2 minutes ago, kwilco said:

yet you still take the time to post?

 

Very short posts, yes. Don't expect me to engage in a serious debate with you.

7 hours ago, Hummin said:

Many kept rabbits, chicken and pigs and also cows in the old days, but in smaller neighborhoods chicken and rabbits was more acceptable than larger smelly animals. Rabbits do not make to much noise either of not horny or scared. But when they cries, it sounds like babies getting slaughtered. Scary in the night if never heard before

It's a terrible sound. I was camping in Joshua Tree National Park when a rabbit came through my campground, followed closely by a coyote. Then came the scream.

2 hours ago, rattlesnake said:

 

Very short posts, yes. Don't expect me to engage in a serious debate with you.

and yet you carry on trying! I think I've explained very clearly why you can't have a discussion with me.

22 minutes ago, kwilco said:

and yet you carry on trying! I think I've explained very clearly why you can't have a discussion with me.

 

I can't have a discussion with you because you are superior to me, both in conceptual articulation and written proficiency.

1 hour ago, kwilco said:

and yet you carry on trying! I think I've explained very clearly why you can't have a discussion with me.

Can you explain clearly to me too?

 

No less than five paragraphs.

53 minutes ago, rattlesnake said:

 

I can't have a discussion with you because you are superior to me, both in conceptual articulation and written proficiency.

I’m waiting to hear his long winded AI generated reply.   I’m certain I’ll be impressed.

On 4/18/2025 at 8:57 PM, kwilco said:

Why Wild Ideas Are Thriving (And How to Push Back)

Twenty years ago, flat Earth, fake moon landings, anti-vax fear, and fringe politics were laughed off. Now? They're everywhere. Why?

No more gatekeepers. Anyone can post anything, and shock spreads faster than truth.

Social media rewards outrage, not accuracy.

People have lost trust in institutions after wars, recessions, and pandemics.

Echo chambers reinforce beliefs, no matter how wild.

Simple lies beat complex truths. It's easier to blame a conspiracy than understand science.

Identity politics. Beliefs become tribal, not logical.

How to fight back?

Stay calm. Mockery fuels their fire.

Ask questions. Get people thinking, not defending.

Share sources they might trust—not just "mainstream."

Most importantly: build trust. No one listens to someone they think looks down on them.

It’s not about winning arguments. It’s about planting seeds.

I tell you what else is thriving... people using AI to do their posting for them via 'engagement content' like the one you posted.

1 hour ago, FriendlyHorse said:

I tell you what else is thriving... people using AI to do their posting for them via 'engagement content' like the one you posted.

I love it when people say 'AI' or 'cut & paste' as if it is an argument – it isn't; again, it's just ad hominem – attacking the messenger, not the message – but they seem too dim to understand that.  Of course it fits into the CT portfolio of "if I don't understand it, it must be "AI"—which they don't understand either. Just another wild idea.....

6 hours ago, kwilco said:

Examples:
•    Germ theory
•    Theory of gravity
•    Theory of evolution
•    Plate tectonics

The 'Germ Theory' was made up and reinforced with $$$

1 hour ago, kwilco said:

I love it when people say 'AI' or 'cut & paste' as if it is an argument – it isn't; again, it's just ad hominem – attacking the messenger, not the message – but they seem too dim to understand that.  Of course it fits into the CT portfolio of "if I don't understand it, it must be "AI"—which they don't understand either. Just another wild idea.....

The trouble with that Sir, is that it is not debate. It is simply posting to get your post count up.

 

Your excessive use of AI tells everyone you don't know what you are talking about.

On 11/30/2025 at 8:27 PM, FriendlyHorse said:

I tell you what else is thriving... people using AI to do their posting for them via 'engagement content' like the one you posted.

 

 

On 11/30/2025 at 11:27 PM, Stiddle Mump said:

The trouble with that Sir, is that it is not debate. It is simply posting to get your post count up.

 

Your excessive use of AI tells everyone you don't know what you are talking about.

Saying “cut & paste” or “AI wrote that” is not an argument. It’s just a way of avoiding the actual point.
If you want to challenge something, you need to deal with the content — the evidence, the logic, the reasoning.
Whether the words were typed by a human, a keyboard-smashing monkey, or an AI doesn’t change whether the argument is true or false.
If you can’t address the argument, attacking the source isn’t critical thinking — it’s just a sign you’ve run out of ideas.
 

13 minutes ago, kwilco said:

 

Saying “cut & paste” or “AI wrote that” is not an argument. It’s just a way of avoiding the actual point.
If you want to challenge something, you need to deal with the content — the evidence, the logic, the reasoning.
Whether the words were typed by a human, a keyboard-smashing monkey, or an AI doesn’t change whether the argument is true or false.
If you can’t address the argument, attacking the source isn’t critical thinking — it’s just a sign you’ve run out of ideas.
 

Sad that you can’t even use your own words.

 

Shows you never had any ideas or critical thinking skills of your own.

 

Doesn’t surprise me.   You’re jabbed.

