Internet viral videos come and go, and some even circle back to bring us entertainment all over again.
Speaking of circling back, a clip of a Flat Earth conspiracist accidentally proving the earth is round has resurfaced on Reddit.
Nicknamed Flat Earthers, Flat Earth conspiracists believe our planet is flat, instead of a misshapen sphere.
The video is from Behind the Curve, a 2018 documentary that covers different perspectives on the theory from prominent Flat Earthers and scientists.
Reddit user killHACKS shared the clip to the r/facepalm subReddit.
In the video, the Flat Earther performs an experiment to prove that the earth is flat by drilling holes into pieces of board, lining them up and pointing the camera and a flashlight between the two holes.
The idea is, if someone were to shine a light through both holes, the light would not be obscured due to the earth curving.
Indy 100 explained the experiment in further detail:
"In the video, a graphic showed the theory explaining that if the Earth was round, the person would have to hold the torch above their head to account for the curvature so the camera could see the light through both holes."
It’s convoluted, but fortunately the clip includes an animated graphic depicting what is supposed to happen.
The experiment ultimately proves that the earth isn’t flat, to which the Flat Earther can only say, “Interesting."
Redditers poked fun at the Flat Earther's failure and apparent denial.
"When you use science to try and prove your Antiscience I love it lmaooooo" - redditpeen
"Flat Earthers doing science!"
"Made a prediction"
"Created an experiment"
"Analysed results"
"Changed hypothesis"
"Changed hypothesis?"
"Nah" - DrMorry
"Interesting—words of a man who rather than Google and YouTube actually went to the effort of doing his own research." - panadwithonesugar
Redditers who had seen the documentary highly recommended it:
"This clip is from a fantastic documentary on Netflix called Behind the Curve."
"It's a very well made film that explores not just flat earth ideology, but also their failures to follow the scientific method, as well as the broader sociological impacts of misinformation."
"Do yourself a favor and go watch it" - Llim
"This is footage from Behind the Curve."
"It's a Netflix documentary about Flat Earthers and is absolutely worth the watch, makes you realise how delusional so many of them are and the God complexes some of them have." - Blintszky
They revealed the Flat Earther in the video was ultimately not convinced he was wrong.
Other experiments proving the Earth was round were also met with excuses.
"Iirc, he blamed it on twigs and leaves as well uneven terrain that caused the experiment to “fail” "- AnyoneWantSomeRice
"That documentary is full of flat earthers owning themselves."
"There's even a group of guys that spend A TON of money for expensive gyroscopes, and they all show the earth spinning by exactly what they said it would indicate if the earth was truly a spinning sphere."
"When they read the results they blank (like this guy) ans then decide the gyroscope is faulty." - RobotSpaceBear
One user revealed that the man went ahead and lied to his peers shortly after his failed experiment:
"After this experiment he went straight to the Flat Earth convention where he went to a podium to declare he proved the earth is flat."
"The documentary showed that scene first and then at the end of the film showed this scene, that happened before that idiot went on stage."
"It showed that these idiots don't care about science and experiments. The moment they don't get the result they wanted, they dismissed it entirely and even made up findings." - skolioban
While it seems unbelievable that people could actually believe that the Earth is flat, Reddit users shared their person frustrations with Flat Earthers in real life:
"My flat earther 'friend', who I keep around just so I know how to rebut these idiots, said these experiments are set up by the deep state to make flat earthers look like idiots and to persuade the rest of us that it's a false idea." -i_walk_mow_lasers
"I once read somone deprogrammed his buddy a flat earther by explaining if the earth was flat the edge would be commercialized to make money it be a tourist trap like Disney world or branson Missouri."
"The guy believed in coporate greed more than flat earth blew my mind." - artspectre17
Unfortunately, some Flat Earth experiments can turn deadly.
Flat Earth conspiracist Mike Hughes passed away in 2020 after he tried to launch a himself into space with a homemade rocket.
Behind the Curve is currently available on Netflix and Apple TV.
u/Duskymoonlight/Reddit
u/Duskymoonlight/Reddit