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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[–] [email protected] 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.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago (10 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?
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[–] [email protected] 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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[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Was that 9,000 one way or was it for the round trip?

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The debate over the shape of the earth???

Obviously you can come up with an explanation for the 24 hour sun. These people just aren’t trying hard enough.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago

And they will. Most will say this guy is a sell out/bullied. Given, they genuinely claim world powers are preventing people going.

It is sorta interesting that the difficulty of getting somewhere. Has a history of creating false stories. If you look at the1400-1600s maps of Africa. Created by Europeans. Humanity has a natural desire to invent the impossible when evidence is not clearly visible.

They seem to ignore how, despite questioning the science behind spherical (ish) earth. They really have no possible explanation for how the universe created their own alternative. Not even a clearly debunkable one.

It's just like the mythical creatures drawn on the 1500s maps of Africa. It's more about interesting stories than actual desire to understand.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Have any flat earthers ever flown to Asia from the western US? If the earth was flat, you couldn't take a worldwide flight without flying off the edge if you kept travelling west :P

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The argument would be you are flying in a circle?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago

And that "plane windows distort the image"

[–] [email protected] 62 points 2 days ago (8 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 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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[–] [email protected] 22 points 2 days ago (2 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago

Is he a dumbass though. I mean, he was wrong. And obviously so. Given how much simple clear light, experiments can and have questioned his hypothesis.

But honestly, he got someone to gather funds for a trip of a lifetime. Just by being a loudmouth.

Heck, if I thought anyone would take me seriously. I'd be happy to seem stupid to the world for a chance to visit Antarctica. Seems way less hard than actually gaining the qualifications or fiscal clout to be invited.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Gotta be the loudest and most dumb of asses.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 days ago

You could become president with an attitude like that!

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 days ago (2 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.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

They considered Tromsø, but it was too expensive and too much of a tourist trap. Also I'm not sure how welcoming Russia is to Americans RN. I assume you didn't go to Norilsk on holiday, so how was Murmansk?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Actually, I was a biology student at that time and we had summer field practice near the White Sea. It was great, nature and atmosphere were wonderful, except mosquitoes, mosquitoes were everywhere and they were hungry. Though I've been to Murmansk later, and the city is decent, I mean, it's still small, dying, and depressing, but it could be much worse. I was there literally for a day and can't say much, but they had a very good regional museum and the first nuclear icebreaker is now an interesting museum too.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

Cool, I've met a few people from Murmansk and Arkhangelsk, but I've never actually been to Russia. Wouldn't risk it now. One of my former colleagues said that he can't go back to visit his family until the war is over, because they've made entering Russia on a damaged passport a jailable offence. He's worried that he'd be sent to die in Ukraine if he tried to go home.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 2 days ago (1 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.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 days ago (2 children)

That is mind numbingly dumb. Do they think the sun hovers direct over the earth in the summer, then goes underneath in the winter? How would days and nights work anyway?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The same way it currently does, but the sun is significantly closer and smaller, also is has a range of light, like a lamp shade that makes sure the sun isn't always visible even though it's always above the disc earth, as is the moon (and don't even start trying to reason with the moons movements on a flat earth model, or explain either types of eclipse.. It only gets worse the deeper you look)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

A lamp shade? That makes no sense (naturally) as you can watch the sun move in the sky and go behind a horizon, and the further north or south you go the angle of movement changes. Any person with two brain cells to rub together can poke holes in their theories, yet these nut jobs cling to them like religious fanatics to their holy texts.

Why are people spending so much effort to try to convert them? Just let them wallow in their willful ignorance and shun them.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago

I have no idea.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 days ago

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.

Who the hell told him scientists consider it a perfect sphere? Maps for various satellite navigation systems are incompatible, among other things, because of different geoid approximations they use.

And his sun experiment, obviously, didn't require traveling to Antarctica itself, he could just as well travel half the way, I dunno. Make the antique experiment with sticks in sand.

(I've spent half a year in a geodesy and cartography university before getting depressed after barely passing first exams and dropping out.)

In any case, he's a fine guy and smarter than many people. He at least only accepted real proof. Most people around think they are smarter than flat-earthers because of being in other group than the stupid one. They are not unless they can prove that position. Most of them can't, and still consider others stupid for questioning dogma, which is the whole fscking reason we know things allowing to build refrigerators, airplanes, radios, computers, and that Earth is not flat too.

[–] [email protected] 76 points 2 days ago (5 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.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Isn't it a geoid ellipsoid?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Isn't it a geoid ellipsoid?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

The earth is basically a huge potato.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

More simply speaking, trees and life but also hills and mountains exist, so it must not be a sphere.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Yeah, but relative. Those features are smaller relative to the size of earth. Then the imperfections on a pool ball.

Whereas the difference of east west diameter to north-south is much greater. But still unlikely to be noticed by a celestial pool player until the ball starts rolling funny.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

You wrote perfectly, not approximately so there was my invitation to bullshit.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Still gets closer to the truth than calling it flat.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago

He's jumped from being completely wrong to being potentially more right than most people.

[–] [email protected] 52 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

[–] [email protected] 19 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.

[–] [email protected] 17 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.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago

They knew they'd be forced to become pariahs, like jeran and whitsit currently are. Flat earthers are currently going out of their minds trying to say the whole thing was faked with a sound stage, green screen, cold place that wasn't really Antarctica, prerecorded footage, etc. All already easily debunked, but proof has never mattered to them before, why start now? Either way it's kind of funny to see how quickly they turn on each other when one of their own admits something like the 24 hour sun being real, even though flerfers claim to be dedicated to science and the truth.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I second you. Let’s start a YT channel and contact Pastor Duffy for a ticket later.

Btw we‘ll take our biggest fans with us. Join our channel

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago

Sounds like a great starting point for a sequel to The Thing

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