Post B1kHtx697cAHT2edG4 by FallsMom@mastodon.coffee
(DIR) More posts by FallsMom@mastodon.coffee
(DIR) Post #B1k9nGPg6xu1iB5e8e by stux@mstdn.social
2025-12-29T14:31:29Z
2 likes, 0 repeats
My mother in law is showing more and more massive red flags the past time, she's becoming a "conspiracy facebook mom"A while ago it started with small things where i raised my eyebrow but it's got a lot worseA few days with Christmas she tried to open the conversation about the "flat earth (bullshit) theory" :nkoFacepalm2: She does this because she knows I can't keep quiet but this time i told her I was not interested and I don't have to convince her anymore
(DIR) Post #B1k9zWIAtpTmQzQNxQ by stux@mstdn.social
2025-12-29T14:33:43Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
Her son, my brother in law is exaxtly like meAlso a total nerd who almost thinks the same about everything and he was also done with her behaviour lol!We tried to explain to her a while ago that people come up with these "theories" so they can feel special"I know something others don't!" and tried to explain why etc but I don't think it landed..
(DIR) Post #B1kA1p8BpNSbRQqvkO by stux@mstdn.social
2025-12-29T14:33:59Z
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@palefailmel OOF!But for real..\My mom also needs it
(DIR) Post #B1kA29MkawzWCNoqDg by cjd@pkteerium.xyz
2025-12-29T14:34:11.766465Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
Unpopular opinion: Obviously incorrect beliefs that challenge the status quo are still good because they promote critical thinking.
(DIR) Post #B1kA9ygMCVqxNdiqcC by stux@mstdn.social
2025-12-29T14:35:37Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@cjd Oh yes!But she goes waaaay to far 😉 I dont think people should offer "flat eathers" any credit for that mattter, it's just trolling in my eyes
(DIR) Post #B1kAMhn2Jj0Qkpup4C by Orb2069@mastodon.online
2025-12-29T14:37:50Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@stux Long, but amazing on this subject: https://youtu.be/JTfhYyTuT44
(DIR) Post #B1kAOqLfT38jsT8LNA by Sempf@infosec.exchange
2025-12-29T14:37:31Z
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@palefailmel @stux In general, I love the idea of "parental controls" are for the mid-aged to control what their parents can see online.
(DIR) Post #B1kAOrkAHSKUCjbQC8 by stux@mstdn.social
2025-12-29T14:38:16Z
1 likes, 1 repeats
@Sempf @palefailmel Little while ago I told my mom how things have turned around :blobcatgiggle: "But i taught you to eat with a spoon" she said 😆
(DIR) Post #B1kAY28F1h5H1tEfa4 by Sempf@infosec.exchange
2025-12-29T14:39:56Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@stux @palefailmel And she isn't wrong. But things are moving at a remarkable pace, and sometimes what goes around, comes around.
(DIR) Post #B1kAbgBaYy2y7iXXAu by cjd@pkteerium.xyz
2025-12-29T14:40:35.921241Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
> I dont think people should offer "flat eathers" any creditAs long as it's a real person, not some shady online maybe-intelligence-related influencer, it's nice debate practice.I guess these are people who have never seen sunrise out the window of a plane? Because when you're up at altitude, the curvature of the earth is visible to the naked eye...
(DIR) Post #B1kAdKAjNfy2QavI00 by stux@mstdn.social
2025-12-29T14:40:55Z
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@Sempf @palefailmel Absolutely! The digital world is my life and i also have troubles navigating it sometimesMy mom is pretty much a leek
(DIR) Post #B1kAgp9qdJCNOhB9FY by stux@mstdn.social
2025-12-29T14:41:33Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@cjd If there's a "spark of hope" yes! 😉 Esp if people are unsure for exampleNot the trolls indeed
(DIR) Post #B1kBDnZ1a1qY0gg7Gq by Remittancegirl@mstdn.social
2025-12-29T14:47:29Z
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@stux There is a rather ugly emotion that accompanies it, too.But sometimes, it is a flag for psychosis.
(DIR) Post #B1kBMItoxYcFVnSfLs by Remittancegirl@mstdn.social
2025-12-29T14:40:58Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@cjd @stux The problem is they don’t. Because the goal of believing obviously incorrect beliefs is not to think critically. It involves an illicit enjoyment.
(DIR) Post #B1kBMKE41mP1crwLXk by Remittancegirl@mstdn.social
2025-12-29T14:44:43Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@cjd @stux I’ve watched the faces of people who proffer these kind of conspiracy theories. They become suffused with a kind of secret jouissance. Someone who suggests that time might not be a constant IS challenging accepted thought. It is critical thinking. Especially when they can use examples to back it up.But with flat earthers, they don’t. They just *believe* and they take pleasure in believing that the whole of society is lying to them - which makes them martyrs, and special.
