Engaging a Flerfer

I tried to be respectful and polite.

I simply wanted to try to understand. I have a curious mind and I had questions.

As I stated a couple of weeks ago, I've been delving into the world of conspiracy theorists: in particular, globe deniers. Flat-Earth believers.

Or, as flat-Earth debunkers often call them, flerfers.

Eventually, I knew something would come along in one of my social-media feeds. And when it did, it was a random post from someone who I don't follow and who doesn't follow me.

I get a lot of that in Threads, as the algorithm sometimes goes into overdrive. This time, however, they brought me someone who seemed to play into some of the YouTube videos that I watch.

Someone named Roman Beskostõi posted the following question:

"Do flat-earthers believe *all* planets are flat, or only this one?" — @rombesk

I was curious to see if any true flerfers responded to his post, and I saw this response:

"Flat-Earther here. I believe there are no actual planets. They’re stars embedded on the top of the firmament. All photos of galaxies and outer space are false. NASA is paid millions to push the narrative." — @sweetkamirose

Speaking of narratives, this is the kind of stuff that I've seen countless flat-Earthers preach.

I was reading this thread while I was still lying in bed, on Sunday morning, and I hadn't yet made plans for the day. DW had already left for the gym and our smallest cat, Cece, was curled up next to me, making it enticing to linger beneath the sheets.

I responded.

"You understand that the Earth was proven to be spherical more than 1,000 years before NASA, right? Why is it that Flat Earthers can't decide on a definite map of our world? How is it that we can calculate sunset and sunrise throughout the year? Explain seasons. Explain solar and lunar eclipses. Explain how ships, moving out to sea, disappear on the horizon, bottom-up."

Someone else joined in on the conversation, stressing how Kami said she "believed," to which she replied, "Correct… I also trust it to its core."

And in that statement, I think that Kami has summed up all flat-Earthers. It's a belief that they come to trust. No fact will ever dissuade them from this belief. It's like a religion to them. Kami further proved this idea when someone else asked her what the point of a NASA conspiracy would be.

To this, she replied, "To denounce that (sic) there's a higher power."

There it is, folks.

But I had more questions, especially when Kami started talking about an ice wall that encloses the edge of our earth pizza, and how it's guarded to prevent anyone from reaching it.

I mean, considering that largest naval fleet ever assembled in our history was during Operation Neptune, which included the D-Day landings, and it consisted of nearly 7,000 ships but only covered the English channel, I had questions.

Note that I was being respectful in my questions, never once accusing Kami of being off her rocker or delusional. I simply wanted to see how my issues could be addressed. And to Kami's credit, she never said anything negative to anybody who chimed in, even though some of them were being harsh.

Of course, I never got any answers that amounted to anything, that couldn't be proven. Kami never told me to do my own research.

With no answers to my questions about logistics or to any of my first few questions, I decided to jump off the thread.

That was my first engagement with a flerfer. I doubt it'll be my last.