this post was submitted on 20 Dec 2024
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And Finally...

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In a surprising turn of events, a well-known flat-earther conceded that his long-held conspiracy theory was incorrect after embarking on a 9,000-mile journey to Antarctica.

YouTuber Jeran Campanella traveled to the southernmost continent to witness a 24-hour sun - a phenomenon that would be impossible if the Earth were flat.

"I realize that I'll be called a shill for just saying that and you know what, if you're a shill for being honest so be it - I honestly believed there was no 24-hour sun... I honestly now believe there is. That's it," added Campanella.

...

Campanella still didn't fully embrace the globe Earth model: “I won’t say the Earth is a perfect sphere,” then said, after first admitting he was wrong.

...

The expedition was part of the Final Experiment project, organized by Colorado pastor Will Duffy, who "hopes to end the debate over the shape of the Earth."

The expedition was part of the Final Experiment project, organized by Colorado pastor Will Duffy, who "hopes to end the debate over the shape of the Earth."

He arranged an expedition in which four flat Earthers and four "globe Earthers" were flown to Antarctica to witness the continent's midnight Sun. Antarctica's Midnight Sun is one of many proofs that the Earth is spherical. It can only occur on a tilted and rotating sphere, and the axial tilt during summer positions the South Pole to face the Sun continuously for 24 hours.

Flat Earthers often claim that the Antarctic Treaty of 1959 prevents civilians from visiting the southernmost continent in an attempt to hide the true shape of planet Earth. However, Pastor Duffy wanted to demonstrate that this wasn't the case.

"I created The Final Experiment to end this debate, once and for all. After we go to Antarctica, no one has to waste any more time debating the shape of the Earth," Duffy declared in a statement. "This is, of course, assuming that the entire "experiment" isn't just an elaborate prank designed to fool us 'globe Earthers.' It seems highly unlikely, but we'll keep you posted if anything changes – not that we're trying to sound conspiratorial or paranoid."

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[–] FeloniousPunk@lemmy.today 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

When many different people tell you that you are a fucking moron, at some point you need to listen and reassess.

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 3 points 21 hours ago

Darwin would have to disagree.

Heck a large part our planets science history were considered morons when they proposed ideas.

This guy trully is a moron. But the human races history of collective judgement is far from good.

[–] frozenpopsicle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 20 hours ago

Now we just need to raise enough money to fly each of these crazies from pole to pole. Ugh...

[–] lud@lemm.ee 4 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Seems excessive to go to Antarctica to get 24 hour sun. Just go to upper Sweden or something.

[–] gex@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

They believe the south pole is the edge of the earth, so a 24 hour earth is only possible in the north pole

[–] spicehoarder@lemm.ee 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It help to also demonstrate that the stars are oriented differently in the southern hemisphere

[–] Uruanna@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Not when the Sun is blocking them 24 hours a day though. Sorry, stars are closed, come back in 6 months.

[–] GaMEChld@lemmy.world 31 points 2 days ago (2 children)

The Earth is not a perfect sphere, nor is it argued to be. It is an oblate spheroid. It bulges at the equator due to the spinning. Additionally, if it were perfectly spherical, we wouldn't have changes in elevation, mountains, etc.

[–] CileTheSane@lemmy.ca 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

If I shrunk it down to the same size the earth would be smoother than a billiard ball.

Yup. The earth is definitely not round, but we only really notice the hills and valleys because of the scale. The earth may not be smooth when you’re a tiny organism living on it, but it is smooth when you’re looking at it from a much larger perspective.

[–] KneeTitts@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Well the problem with flat earthers has never been lack of evidence, its mental illness and gulibility

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[–] intensely_human@lemm.ee 13 points 1 day ago

Flat earth theory is flat ocean theory. It can be tested with a telescope on an tripod and any land mass at least 10 miles away over the ocean.

One doesn’t need to go to the ends of the map to disprove flat earth. Just far enough to see whether the surface of the ocean is curved or not.

[–] ohwhatfollyisman@lemmy.world 180 points 2 days ago (6 children)

this person should be celebrated, not ridiculed. we all could stand to learn from him no matter how divergent our views on life are.

he sought evidence willingly and did not dismiss it out of hand when it didn't support his hypothesis. in fact, he has gone further and rejected that hypothesis.

his starting point may have been misinformed but he has had the courage to use the scientific method to recalibrate. i salute him.

[–] CileTheSane@lemmy.ca 12 points 1 day ago

He dug in his heels and refused any facts and evidence until someone else spent a pile of money to give him something he could no longer argue with.

Yes, he finally admitted the earth may not be flat. Things everyone with a brain already knew. Refusing to listen to experts and insisting you know better until you personally are given special treatment to be shown you are wrong is not something to be applauded.

Fuck this guy for taking it this far.

[–] ByteJunk@lemmy.world 33 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Kudos to the guy for admitting he was wrong, but I wouldn't celebrate it too much.

If they're able to disregard and misinterpret all the available proof regarding Earth's shape, something is fundamentally wrong. Either they lack the... mental acuity to deal with abstract concepts, or they're severely lacking in critical thinking.

At least the second one can be overcome if one commits to learning in a structured way, but the first one...

