Conspiracy Theorist ‘Proves’ The Earth Is Flat With A Spirit Level On A Plane, And The ‘Evidence’ Is Making People Facepalm
Some conspiracy theories don’t die out no matter how much time goes by and how much evidence to the contrary there is. One of the best-known examples is the Flat Earth Theory whose supporters keep moving the goalposts and finding new ways to ‘prove’ that Planet Earth is, supposedly, not a spinning sphere. And we’re allegedly all being duped. (Probably by our Reptilian Overlords?) Darryle Marble, from the Flat Earth Offensive, fully believes that, well, the Earth is flat. So much so that he took a spirit level on a plane to see if the bubble moved. In his YouTube video, he argues that because the bubble didn’t move, the planet isn’t curved. He even ‘did the math.’ Naturally, a lot of people are facepalming after seeing this ‘evidence’ and they keep reacting to it even years after it was first released.
“I recorded a 23 minute and 45 seconds time-lapse, which by those measurements means the plane traveled a little over 203 miles. According to curvature math given to explain the globe model, this should have resulted in the compensation of 5 miles of curvature. As you’ll see there was no measurable compensation for curvature,” he said.
Bored Panda wanted to learn more about why so many people fall for conspiracy theories like the Flat Earth Theory and how to debate those who believe in it, so we reached out to Lee McIntyre, a published author and a Research Fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University. McIntyre said that he attended a Flat Earth convention back in 2018 and actually heard someone bragging about the spirit level ‘experiment.’ McIntyre said: “They are to be commended for actually trying to test their hypothesis, but of course they don’t understand at all how science actually works. Specifically, they are ignorant of gravitational pull. One of their main arguments was that if the Earth was spinning the water would fall off. Do they not understand that gravitational pull comes from the center, is based on mass, and works on water too?”
We also spoke about Flat-Earthers and conspiracy theorists with Joseph Pierre, a Health Sciences Clinical Professor of Psychiatry from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Flat-Earther Marble brought a spirit level on a plane and shared his ‘proof’ that the Earth isn’t curved in a video
Image credits: D. Marble
McIntyre, from Boston University, told Bored Panda that if you happen to be debating a Flat-Earther, it’s best to ask them in advance what evidence would be sufficient to prove them wrong. “I used that question in person at FEIC [Flat Earth International Conference] 2018 and it was very telling. Most of them just said ‘proof’ and I said ‘proof of what?’ They couldn’t be specific. This shows that their beliefs weren’t really based on evidence in the first place,” he explained.
While it’s entirely possible that some Flat-Earthers are trying to cash-in on the gullible, McIntyre explained that, in his experience, most of them are true believers.
“For one thing, where is the cash? Even the main speakers, or organizers of the conference, didn’t seem like they were rich. We’re not talking about ExxonMobil creating disinformation about climate change so they can continue to sell oil. After about an hour face to face with these folks, I determined that virtually all of them believe it. Some are stronger in that belief than others, but I didn’t catch one person who seemed like they were just trolling,” McIntyre shared his experience with us.
“Maybe I’m being naive? Surely some trolls are out there. But at one session I heard many Flat Earthers talk about losing family members, getting kicked out of their churches, losing jobs… who would do that for fun? These are hardcore science deniers. As hard as it might be to accept, there are people who believe this stuff and are willing even to put their lives on the line for it! One rocket guy crashed trying to prove Flat Earth. They aren’t pretending.”
While a lot of us like to moan about how modern times bring about modern problems like plenty of conspiracy theories, the fact is, they’ve been around since ancient times.
“Conspiracy theories have been around since Nero in the Roman Empire. They pop up in times of turmoil or mass unrest when people try to make sense of the world, but can’t. Flat Earth is in some ways just a run of the mill conspiracy theory. They’ve all grown in popularity because beliefs (even fringe beliefs) are reinforced by peer approval, and that is now readily available on the internet. Virtually all of the flat earthers I met were converted based on Youtube videos. Some then went to the conferences. After that, they were ‘down the rabbit hole.'”
McIntyre said that these Flat-Earthers then try to convert others and convince them that they’re right. “It’s important to remember that these pathologies of human reasoning exist not just to defend themselves but to proselytize new members. They are virulent. They are infectious. I wish Flat Earth were the worst of them, but it isn’t. It’s the scourge of our age. And it will only continue to get worse.”
Marble believes that he found undeniable evidence that the Earth is supposedly flat
Meanwhile, according to Professor Pierre, from UCLA, Flat-Earthers and similar conspiracy theorists might want to talk about spirit levels and similar things, “taking advantage of the fact that people might not be familiar with that obscure piece of experimentation at the expense of talking about how wildly improbable it is that every single country with a space program, its government, and its scientists could possibly collude to hide the truth about a flat earth, not even addressing the ‘why.’
