r/flatearth • u/Illustrious-Emu1 • 1d ago
Help me
I have a friend that is so deep into conspiracy theories I think he is long gone I don't know how to convince him otherwise. Today he said to me that space isn't real and that bill gates is killing people to reduce world population and the moon landing was fake and choreographed ill attach links to the video he sent me I don't know what to tell him. And is it even possible to convert one to think the earth isn't flat. Oh and he believes those videos to be factual evidence to his claims💀
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u/Illustrious-Emu1 1d ago
Forgot to add he thinks mark Zuckerberg is a lizard 😭
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u/Puzzleheaded_Two7358 1d ago
But that’s true.
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u/Extreme-Book4730 1d ago
It is. Also a robot and finally got his 2.0 upgrade and finally moves and acts like a real person.
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u/Blitzer046 1d ago
When someone is that far gone it's just best to not engage. There is a method of inquiry called street epistomology that can get the individual to be relfective and analyse their own beliefs by reviewing the source of those beliefs but it requires care and patience and is not quick about the whole thing.
Arguing with your friend will only get them to double down on their beliefs.
So you can be firm with them. 'I am not interested and I don't want to hear any more about this stuff. Please stop talking about it. I have my beliefs, you have yours. Let's talk about something else.'
This is a perfectly valid response and will save your sanity. Often the individual wants to feel special or different because they embrace these conspiracy theories; by not engaging you deny this motive.
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u/Illustrious-Emu1 1d ago
I've tried this before every single time I fall for the rage bait💀😂 because those claims are so ridiculous it's insane. I'll try again hope this time I won't fall for it 😮💨
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u/IsCuimhinLiom 1d ago
I saw a program about friends/family going down those rabbit holes and the best thing to do is remind them of the times you spent together before they went off.
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u/Individual-Equal-441 1d ago
If he believes a bunch of different things including celebrities being lizards, he may have fallen into the Qanon conspiracy movement. I would recommend asking around in the QanonCasualties sub. The folks there also have a lot of experience and useful advice when friends/family have fallen way down a rabbit hole to the detriment of their relationships with others.
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u/Illustrious-Emu1 1d ago
Wait so there are real flat earthers on here👀😂😂 lmfao
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u/IsCuimhinLiom 1d ago
These conspiracy theorists have a deep emotional need to have special “knowledge”
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u/Comfortable-Pound433 1d ago
The thing is, the theories itself are not the problem. As you've already mentioned he "believes" in many different one with no obvious common denominator. There's most probably a more deeper issue why he's prone to believe a lot of conspiracy theories. And the most important thing is not theory but conspiracy.
I assume something happened to him that causes him believing the world isn't how physics or politic or society itself forms it, but someone "behind the curtain".
May it that he experience his life not being defined by himself, but only by others. Or that he feels excluded from the world, because he lost his "feeling home" place and the world is just a thing he's living in but has no clue or control over how it works or what his place in it is.
It's just low budget psychology, but what I meant is, that something has happenend to him over the years. I would not recommend to argue with him about the theoriers itself, that's a lost cause and actually could end in a terminated friendship, or it might actually strengthens his belives. But instead reject talking about these theories and just have a talk with him as a friend who wants to know how it is going what he struggles with and what he loves in his live. Maybe that might give you a clue how you can help him. But it's a difficult process as I'm sure he will often try to bring these theories in all kind of different relations to his life and it might even be impossible to have a normal talk more than 5 minutes with him.
I wish you luck, I once had a friend going through some personal trouble for a very long time and he slipped in these conspiracies. I talked to him less and less and now it's 6 years ago I last talked to him. Don't even know if he's still alive and as shameful as I might feel from time to time, I'm kind of glad I don't have to talk to him anymore.
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u/rdhb 9h ago
For the most part, it should be uplifting, fulfilling, and fun to have friends. If you have a friend that’s causing you stress it’s time to re-examine that friendship and maybe just move on. There’s about 6 billion people on earth. You’re not losing a lot by forgoing a frustrating one.
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u/Ex_President35 1d ago
Eh I’d prolly listen to him.
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u/Illustrious-Emu1 1d ago
I'm not ignorant like you 😁
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u/Ex_President35 1d ago
I’m not sure you understand the word ignorant.
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u/Illustrious-Emu1 1d ago
Look who's mad 😂😂😌
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u/BlanchePowers 1d ago
I do have the video that bill gates said exactly this. "hopefully due to vaccinations, we can reduce the world's population by 10-15%"
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u/cipheron 1d ago edited 1d ago
What he was talking about was reducing future population growth not current population.
The world today has 6.8 billion people. That's headed up to about nine billion. Now, if we do a really great job on new vaccines, health care, reproductive health services, we could lower that by, perhaps, 10 or 15 percent. But there, we see an increase of about 1.3.
^ That's the quote
"we see an increase of about 1.3" would means world population growing by 30%, and if you knock 10-15% off that higher total, it's still an increase. So he was talking about reducing future growth, not a reduction in the current world population.
And the methods he outlined to achieve that are basically rolling out the same health services in developing nations that rich nations already take for granted, because we know for a fact that those things caused the total birthrate to drop in the developed nations.
So it's not some mysterious plan. The "Gates Plan" for cutting population growth is:
(1) lower infant mortality
(2) better drinking water and nutrition
(3) education for girls
... and all the other things that we know actually worked in the rich countries to cause people to have less babies. So you don't even need to kill anyone, or force anyone to not have babies, just give them the options we already know about that make them WANT less babies.
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u/BobsonDugnutt87 1d ago
That wasn't about killing people though for fuck sake. It was about slowing population growth.
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u/Illustrious-Emu1 1d ago
How does he not get this I don't know I wish you guys would tell him he is a dear friend it's so sad to see him believe those grifters 🥲
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u/RoleComfortable8276 1d ago
deep fake
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u/Illustrious-Emu1 1d ago
I tried telling him that he doesn't believe me 😭
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u/RoleComfortable8276 1d ago
no, he won't. I'd distance myself. If he has family and you're close to them, the best you can do is suggest he see a psychiatrist.
Not to him. He's in a brainwashed, cult-like state and you cannot pry him away on your own
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u/Objective-Toe-4207 1d ago
Sounds like a smart friend. Shame about you though.
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u/Blitzer046 1d ago
Buddy whenever you comment this means there's either a shelf not being stocked or a box not being packed. Get back to work.
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u/Kelmavar 1d ago
Bold of you to believe he believes in work.
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u/Blitzer046 1d ago
I am of the firm belief that any flat earther can be taught to work a cash register.
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u/junky_junker 1d ago
Really? Every flerf I've encountered is either too dumb to work it, or too dishonest to be trusted with it.
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u/TheMagarity 1d ago
Unless you are a mental health professional just steer the topic elsewhere. Otherwise you end up needing to see one yourself.