It recently came to my attention that believers in the flat Earth theory are not only widely thought to be serious about their ideology, but also considered some form of threat to our society.

A while ago, however, I came to the conclusion that the entirety of flat-earthers’ beliefs are — even by them — considered to be a joke; a form of trolling, if you will. (I really hate that word.)

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about believers in the theory is their obsession with making others mad ‘because it’s funny.’ Mr. DeGrasse Tyson’s monologues about the theory are, if you think about it, a simple and effective way to advertise their ‘religion’ based around making people mad.

If I told you that I believe Earth to be a flat disk floating in the middle of space, there’d be no way for you to change my mind — I could go around promoting this belief for the next year, even without actually agreeing with it.

Yesterday, my teacher gave a presentation on the dangers of promoting controversial ideas. Rather than pick — for instance — anti-vaxxers as an example, she decided that believers in the flat Earth theory would serve as a good way of illustrating her claim. Believers in the theory don’t endanger others. They defend a way of thinking, not a way of living.

Am I an expert on the topic? Of course not. Should you use this article as an introduction for your science fair project? Nope. My point — do your research before making claims. Your audience will be grateful.