[news] Shaquille O'Neal Thinks Earth Is Flat Because It Doesn't Go Up And Down When He Drives

[elsiegee40]

This is so good it's wasted in the anecdotes thread

 

Shaquille O'Neal Thinks Earth Is Flat Because It Doesn't Go Up And Down When He Drives - IFLscience

 

“I drive from coast to coast, and this shit is flat to me. I’m just saying. I drive from Florida to California all the time, and it’s flat to me. I do not go up and down at a 360-degree angle, and all that stuff about gravity, have you looked outside Atlanta lately and seen all these buildings? You mean to tell me that China is under us? China is under us? It’s not. The world is flat.”

 

When one of his co-hosts noted we had satellite imagery of Earth pointing out that Earth was, indeed, round, he responded: “Oh satellite imagery? That could be [a] drone or made up.”

 

And to just to cement his views, he added: “I’m just saying that when I drive from Florida to New York – flat. New York to Seattle – flat. Seattle to LA – flat.”

 

So what shape does Shaq think Earth is? Why, the future Nobel Prize winner proudly declared “it’s a square”.

[mikeprice]

This is so good it's wasted in the anecdotes thread

 

Shaquille O'Neal Thinks Earth Is Flat Because It Doesn't Go Up And Down When He Drives - IFLscience

 

Sometimes you can see why Trump became president

[XiJ]

I wouldn't mind be a dollar behind him though. And live in just a blissfully ignorant state. (Of mind, not Florida)

[synaesthesia]

He just joins a list of perpetually stupid & ignorant people alongside anti-vaxxers and people who find Ricky Gervais funny.

[jinnantonnixx]

I find this amazing.

If they really believe this (there's always the possibility that they're just doing it for shiggles and gits) their mind model requires more complexities than the real world.

For instance, how is half the world dark? Their explanations call for almost insurmountable complexity compared with the simplicity of reality. It's astonishing.

[LeightonJames]

I just died inside a little.

 

Shaq did this as a joke (I'm sure because he is actually quite intelligent) however, have any of you read the comments on the link to the podcast?

 

If not I highly suggest you don't as you will instantly feel less intelligent. "Dwayne" from the comments wins the award for biggest Troll/Least intelligent person ever.

[pcstru]

If they really believe this (there's always the possibility that they're just doing it for shiggles and gits) their mind model requires more complexities than the real world.

That IS a bold statement! I'm having to resist the urge to start counting; well, once I figure out what actually is real.

For instance, how is half the world dark? Their explanations call for almost insurmountable complexity compared with the simplicity of reality. It's astonishing.

People believe all sorts of wierd things and I doubt anyone in here is immune to that. I've hung around (and indeed run a forum mostly for those sceptical of) free-energy forums for the last decade and have watched people pour tens of millions into fraudulent schemes and when they don't deliver - it's a conspiracy by "big oil" or some government interest! Believing the world is flat seems a bit mundane and might actually be quite common depending on how you define "belief". For example, someone can claim to believe that (say) the world will end tomorrow but if in every action they seem to be preparing for events that occur after that time, you might be inclined to disbelieve that they really do "believe". Belief has to result in actions otherwise, well what is it? Given that, if we look at someone who believes the earth is round but is planning a journey and just uses a euclidean approximation of the earth, their action is consistent with a belief that the world is in-fact flat. What if they never act in a way that is consistent with their belief of a round earth?

[Duranis]

Funny this came up as I was having a conversation with someone who believed this the other day (thankfully not a friend or someone I really know). To begin with I thought they were just joking but people seriously do believe this insanity.

 

Some highlights where:

 

• The earth is a flat disk and the Antarctic goes all the way around the edge with the "north pole" in the centre.
  
• If you go far enough out to the edge you hit a giant wall of ice that holds all the water in/stops things falling off.
  
• The sun works like a spot light and is a lot smaller closer. The seasons happen as sometimes it moves around nearer the edge of the disk and sometimes nearer the middle. Also the sun and moon are the same size/distance.
  
• The moon works in the same way, it emits its own light and doesn't reflect the sun. Also it produces "cold rays".....
  
• The Earth, sun and moon are all contained under some kind of dome. The stars and planets are some kind of optical illusion.
  
• There is no gravity. The effect that we think of as gravity is just because the world is constantly accelerating upwards at the same speed....
  
• GPS systems use fake data to trick people into thinking they are going around the world. Alternatively all pilots are in on the lie. I couldn't get to the bottom of what this guy thought was the actual case.
  
• The ISS space station, which I can see with the naked eye. Is not in orbit, it's a drone/plane used to trick people and flies a set path over the flat earth to mimic an object in orbit.
  
• All the photos of earth from space and of other planets are fake. Despite the fact I can see some of those planets from my back garden with a telescope. Also despite the fact that it is possible as an individual to set up a high altitude balloon with a camera that can take photos of the curve of the Earth.
  

 

It was a truly terrifying experience having a conversation with someone who wilfully ignored the truth (which has an abundance of proof) to live a life believing something which is undeniably insane.

Edited March 21, 2017 by Duranis

[sted]

 

• All the photos of earth from space and of other planets are fake. Despite the fact I can see some of those planets from my back garden with a telescope. Also despite the fact that it is possible as an individual to set up a high altitude balloon with a camera that can take photos of the curve of the Earth.
  

 

It was a truly terrifying experience having a conversation with someone who wilfully ignored the truth (which has an abundance of proof) to live a life believing something which is undeniably insane.

you dont even need a drone go up a sufficiently tall building / sea side cliff / airplane and you can see the bend (the higher and clearer the day the better but its visible)

 

as to new york to wherever being flat of course it is its a (roughly) constant radius curve and gravity pulls towards the centre to all intents and purposes it mimics being flat without actually being flat

[DJ-1701]

Oh, come on, we all know how the world really looks like...

 

[JATSO]

Like most basket ball players his head is in the clouds.

[GuyJD]

Oh, come on, we all know how the world really looks like...

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]42283[/ATTACH]

That's what Golden Axe taught me.

 

I can't help but feel that the whole flat earth thing is just a trolling exercise that has got way out of hand.