Flat Earth, symptom of ignorance?

[Antiochus]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4pfbiWZcB4#t=96

So apparently its a 'growing' movement, these flat earthers :laugh:. But off coruse I don't want a debate on whether its flat or not, rather, do you think this is a wider symptom of the progressively mystical aspect Capitalism is taking in the 21st century? Capitalism once embraced scientific ("practical") inquiry to its fullest to maximize and revolutionize the means of production, but now its conflicted with the very real fact that the Earth has a finite amount of resources and its becoming painfully clear that 'growth' cannot last, and if growth cannot last, neither can profit and so forth. So what do you think? Off course this is the most extreme example, you can also talk about the "new age healing" bullshit or whatever else.

[The Idler]

No I believe it is a religious belief based on Zetetics.

[Blake's Baby]

I think there's a very good case for arguing that, as capitalism gets more and more obsolete, mystical gibberish replaces any notion of rational scientific enquiry.

[Aslan]

Those flat-earthers are morons. Here's my argument against them.

If you are a flat-earther you must thereby have to prove Newtonian physics and four centuries of mathematical calculation. If the earth was flat, then how would we be able to fly spaceships? How would we be able to fly aeroplanes and launch objects into orbit? The scientists who launch these things are using Newtonian physics to calculate the orbit of these spacecraft. So how can the flat earth theory work if you are supposedly using false calculations?

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

If anything, this is what happens when you give conspiracy nutters access to the internet. There's videos on youtube where random insane people have uploaded fragmented clips of videos showing volcanoes erupting only to find random volcanic rocks to be "UFO's" and that volcanoes are actually done by extra-terrestrials zooming a bout in UFO's. Not kidding.

[Guardia Rossa]

It is simply propaganda, the State creates some bullshit for the people, in order to redirect their rage and unhappiness, so they don't challenge the State power and the economic system.

[Antiochus]

Well sometimes they simply ignore things (i.e they claim spaceships are just a fabrication), they claim things "fall down" because of density, lol.

But really, is this kind of thing a symptom of a "mystical" age in Capitalism? Keep in mind, these don't seem (at least to me) religious people.

[Tim Cornelis]

It is simply propaganda, the State creates some bullshit for the people, in order to redirect their rage and unhappiness, so they don't challenge the State power and the economic system.

So you're going with the south park explanation of conspiracy theories? That conspiracy theories are a conspiracy by the government. That's even weirder than illuminati shit.

[Bala Perdida]

I saw a video of a guy claiming he time traveled like 130 years into the future, and ww3 hella reduces the population. And hella of the earth is under water. And there's no commercials on TV. Some weird shit.

[mutualaid]

It is simply propaganda, the State creates some bullshit for the people, in order to redirect their rage and unhappiness, so they don't challenge the State power and the economic system.

absolutely (see the educational system), and I think professional sports serve pretty much the same function but on even lower intellectual plane

[BIXX]

absolutely (see the educational system), and I think professional sports serve pretty much the same function but on even lower intellectual plane

So, you're starting a conspiracy theory that conspiracy theories are started by the government to hide the real conspiracy?

[TheRadicalAntichrist]

What a waste.

[Armchair Partisan]

I'm sure that sometimes, governments tacitly allow conspiracy theories to spread in order to obscure something (that was pretty much the case with Area 51 too, where the US government never really denied the existence of UFO experiments, to the best of my knowledge), but neither Flat Earth nor other conspiracy theories (9/11, FEMA camps, Illuminati etc.) are consciously advanced nor created by any government, aside from maybe a few tinpot dictators in special cases.

[RedKobra]

Powerless people reach for things that make them feel less powerless. Once upon a time it was religion but God's been dead for a while now. There's been a decent amount of research done on the psychology of conspiracy theories and generally it finds that these people build schemas that make the universe feel less chaotic and random. If they feel they've seen behind the veil then it gives them two benefits. One, they feel superior to other people and thus more powerful. Secondly, they are secretly reassured that there are powers at work behind the scenes (Aliens, Government, Illuminati, Jews.etc) managing the system. The anger the conspiracy theorists express is really a redirection of their own guilt at being reassured by the imagined authoritarian regime.

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

And there's no commercials on TV.

Finally, communism.

You didn't think that was real, did you?

[Comrade Jacob]

Some people have always believed in a flat Earth. "Mountains where the first thing to suggest they where wrong" - Dick Coughlan

[Guardia Rossa]

So you're going with the south park explanation of conspiracy theories? That conspiracy theories are a conspiracy by the government. That's even weirder than illuminati shit.

WTF is south park?

And yes, governments love supporting things that deceive us. In Brazil, there are the political parties. Usually there is a competition between two exactly equal parties, with the exact same ideals and solutions, and people really believe they are fighting for their future. Another is nationalism, that make "we", the "good, law abiding citizens" oppose "them", the "horrible, raiding barbarians", that threaten to destroy our homes.


So, you're starting a conspiracy theory that conspiracy theories are started by the government to hide the real conspiracy?

There is no "Real conspiracy" and there is no "Conspiracy theory" that they are doing this, this is bourgeois democracy.

The governments support and keep that conspiracy theories going as a mean to make the people docile and non-rebellious. It is of their interest.

If you want a good example, just Google "Guelphs and Ghibellines"

[DOOM]

WTF is south park?

And yes, governments love supporting things that deceive us. In Brazil, there are the political parties. Usually there is a competition between two exactly equal parties, with the exact same ideals and solutions, and people really believe they are fighting for their future. Another is nationalism, that make "we", the "good, law abiding citizens" oppose "them", the "horrible, raiding barbarians", that threaten to destroy our homes.

Wow
Governments don't make shit up for the sake of making shit up.
I like the idea of the state assuming the role of the ideal capitalist who (at least tries) to represent the interests of the capitalist class and thus those of capital. The means through which this works is obviously ideology. Now, there's literally no reason for capital / the bourgeoisie as such to force the idea of a flat earth upon individuals. There are much more efficient means of tranquilizing people without going full batshit.
And frankly, by this logic you could assess that everything could be a lie by the government, which makes you sound just like the tinfoilers we're talking about.
I think the flat earth movement has its root in the petit-bourgeoisie, as most of anti-establishment and anti-intellectualist conspiracy theories have.

[Abdullah Tshabal]

South Park is a very crude, vulgar, obscene and a hilariously "bad" cartoon centered primarily around 4 friends from elementary school. It rips on society, economy, celebrities, popular culture, etc. and is very much an "adult" cartoon. Think Robot Chicken or any such parody/satire programme you may see on TV or on the Internet, but cranked up to 24.