Pierre revealed that his initial interest in Flat-Earthers started after basketball player Kyrie Irving made some comments about the Earth being flat a few years back. “It seemed clear that, when his feet were held to the fire, that he backed off of actually endorsing Flat Earth beliefs and was instead using it as a way of articulating a kind of generalized mistrust in conventional dogma that’s become very common these days.”
The Professor continued: “The same has been shown in recent surveys of QAnon believers—few actually believe the more fringe elements, whereas many do endorse sympathy with the spirit of it. I sometimes liken this to distinguishing between Bible literalists and ‘true believers’ and those that embrace the Bible in a more metaphorical way. Unfortunately, surveys that query different degrees of belief conviction often fail to capture the details of individual belief, giving us a false impression of just how many believers are out there.”
Either Marble genuinely believes that the Earth is flat or—and I know this might sound crazy—he’s cashing in on the conspiracy on his YouTube channel. Probably a bit of both? From the topics that he posts about on social media, he’s a big believer in quite a few conspiracy theories. He’s also an active member of the wider Flat Earth community. But I wouldn’t put it past him to actually secretly be a stand-up comedian or a scientist conducting a massive social experiment about believing conspiracy theories and how people soak up information online.
If you speak to your average Flat-Earther, one of the things they’ll tell you is how important it is to think for yourself. And they’re right on that part, at least—critical thinking, the ability to draw conclusions for yourself, is a vital skill in a world full of fake news, conspiracy theories, badly-disguised propaganda, and clickbait.
Ironically, while some conspiracy theorists like Marble do their own work to try and prove that their chosen conspiracies are true, others just parrot Flat Earth ‘facts’ that will make your head spin and make you wonder if the internet was a good decision after all.
You can’t fault somebody for trying to collect the data for themselves; but a real scientist accepts all of the facts and considers all of the information, not just the stuff that confirms their bias. And they make sure their experiments are sound, not just flashy for their subscribers.
Here’s how some people reacted after they watched the video
Image credits: www.facebook.com
The Flat Earth Society claims to have members from all over the globe...
Mike Rodrick: My cats and I thank you for the laugh. :D
Load More Replies...Uhm, hello. The round earthers have changed all the spirit levels, duh.
I served in the Canadian navy and one of my duties was look out. When I was on the bridge I watched a large tanker rise from the water. First I saw the mast, then the superstructure and finally the hull. That can only happen on a round planet.
Flat Earthers demand evidence that the world is round. People present photos from space, results of physics experiments, and mathematics. Flat Earthers claim all of it is fake.
Because that evidence contradicts their firmly held beliefs. Unfortunately, the burden of proof lies with the flat-earthers (since they are the ones making the claim), and their "evidence" is lacking as well. Why cant we round (ha! sorry...) them all up and jettison them into space. Let them argue among themselves whether they can see the dome, or the edge or whatever. As long as they can no longer pollute OUR knowledge banks with their drivel.
Load More Replies...Don't hate them. These people are here to give us the feeling that we are sane and smart. They are secretly spirit lifters ;)
Load More Replies...I'm willing to become a flat earther as soon as someone can provide photos of the ice wall that allegedly exists. Since that ice wall must be gigantic it should be simple to get enough photos to prove its existence.
Netflix has a great documentary about Flat Earthers. The guy doing the documentary says the reason that there are no scientists admitting the earth is flat is because the government has silenced them. Come on now. That's like saying vaccines cause autism and the COVID vaccine contains microchips.
There is a site called Christian forums. I go there for the conspiracy theory entertainment.
Load More Replies...Yeah, I have a loved one in Q too. Exactly the same thing, you said it better than I could have.
Load More Replies...You know... fake moon landing, inside 911 job, chemtrails.. i get that some people turn on consp. myth like that.... but FLAT EARTH..WTF?! I just wanna slap these people very hard. sry.
Sorry to all flat earthers here for wanting SCP-049 to use you...
Load More Replies...Hmm. I do believe he just proved himself wrong. Gravity pulls to the centre of the earth not in a straight line. So in order for the bubble to stay "level" the plane would need to be travelling in an arc parallel to the globe.
His name is marble. He doesn't understand the concept of his own name, size, and putting a level on a flat surface.
Oh my God!! This must be true! After all he used science and mathematics and a tool that is precise in measurements upto a nanometre!!
This stupid experiment would never work anyway. Gravity always points toward the center of the earth, so a level could not disprove a spheroid Earth. IE to an observer outside a spheroid Earth, a "level" bubble level in Australia would be at a vastly different angle than one in the U.S. but both levels would say they are level (and this is also true at every point between Australia and the U.S., plane routes included).
