'The Flat Debate Society'
Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 3:57 am
Being John Malcovich….Oh wait, wrong introduction (but the irony is incomprehensible to many)…
At the “Flat Earth Society”, one of the members of which who is from my home town (I am not proud of that), people sit on their computers for hours at a time, arguing across a public forum (stage) about whether or not the Earth, you know, your home world, is flat or not. They post at each other, back and forth, day after day, arguing scientific jargon, posting links to Googled arguments that support either side, and basically accomplish nothing but data load on some no-name domain server that will one day be unplugged and end up being used as a fishing boat anchor someplace.
These people that claim to actually believe that the planet Earth is flat will argue until the point that even trying to TEASE them becomes physically painful for most people.
Out of all of the amazingly complex, (begrudgingly interesting too!) articulate personalities I have come across there, I can say with 100% straight-faced certainty that, well, I am unique. Everyone who participates in an online forum, regardless of content, has a gimmick. There are the textbook normalcy cases, like the ‘high school teacher on lunch break’ or the ‘doubting Christian looking for something more to believe in’ or the ‘I know everything because I have declared myself HAL9000′ or the ‘I am just cool like that’. The list fits any social gathering or meeting where people meet to discuss any and every topic imaginable. The difference between normalcy and this website, however, are that these people are debating one of two things: The Earth is or is not, flat. I refuse to take a side, and thus remain the most unique member on the forum.
But that labels me as nuts as well right? I mean, if I do not believe the earth is flat, I fit the majority of every man, woman, and child on this planet. But if I also deny the world is ROUND, then I am as nutty as the fruitcakes to purport to believe it is not, yes?
Hold the phone a moment, and listen to WHY I do not believe in either argument, and why this post is hard for me to type, because I am laughing so hard I cannot breathe:
THERE IS NO DEBATE ON THE FLAT EARTH FORUMS.
Allow me to explain that a little more in-depth:
A debate occurs when two or more parties engage in an exchange of ideas, based on human knowledge on a topic. This can be predicated by of course emotional investment in aforementioned random topic, or it can be from personal experience.
Arguing back and forth about the shape of planet Earth is just that: People arguing. There is no debate to be had, to be taken seriously, or to glean ANY insight from, whatsoever, because both parties are clinically insane. Why? Their argument cannot be proven, on either side, to either side’s satisfaction.
What does insane mean? It means the ‘lack of reason’, not to be confused with “lack of intelligence” as many of these people seem highly educated and articulate human beings. They are committing crimes against the reasoning, human mind, when they constantly debate back and forth over an issue neither side can ever fully vindicate with consensus. Thus, madness.
It is nothing new, but I hold out hope that eventually, the real debate will be made manifest, the real debate being:
“What possible gain can there ever be, in any real-world setting, of either side of this debate winning?”
Neither side can win, and thus dutifully render all debate utterly nonsensical and meaningless, and thus only serve to entertain those who are intelligent and self-aware enough to realize that the premise behind the echelons of believers and non-believers is so unfathomably mindless that it has become a viral, sapient entity all its own, convinced that feeding itself will sustain it.
The end is always the same with these types of scenarios. Silence. But as for right now, the laughter is drowning out my sorrows.
You simply CANNOT make this shit up.
http://www.theflatearthsociety.org
I go by midnight there, for reference to the festivities.
At the “Flat Earth Society”, one of the members of which who is from my home town (I am not proud of that), people sit on their computers for hours at a time, arguing across a public forum (stage) about whether or not the Earth, you know, your home world, is flat or not. They post at each other, back and forth, day after day, arguing scientific jargon, posting links to Googled arguments that support either side, and basically accomplish nothing but data load on some no-name domain server that will one day be unplugged and end up being used as a fishing boat anchor someplace.
These people that claim to actually believe that the planet Earth is flat will argue until the point that even trying to TEASE them becomes physically painful for most people.
Out of all of the amazingly complex, (begrudgingly interesting too!) articulate personalities I have come across there, I can say with 100% straight-faced certainty that, well, I am unique. Everyone who participates in an online forum, regardless of content, has a gimmick. There are the textbook normalcy cases, like the ‘high school teacher on lunch break’ or the ‘doubting Christian looking for something more to believe in’ or the ‘I know everything because I have declared myself HAL9000′ or the ‘I am just cool like that’. The list fits any social gathering or meeting where people meet to discuss any and every topic imaginable. The difference between normalcy and this website, however, are that these people are debating one of two things: The Earth is or is not, flat. I refuse to take a side, and thus remain the most unique member on the forum.
But that labels me as nuts as well right? I mean, if I do not believe the earth is flat, I fit the majority of every man, woman, and child on this planet. But if I also deny the world is ROUND, then I am as nutty as the fruitcakes to purport to believe it is not, yes?
Hold the phone a moment, and listen to WHY I do not believe in either argument, and why this post is hard for me to type, because I am laughing so hard I cannot breathe:
THERE IS NO DEBATE ON THE FLAT EARTH FORUMS.
Allow me to explain that a little more in-depth:
A debate occurs when two or more parties engage in an exchange of ideas, based on human knowledge on a topic. This can be predicated by of course emotional investment in aforementioned random topic, or it can be from personal experience.
Arguing back and forth about the shape of planet Earth is just that: People arguing. There is no debate to be had, to be taken seriously, or to glean ANY insight from, whatsoever, because both parties are clinically insane. Why? Their argument cannot be proven, on either side, to either side’s satisfaction.
What does insane mean? It means the ‘lack of reason’, not to be confused with “lack of intelligence” as many of these people seem highly educated and articulate human beings. They are committing crimes against the reasoning, human mind, when they constantly debate back and forth over an issue neither side can ever fully vindicate with consensus. Thus, madness.
It is nothing new, but I hold out hope that eventually, the real debate will be made manifest, the real debate being:
“What possible gain can there ever be, in any real-world setting, of either side of this debate winning?”
Neither side can win, and thus dutifully render all debate utterly nonsensical and meaningless, and thus only serve to entertain those who are intelligent and self-aware enough to realize that the premise behind the echelons of believers and non-believers is so unfathomably mindless that it has become a viral, sapient entity all its own, convinced that feeding itself will sustain it.
The end is always the same with these types of scenarios. Silence. But as for right now, the laughter is drowning out my sorrows.
You simply CANNOT make this shit up.
http://www.theflatearthsociety.org
I go by midnight there, for reference to the festivities.