How long have you been a member of The Flat Earth Society?
You can see that on my profile
What do you enjoy most about the community?
It gives me something to do when i'm bored and unable to partake in my normal hobbies.
Who or what introduced you to the concept of flat earth?
A news article online lead to a google search which led to a couple different flat earth forums. The other one was less active and the only one who really responded didn't speak good English so I settled here.
Are you open about your beliefs to other people in real life?'
yep.
How do people react after finding out?
My belief is that there is evidence which supports the round earth model and evidence which weakens the round earth model. I've told my friends that I post on a flat earth forum and discuss these various topics. I've pointed out how some of the flat earth models are more plausible than others.
Their reaction is: Why do you discuss these things online? To which I reply It gives me something to do when i'm bored and unable to partake in my normal hobbies.
Are you active in the community in real life?
yep
Is it hard finding a platform to talk about flat earth, both as an individual and a community?
No. It's very easy. With the internet you can find a place to talk about anything and meet up with people to talk about things.
Are there any books or other pieces of information that is important to the community?
Instead of saying community you should say the many different earth models.
Someone who believes in a more biblical flat earth model would say that the bible is a very important book.
Someone who believes in a more conspiracy driven flat earth model would say that some conspiracy book is very important.
Someone who believes in a more seeing is believing flat earth model might say the book by samual rowbotham.
Someone who believes in a more spiritual flat earth model might say the book by eric dubay.
Someone who believes in a more mathematical flat earth model might say the unsolvable three body problem.
How do members typically contribute to the community?
How do you contribute? Forum discussion, or is there something more?
posting on the forums for me on both questions.
Do you look up to anybody in the community? Outside the community?
nope
Are there any behaviors exhibited by certain members of the community that give it a bad name?
Yes. Some people in the FE community suffer from some sort of outlandish beliefs or mental illness which gives the incorrect impression that all (or most) of the community has such outlandish beliefs or mental illness.
As an example someone claimed that anything you can't see with the naked eye does not exist. This is an example, to me at least, of metal illness. By this logic the air I feel rushing over my fingers does not exist.
Something that I would consider an outlandish belief is the belief that there is no map of the earth or there is no accurate map of the earth. This belief is VERY common among the flat earth community. I believe this belief is outlandish because I can go to mapquest.com or bing maps or apple maps or google maps and use a map of the world to accurately navigate hundreds of thousands of miles on this earth.
Say that flat earth makes it into the school curriculum, are there any particular course requirements or expectations you have? How about the qualifications of the person teaching the class? Would you trust an educator who was raised and taught on globe theory to explain that the earth is flat in an accurate way?
The flat earth already makes it into the school curriculum. I was taught, many times very early in school, that people though the earth was flat. An elementary school teacher teaching science can teach the shape of the earth.
How has the community changed since you first joined?
Round earthers have lost interest in debating and left.
Despite these changes or the lack thereof, what values have stuck with you as a senior member that you find important for new members to hold close?
Come here with an open mind, eliminate conformation bias, and accept that there is evidence which both supports and weakens the round earth model.
Do you agree with the direction that the community is moving towards or is there anything you’d change?
The community largely does not move. When very very strong evidence is presented which weakens one of the many flat earth models or even weakens one of the many claims made by one very specific flat earth model it is usually aggressively opposed.