His plane is travelling at a constant elevation but he isn't.
Load More Replies..."The Earth is flat! I'm on a plane, and the spirit level isn't moving! Prove me wrong!" "Okay... look out of any window."
mate dowsing rods are spirit levels that provide more proof than whatever you're doing
Oh for... We knew it was round millennia ago. Now, if he gets a spirit level that goes all the way from, say, Hong Kong to NYC to read "level"... But he won't!
so,get 10 bucks and buy this thing.than suddenly buy a plane ticket!
OMG... amazing how dense some people can be. I know that I have my own moments, but WOW
Marble, you have my sympathy for all the mockers and disbelievers. Now, can I interest you in the purchase of your very own, uncurved harbor bridge? Or perhaps a very, very tall building, from which you can see Earth's straight edge?
Humans are gullible, and once they believe something, it is almost impossible to change their minds, there is plenty of research to show this. I originally came across the phenomenon while researching cycle helmets, which most people think are incredibly effective, while the data shows they aren't effective at all.
Are Flat Earth Society members also the same people saying that Covid is fake? Cause I wouldn't be surprised
And people like that are allowed to vote. No wonder we are in this shape.
What a MORON! How do people like this function in everyday life? Basically, you just proved the pilot did a great job of keeping the plane level - how the HELL do you translate that into the curvature (or lack thereof) of the PLANET?
HOW in the world did he pull this off without getting the extra special secondary check by TSA?
Surely if the earth was flat everybody would get sunshine all the time
Must not have had geometry - it is called "tangent to a circle"
I was like, wait, valid science! Then I noticed the tray table... Smh
Why do these people have to be so f*****g stupid. This is proof of the benefit of a decent education, where you learn the little things first, like 2+2 =4, and then how that can apply to bigger things, where you can prove that if 2+2=4, then you can also show how two identical twins can age at different speeds if one takes off from this planet at the speed of light while the other one stays here. Which is the same things you'll learn as to how the earth is NOT flat. But if you're a moron like this guy, who never learned the 2+2=4 part, they'll try to explain to you the harder stuff, when they know duck about the easy stuff.
I met a guy in 2016. He seemed like a nice enough dude. We were going to go out on a date. Then I found out he believes that 1.The earth is flat. 2. The sun and moon revolve around the earth. Why? BECAUSE... the Bible says so. Apparently. Yup. And apparently that's enough reason. Obviously also the moon landing was fake because they showed those fake photos of a globe-shaped earth. Yeah. The date never happened because I knew there's no way I could sit across from this man for 30 minutes and hold back the sarcasm and eye rolls. I know my limitations. Besides, what would be the point. I still talk to him now and then. He's still a nice enough dude. But also he would have you know that covid is totally made up and the vaccine is a ploy to have us all microchipped by satan or something. It blows my mind that someone can sound like a totally rational, normal human being 90% of the time, but meanwhile they truly and honestly believe crazy stuff like this. Just 🤯🤯🤯
Hint: he is NOT a nice person. Stop talking to him.
Load More Replies...He looks like Jeremy Fielding's evil/dumb/opposite twin! channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_SLthyNX_ivd-dmsFgmJVg
Take your spirit level and put it on a flat surface then turn it around and see what happens the bubble will be in a different place this proves nothing
"We don't need science," says the idiot using a computer to post this. Beautiful.
Load More Replies...The Flat Earth Society claims to have members from all over the globe...
Mike Rodrick: My cats and I thank you for the laugh. :D
Load More Replies...Uhm, hello. The round earthers have changed all the spirit levels, duh.
I served in the Canadian navy and one of my duties was look out. When I was on the bridge I watched a large tanker rise from the water. First I saw the mast, then the superstructure and finally the hull. That can only happen on a round planet.
Flat Earthers demand evidence that the world is round. People present photos from space, results of physics experiments, and mathematics. Flat Earthers claim all of it is fake.
Because that evidence contradicts their firmly held beliefs. Unfortunately, the burden of proof lies with the flat-earthers (since they are the ones making the claim), and their "evidence" is lacking as well. Why cant we round (ha! sorry...) them all up and jettison them into space. Let them argue among themselves whether they can see the dome, or the edge or whatever. As long as they can no longer pollute OUR knowledge banks with their drivel.
Load More Replies...Don't hate them. These people are here to give us the feeling that we are sane and smart. They are secretly spirit lifters ;)
Load More Replies...I'm willing to become a flat earther as soon as someone can provide photos of the ice wall that allegedly exists. Since that ice wall must be gigantic it should be simple to get enough photos to prove its existence.