(DIR) Post #B1kBML4WsiN0FaUFJw by stux@mstdn.social
2025-12-29T14:49:00Z
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@Remittancegirl @cjd If people have some sort of explainer for something with very good backups I can be convicedI mean that is science right..If something better comes along we should accept that and not be stubborn
(DIR) Post #B1kBObSSvghbeMlL4C by cjd@pkteerium.xyz
2025-12-29T14:49:19.841499Z
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They kind of have to, because whoever promotes this flat earth stuff needs to use some kind of argumentation to convince people of it.That argumentation *needs* to follow some sort of logic. It can't just appeal to authority because "authority" says earth is round.So someone who believes the earth is flat, almost certainly used to believe it was round, and they were convinced by some line of reasoning. They engaged in critical thinking, they saw error in their earlier opinions and they decided to change them based on new information. This is all really healthy stuff, so like I said, even if they ended up with a wrong opinion, they exercised some good mental muscles to get there. Also flat earth is a pretty harmless wrong opinion compared to, say, a ponzi scheme, or cult.
(DIR) Post #B1kBPU7ngDqtCCW6zY by stux@mstdn.social
2025-12-29T14:49:31Z
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@Pinchy63 Oof :sad_cat: its gonna happen more and more im afraid
(DIR) Post #B1kBbQZ0kJJTcswI8u by thomasdorr@mastodon.social
2025-12-29T14:51:45Z
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@stuxThere seems to be a growing belief that people can be addicted to conspiracy theories and might need help.It sounds very frustrating.
(DIR) Post #B1kC9sEeN0CTIHqBxQ by cjd@pkteerium.xyz
2025-12-29T14:57:59.584564Z
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If I had a family member who wanted to argue the earth is flat, I think I'd use the opportunity to introduce Uncertainty, Probability and Decision Theory.Uncertainty / Probability:* What are some things that would be different if it was flat vs. round?* Is there any way we can, from personal experience, decide which scenario is more likely?* Which scenario requires fewer assumptions?* How can we attempt to quantify the likelihood of one or the other?Decision Theory:* What does that mean to your life?* What kind of things would you do differently depending on whether the earth is round or flat?* Can you find decision strategies that are robust in both scenarios?
(DIR) Post #B1kCW4hyfzFqLi92hs by Remittancegirl@mstdn.social
2025-12-29T15:01:18Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@cjd People who insist the earth is flat KNOW that 99.9% of people don’t agree with them and are familiar with all the various proofs that prove it is not.So this insistence is not about the shape of the earth, but the shape of them.@stux
(DIR) Post #B1kDAFMqStSWzWPq6a by cjd@pkteerium.xyz
2025-12-29T15:09:16.197435Z
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IMO the problem is that most people are binary thinkers, they can't handle uncertainty. So once they are no longer absolutely sure the earth is round, they're now absolutely sure the earth is flat.Now in the case of the earth, we are more or less certain that it's round(ish), but there are many many MANY things that we have no such certainty of, and these are often far more important.e.g.> Would UBI make people better off, or more lazy and helpless?> Are tariffs better or worse for a country than income taxes?> Will better results come from raising, lowering, or maintaining public funding for medical research?Most people think they know the answers to these questions, but these are actually really complex topics that are almost impossible to determine without small scale experimental pilots.
(DIR) Post #B1kEnD7iqEwdHPU9dg by senchawizard@mstdn.social
2025-12-29T15:27:32Z
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@stux my brother-in-law does this, too. i have to keep reminding him i'm not spending my time and energy on the conversation that i won't convince him he's being deranged.
(DIR) Post #B1kEuqdILUFRqItY1I by Remittancegirl@mstdn.social
2025-12-29T15:28:54Z
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@stux Oh, completely. There are lovely philosophical and scientific debates to be had about a huge number of accepted tenets. But I don’t think that is what is going on with your mother in law. I think she needs a flat earth because she feels very, very unsteady. @cjd
(DIR) Post #B1kGX7JkrNeOY2ZECO by faraiwe@mstdn.social
2025-12-29T15:47:03Z
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@stux uh oh.
(DIR) Post #B1kHtbD8UwgTaLku6C by CaptMorgan@freeradical.zone
2025-12-29T16:02:12Z
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@stux I think the reason we are all on fedi is an acknowledgement that surveillance capitalism isn’t merely exploitative, its active brain washing. You can’t really blame vulnerable individuals for being easily manipulated by these algorithms, they are laser focused on behavior modification without regard to harm they cause. The whacko conspiracy theories are a feature not a bug.The only solution is to STAY OFF ANY PLATFORM with algorithmic feeds
(DIR) Post #B1kHtx697cAHT2edG4 by FallsMom@mastodon.coffee
2025-12-29T16:02:15Z
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@stux Is this the same woman who gave the spa gift card that expired in *2017*????
(DIR) Post #B1kIuthHLuMrAA2Ns0 by fds@mastodon.social
2025-12-29T16:13:41Z
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@stux could always suggest a flight around the world. Time the flight time and they stay awake to take periodic videos of the way the out is moving to prove it’s always in the same direction. Then if the last hop is shorter than it is to turn around they have their proof. The cost might help cement it in folk’s heads to think twice about internet theories.Or go up a mountain if one is near by and high enough to see the earth curve but I’m sure flat earthers have a theory for that
(DIR) Post #B1kJ0PwKtxcebtiEoy by stux@mstdn.social
2025-12-29T16:14:44Z
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@FallsMom Yes!