this post was submitted on 20 Mar 2024
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Who profits from flat Earth? Do they sell exclusive models and atlas' or something?
No idea. Maybe donations, fees from conventions, ad revenue...?
Yes conventions, donations, revenue off YouTube videos
Trolls and people who sell merch and tickets to conventions. Same as alien believers
Aliens might be real, though, I just doubt all the supposed sightings that can be chalked up to mistaking one thing for another, or just gov't tech that we simply don't know about.
I view flat Earthers and people that believe in aliens as polar opposites. Flat Earthers think that the Earth is special and the center of the universe, with the heavens revolving around us. Alien believers see the universe as being incredibly vast and recognize that there's nothing inherently special about our world and that life almost certainly exists elsewhere.
There's a divide though in "alien believers".
I absolutely believe that other life exists in our vast universe. This is a pretty common opinion among scientific thinkers, space enthusiasts etc. that the universe is simply too huge for us to be all alone.
I also believe that due to that vastness, we'll never meet any aliens, unless we punch into Europa someday and there happen to be some fish down there.
UFO enthusiasts, on the other hand, have a position that is much less supported by science.
Instead they think theyre the special ones because they got abducted..?
Oh I didn't realize you were talking about people that believed they've been abducted. I thought you just meant people that believed that aliens existed in general.
I think they were referring to alien consipracists, who much like flat earthers believe in a global hoax committed by the elite (read: Jews and Liberals) to keep us misinformed on the true nature of our reality (for some reason). In that way they are very much cut from the same cloth.
Flat earthers are easily radicalised into right wing belief like "The world is controlled by Jewish lizards" and "the election was stolen from Trump" and "the vaccine contains a bill gates microchip that makes you gay". And right wing conspiracy theorists will willingly spend their life savings on Alex Jones dick engorgement supplements while generating culture war controversy to draw political attention away from actual issues like climate change and worker's rights that may harm big business interests.
Think of it this way: in the mediaeval age, you armed your peasants with shields and spears and had them protect your keep. In the information age, you arm your peasants with conspiracy theories and twitter accounts and have them protect your untaxed billions.
The people who benefit from division, confusion, and inability to determine information from misinformation. Aka, the rich and powerful.
Sometimes I wish I didn't have morals or I'd be making shitloads off of these people.
Just pump out a bunch of AI voiced nonsense that has just enough 'evidence' to keep them going, tell them they're special because they know this and other people who aren't them are dumb because they don't know this and that the mainstream (insert industry here) is trying to silence you so you need them to donate to the fight.
Some of them are really raking it in through Patreon and sales of shoddy merchandise. That's how Alex Jones finances HIS deranged ramblings too.
Spouting bullshit while pretending that THEY are trying to stop you to get people to donate and buy your shit is unfortunately an extremely lucrative business for many.
BigFlat
I'm still convinced that none of these people actually believe in flat earth. It's the kind of belief you can pretend to hold without any other that reputational damage to yourself but I doubt any of them would be willing to put their money where their mouth is.
My mother joined the Flat Earth Society when she went to college because she thought it was so absurd and would be a fun experience. Turns out none of the people in that group actually believed it either, so it was just a club to hang out and socialize.
Seems the whole flat earth thing is a lot more prevalent now so I'm guessing there are more and more people buying into the narrative.
It's the exact same phenomenon that several other fandoms or belief groups have gone through. First, start a satirical society and laugh about the foolishness with boon companions. Enjoy the companionship. Second, expand so that the society doesn't die when you leave college or the location. Begin recruiting folks and telling them about your society. Third, watch as people join and some don't realize it's satirical. Disbelief dawns on the originals. Fourth, the true believers take over as the people in on the joke slowly leave due to all sorts of reasons, including no longer finding the society funny because of the true believers.
I watched it happen with bronies (not the furry sexual folks, 4chan already had those, but just people who were really, really into the show) on 4chan, a 'drinking' club at my college that was a joke because they only drank water at the meetings (at first, anyway), and a local activity (can't name it because it's specific and would give it away) club that was truly supposed to be just a social gathering but is now populated by a gaggle of 70 year old women fervently taking part.
In which state do you think is the religion of the Flying Spaghetti Monster?
Hopefully it's all in my head. We'll see if I ever experience the personal touch of a noodly appendage.
Draws an audience of gullible morons. With that starting point you can do a number of things grift wise
Christofascists.