Netflix has a great documentary about Flat Earthers. The guy doing the documentary says the reason that there are no scientists admitting the earth is flat is because the government has silenced them. Come on now. That's like saying vaccines cause autism and the COVID vaccine contains microchips.
There is a site called Christian forums. I go there for the conspiracy theory entertainment.
Load More Replies...Yeah, I have a loved one in Q too. Exactly the same thing, you said it better than I could have.
Load More Replies...You know... fake moon landing, inside 911 job, chemtrails.. i get that some people turn on consp. myth like that.... but FLAT EARTH..WTF?! I just wanna slap these people very hard. sry.
Sorry to all flat earthers here for wanting SCP-049 to use you...
Load More Replies...Hmm. I do believe he just proved himself wrong. Gravity pulls to the centre of the earth not in a straight line. So in order for the bubble to stay "level" the plane would need to be travelling in an arc parallel to the globe.
His name is marble. He doesn't understand the concept of his own name, size, and putting a level on a flat surface.
Oh my God!! This must be true! After all he used science and mathematics and a tool that is precise in measurements upto a nanometre!!
This stupid experiment would never work anyway. Gravity always points toward the center of the earth, so a level could not disprove a spheroid Earth. IE to an observer outside a spheroid Earth, a "level" bubble level in Australia would be at a vastly different angle than one in the U.S. but both levels would say they are level (and this is also true at every point between Australia and the U.S., plane routes included).
His plane is travelling at a constant elevation but he isn't.
Load More Replies..."The Earth is flat! I'm on a plane, and the spirit level isn't moving! Prove me wrong!" "Okay... look out of any window."
mate dowsing rods are spirit levels that provide more proof than whatever you're doing
Oh for... We knew it was round millennia ago. Now, if he gets a spirit level that goes all the way from, say, Hong Kong to NYC to read "level"... But he won't!
so,get 10 bucks and buy this thing.than suddenly buy a plane ticket!
OMG... amazing how dense some people can be. I know that I have my own moments, but WOW
Marble, you have my sympathy for all the mockers and disbelievers. Now, can I interest you in the purchase of your very own, uncurved harbor bridge? Or perhaps a very, very tall building, from which you can see Earth's straight edge?
Humans are gullible, and once they believe something, it is almost impossible to change their minds, there is plenty of research to show this. I originally came across the phenomenon while researching cycle helmets, which most people think are incredibly effective, while the data shows they aren't effective at all.
Are Flat Earth Society members also the same people saying that Covid is fake? Cause I wouldn't be surprised
And people like that are allowed to vote. No wonder we are in this shape.
What a MORON! How do people like this function in everyday life? Basically, you just proved the pilot did a great job of keeping the plane level - how the HELL do you translate that into the curvature (or lack thereof) of the PLANET?
HOW in the world did he pull this off without getting the extra special secondary check by TSA?
Surely if the earth was flat everybody would get sunshine all the time
Must not have had geometry - it is called "tangent to a circle"
I was like, wait, valid science! Then I noticed the tray table... Smh
Why do these people have to be so f*****g stupid. This is proof of the benefit of a decent education, where you learn the little things first, like 2+2 =4, and then how that can apply to bigger things, where you can prove that if 2+2=4, then you can also show how two identical twins can age at different speeds if one takes off from this planet at the speed of light while the other one stays here. Which is the same things you'll learn as to how the earth is NOT flat. But if you're a moron like this guy, who never learned the 2+2=4 part, they'll try to explain to you the harder stuff, when they know duck about the easy stuff.
I met a guy in 2016. He seemed like a nice enough dude. We were going to go out on a date. Then I found out he believes that 1.The earth is flat. 2. The sun and moon revolve around the earth. Why? BECAUSE... the Bible says so. Apparently. Yup. And apparently that's enough reason. Obviously also the moon landing was fake because they showed those fake photos of a globe-shaped earth. Yeah. The date never happened because I knew there's no way I could sit across from this man for 30 minutes and hold back the sarcasm and eye rolls. I know my limitations. Besides, what would be the point. I still talk to him now and then. He's still a nice enough dude. But also he would have you know that covid is totally made up and the vaccine is a ploy to have us all microchipped by satan or something. It blows my mind that someone can sound like a totally rational, normal human being 90% of the time, but meanwhile they truly and honestly believe crazy stuff like this. Just 🤯🤯🤯
Hint: he is NOT a nice person. Stop talking to him.
Load More Replies...He looks like Jeremy Fielding's evil/dumb/opposite twin! channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_SLthyNX_ivd-dmsFgmJVg
Take your spirit level and put it on a flat surface then turn it around and see what happens the bubble will be in a different place this proves nothing
"We don't need science," says the idiot using a computer to post this. Beautiful.
Load More Replies...
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