaries (of various faiths) who think they have somehow found some simple obvious proof that their religion is objectively true and that every theologian ever has overlooked. But I've never had the misfortune of knowing a Flat-Earther.

Xprimentyl:

Have any of you had any first-hand experience with flat earthers? Has anyone entertained their ?proofs? and claims? If not, I suggest you do; the absolute authority with which that state shit that is patently wrong is mind blowing.

If you spend a lot of time with a tripod looking at the sky then they will just sort of find their way to you. If you do long exposure night photography like myself, then you have no options for escape.

I have convinced a number of them that talking is enough to throw off my focus.

I dunno, I think they're all nuts, but what has always perplexed me - similar to the question you asked your friend - is what the hell difference it would even make. Some of them argue that its part of a larger system of control kind of on the Illuminati level, as in, they have lies to hide lies to hide lies all the way down and somehow that turns into "if we rose up and proved the world is flat it would all fall apart". But I find the concept of there being a single worldwide ruling elite even harder to believe than the planet being a pancake. We can't even get ten assholes on a town council to agree on a plan to rezone a landfill - no way anything approaching control could occur through the telephone game across an entire planet.

Beyond that, I've never had a satisfactory response to the pendulum problem, or an explanation as to why they can't just launch a camera in a weather balloon and demonstrate it (something I've done for a little less than $200).

The flat earth one is kinda unique in just how pointless it is. Like there is just no reason, if the earth were actually flat, the spooky global elites would actually bother covering it up. It would just be a normal thing.

The alien visitors conspiracy theory could be semi-justified with "well they want to prevent a panic" or something but with the flat earth we have an illuminati who just does it for the lulz.

Kyle Gaddo:
Everyone knows the Earth isn't flat or round, it's concave and on the back of a giant tortoise.

And below that tortoise is another, and below that is another, and another... it's Turtles, turtles all the way down.

Xprimentyl:
I am by no means an expert in the maths, sciences and theories involved, but those aside, I find it impossible to believe that all of the countries with space programs, and each of the individuals involved in them, could collectively perpetuate a decades-old lie about the shape of the earth.

This statement by itself completely invalidates the whole flat Earth movement. It is fundamentally impossible for that for that many people to perpetuate that huge a lie. Also there lies the question of what is gained from doing so.
Anyway no, I have not had any personal experience with such moro- I mean flat Earthers.

Canadamus Prime:

This statement by itself completely invalidates the whole flat Earth movement. It is fundamentally impossible for that for that many people to perpetuate that huge a lie. Also there lies the question of what is gained from doing so.
Anyway no, I have not had any personal experience with such moro- I mean flat Earthers.

Listen up you damn dirty Autobot - just because Cybertron is round, it doesn't mean Earth is.

You can't keep the truth from mankind forever!

an annoyed writer:

Kyle Gaddo:
Everyone knows the Earth isn't flat or round, it's concave and on the back of a giant tortoise.

And below that tortoise is another, and below that is another, and another... it?s Turtles, turtles all the way down.

What happened to the elephants?

SckizoBoy:

an annoyed writer:

Kyle Gaddo:
Everyone knows the Earth isn't flat or round, it's concave and on the back of a giant tortoise.

And below that tortoise is another, and below that is another, and another... it?s Turtles, turtles all the way down.

What happened to the elephants?

They got cut in post-production because the CGI budget wasn't big enough.

an annoyed writer:

SckizoBoy:

an annoyed writer:

And below that tortoise is another, and below that is another, and another... it?s Turtles, turtles all the way down.

What happened to the elephants?

They got cut in post-production because the CGI budget wasn?t big enough.

I hope they didn't get rid of octorine too. THAT would be a crime against humanity.

Can you ask your friend what is on the underside of the earth if it's flat?

It's something I've always been fascinated by with regards to the flat earth movement, but have never gotten a straight answer.

trunkage:

an annoyed writer:

SckizoBoy:

What happened to the elephants?

They got cut in post-production because the CGI budget wasn?t big enough.

I hope they didn't get rid of octorine too. THAT would be a crime against humanity.

Sorry to disappoint you, but like the United States Central Intelligence Agency, the amount of crimes against humanity committed by the metaphysical construction of existence are endless.

Redlin5:

obligatoryPHA+PGltZyBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vc3RhdGljLmJvcmVkcGFuZGEuY29tL2Jsb2cvd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzIwMTgvMDYvZmxhdC1lYXJ0aC1mdW5ueS1tZW1lcy0yOC01YjMyNTM2NDkwMWJmX183MDAuanBnIiBhbHQ9ImltYWdlIi8+PC9wPg==

I love how this pic actually goes one step beyond. Earth is not a flat disc, it's a flat rectangle! Like a pizza box!

I mean, why else would maps of Earth be rectangular?

Kyle Gaddo:
Everyone knows the Earth isn't flat or round, it's concave and on the back of a giant tortoise.

I'm sure the Great A'Tuin would appreciate this, assuming he/she(it?) can actually be bothered to.

I can sympathize. I had always thought my brother was a fairly rational person. Turns out he believes in all the "chemtrails" nonsense. I thought he was joking too, but he's even poisoned his kids with that conspiracy crap. What make is hardest for me to believe... he BUILDS JETS for a living. He works for a company that sends aircraft parts to manufacturers across the world and builds entire airplane fuselages to send to Boeing.

That's stupidity on a level I really didn't think possible. I asked him, "so, you've installed the massive chemical tanks and hardpoint mounts for those massive chemical sprayers... right? You've seen where the sprayers go and the tanks that feed them chemicals to spray... right?" He did have to admit he had never seen such things. I asked him "You've never before seen condensation form around car exhaust on a particularly cold day... right? That's something that only happens when "whomever" is spraying chemicals... right?"

It doesn't matter. People would much rather believe they have some kind of "secret knowledge" than simply not look like a complete idiot.

Basement Cat:
My Late father was in the aerospace industry. Back in the 80's he worked in Houston behind the scenes supporting the Space Shuttle stuff.

He mentioned--back then some 30 years or so ago--that the Flat Earth Society had many, many members whom were solid NASA scientists who enjoyed "Tongue-In-Cheek" ramblings about how the Earth was Flat.

That was then. This is now.

Simply put: Like many of the experienced Experts whom were practiced at mocking anti-Evolution arguments many of the Old School Experts who were casually capable of swatting down "Flat Earth" conspiracies are simply old and absent: Thus necessitating that a new generation of people dig up the old Facts and present them once again rather than rely upon: "Because the Experts 'Say So!!'".

The facts and the truths are there: We just have to dig them back up and present them to a new generation that has--since the mid 90's--been fed a solid distaste for science and facts i.e. Fox News, etc.

Er...I don't think you need to be an expert to convincingly argue that the world is round, nor that flat-earthers would change their position when presented with facts.

I have a 100% fool proof way of proving that the world is not flat. And that is, if the world was flat, we would know because there would be cats sat along the edge of the world, knocking things off into the void below.