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[–] Lauchs@lemmy.world 43 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Exactlty. I found this a really uplifting story.

[–] Lodespawn@aussie.zone 33 points 2 days ago (7 children)

I like that he refuses to believe it's a perfect sphere, like someone has been trying to convince him of that.

It's those pesky perfect sphere earthers we need to watch out for. What have they got against bulges?!

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[–] Colour_me_triggered@lemm.ee 64 points 2 days ago (8 children)

Do I also get a free trip to Antarctica, if I pretend to be fucking retarded?

[–] blackn1ght@feddit.uk 21 points 2 days ago (2 children)

What they failed to mention in the article is that the four flat earthers didn't have a return ticket.

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[–] Thcdenton@lemmy.world 21 points 2 days ago (3 children)

The hard part isn't being a dumbass, the hard part is being a 'well known' dumbass

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[–] then_three_more@lemmy.world 76 points 2 days ago (7 children)

Campanella still didn't fully embrace the globe Earth model: "I won't say the Earth is a perfect sphere,"

This is correct. It's an oblate spheroid, calling it a perfect sphere is an incorrect simplification.

[–] petersr@lemmy.world 17 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Still gets closer to the truth than calling it flat.

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[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 26 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Campanella still didn’t fully embrace the globe Earth model: “I won’t say the Earth is a perfect sphere,” then said, after first admitting he was wrong.

Lol whatever lets you save face, bud... But FYI, scientists don't believe this either.

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[–] Lodespawn@aussie.zone 55 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (4 children)

Yo I also don't believe the earth is spherical, someone should fund sending me to Antarctica to prove me wrong

[–] Justas@sh.itjust.works 22 points 2 days ago (2 children)

A lot of flat earthers when asked if they want to go, refused. What a bunch of idiots, that trip is expensive and makes you the coolest person in the room.

[–] wildcardology@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Yeah, but the grift would be over for them.

[–] Thorry84@feddit.nl 18 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

All of the people that were asked were prominent online personas in the flat earth space. Aka grifters who have made their day job out of talking nonsense and duping people. They would not just be ousted from the community they are currently in, they would also lose their income.

Just convincing any old smuk wouldn't be useful, so flat earth "influencers" were asked.

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[–] Nastybutler@lemmy.world 12 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

All I know is that if I was a hiring manager for any position above fry cook, my first question for potential hires would be to ask if they believe the earth is round. If they answer "no" it would save me a lot of time.

[–] GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago (2 children)

can't ask people about their personal beliefs directly. you could form it from a series of questions though.

  • are you willing to travel across the globe for client needs?
  • how many flights would it take you to get from here to x if you flew around the planet?
  • what shape is our planet?
[–] Skates@feddit.nl 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

are you willing to travel across the globe for client needs?

No, I have a fear of planes and enjoy spending time with my family after work. Is this required to get this assistant manager job at your McDonald's branch?

how many flights would it take you to get from here to x if you flew around the planet?

Sorry but I already told you I'm afraid to fly, please stop talking about it. Do you ask white people the same type of questions?

what shape is our planet?

I'll be contacting a lawyer about this.

[–] GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 1 points 22 hours ago

yeah, I wouldn't care if you think we lived on mars for any job at a McDonnell's. asking would be super pointless. If you were interviewing for a position in corporate accounting, different story.

also, by bringing race into the discussion itself would immediately end further questioning and the interview would be over.

I actually interviewed a person who did this, and they pretty much asked exactly what you asked. I politely ended the interview and told them we might reach out for another interview. we did not because they tainted the relationship by implying they were not getting appropriate treatment without knowing how other interviews were handled.

I'm a very difficult interviewer and I push applicants very hard, because the positions they will be holding are high stress high impact. I need to see how they deal under immense pressure and sometimes people take it personally. I get it, emotions run high and people snap back. that's not who I'm looking for. I want high functioning employees that can perform their duties under stress.

generally I stay far away from personal questions other than ice breakers like, favorite TV show right now, what kind of projects do you like to work on, if you had a super power what would it be.

I can read people very well and usually find the right people for the position.

[–] Nastybutler@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (7 children)

How about "Is the earth round?" It's an objective fact, not a question about beliefs.

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[–] badbytes@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Why, do we give credence to the mentally insane. It's 2024.

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 4 points 1 day ago

Because its 2024. The mentally insane have way more ability to be heard then ever.

Prior to the 2000s they never had much option to talk to each other.

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[–] Salvo@aussie.zone 44 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The most surprising thing is that a Flat Earther actually admitted that they were wrong!

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[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 26 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Good for them for admitting thier mistake. Respect.

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[–] Doom@ttrpg.network 3 points 1 day ago

He knew for years

[–] mayidar@lemmy.world 14 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Sorry for my ignorance but why didn't they just go to the Arctic, it should be much cheaper and one don't have to go straight to the Pole, northernmost parts of Canada, Alaska, or Europe would be enough to witness 24-hours sun. I personally was to the north of the Arctic circle and the polar day was lit. And it was as cheap and easy as buy one railway ticket from Moscow.

[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 33 points 2 days ago (5 children)

In many flat earth models they envision the arctic as the center and Antarctica as the rim, in which case 24h daylight is possible in the former but not the latter.

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