On 11/29/2025 at 8:50 PM, transam said:

Not so, you have buried yourself this morning, and readers have leaned something about you............🤥

That BM2 is funny and you aren't, is that what you're getting at.

On 11/30/2025 at 9:29 PM, kwilco said:

I love it when people say 'AI' or 'cut & paste' as if it is an argument – it isn't; again, it's just ad hominem – attacking the messenger, not the message – but they seem too dim to understand that.  Of course it fits into the CT portfolio of "if I don't understand it, it must be "AI"—which they don't understand either. Just another wild idea.....

It's not that it isn't understandable, it is the clear fact that you posted AI Slop that no-one cares to trawl through. Now you double-down making it absolute cringe and laughable. 😄

I should start a separate thread for this.

So NASA's explanation of the seasons makes no sense. 

 

They even admit that it "seems backwards" on their site --- that's because it's FAKE! This is bullcrap. They expect you to believe that when the earth is farther from the sun in july, it's still hotter. 

 

The flat earth model explains the climate perfectly.

 

https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/seasons/en/

 

 

And, believe it or not, aphelion (when Earth is farthest from the Sun) occurs in July, and perihelion (when we are closest) occurs in January. For those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere where it's summer in July and winter in January, that seems backwards, doesn't it? That just goes to prove that Earth's distance from the Sun is not the cause of the seasons.

8 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

I should start a separate thread for this.

So NASA's explanation of the seasons makes no sense. 

 

They even admit that it "seems backwards" on their site --- that's because it's FAKE! This is bullcrap. They expect you to believe that when the earth is farther from the sun in july, it's still hotter. 

 

The flat earth model explains the climate perfectly.

 

https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/seasons/en/

 

 

And, believe it or not, aphelion (when Earth is farthest from the Sun) occurs in July, and perihelion (when we are closest) occurs in January. For those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere where it's summer in July and winter in January, that seems backwards, doesn't it? That just goes to prove that Earth's distance from the Sun is not the cause of the seasons.

 

The distance between the Earth and the Sun is not what causes the seasons.

 

The real reason lies in the axial tilt of the Earth which is tilted at an angle of approximately 23.5 degrees relative to its orbital plane around the Sun. This tilt determines how sunlight strikes different parts of the Earth at different times of the year.

 

When the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, it experiences summer, as sunlight hits it more directly and for longer periods each day. At the same time, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, experiencing winter. Six months later, the situation reverses: the Southern Hemisphere tilts toward the Sun, enjoying summer, while the Northern Hemisphere tilts away, experiencing winter.

 

The Sun’s position relative to the Earth is described in terms of the tropics.

During the June solstice, the Sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer (23.5°N), marking summer in the Northern Hemisphere.

During the December solstice, the Sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5°S), marking summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

 

Its basic - and I thought anyone who's ever thought about it understands this. 

 

 

14 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Its basic - and I thought anyone who's ever thought about it understands this. 

 

You are just regurgitating what you learned in geography class.

 

Look at my last post. NASA is saying the Earth is farthest from the Sun on July 5th and closest to the Sun on January 4th. And then explain that it seems backwards that it's colder in January than July in northern hemispheres (actually even in Thailand). This model makes no sense. 

10 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

28 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Its basic - and I thought anyone who's ever thought about it understands this. 

 

You are just regurgitating what you learned in geography class.

 

Correct - I’m restating the scientific “facts” we’re taught, much as I would when discussing plate tectonics, Hadley cells, or paleomagnetism....  Because, its fact !!

 

10 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Look at my last post. NASA is saying the Earth is farthest from the Sun on July 5th and closest to the Sun on January 4th. And then explain that it seems backwards that it's colder in January than July in northern hemispheres (actually even in Thailand). This model makes no sense. 

 

Like many “conspiracy” theories, you’ve seized on a shred of fact, misunderstood it, and misrepresented it - either through intellectual dishonesty or simple lack of comprehension. 

 

Yes, the Earth is farthest from the Sun around July 5th (aphelion) and closest around January 4th (perihelion). But distance doesn’t determine the seasons. If it did, the Northern Hemisphere would be warmest in January and coldest in July - clearly not the case - but that does not mean the earth is flat - the existing explanation is 'the right explanation' not the idiotic conspiracy that the earth is flat. 

 

Even in countries near the equator, like Thailand, seasonal temperatures follow Earth’s tilt, not its distance from the Sun - If the distance mattered, we'd have greater seasonal variation on the equator too.

 

Distance matters little because the variation is small: at perihelion the Earth is 147 million km from the Sun, at aphelion 152 million km - thats a mere 3% difference, the difference is solar radiation is far too little to drive seasonal temperature swings.

 

Seasons result from Earth’s 23.5° axial tilt, which changes the angle and duration of sunlight.

 

When the Northern Hemisphere tilts away from the Sun in December–January, days are shorter and sunlight weaker, producing winter.

When it tilts toward the Sun in June–July, sunlight is stronger and days are longer, producing summer - even though the Earth is slightly farther from the Sun.

 

Or are you also now going to suggest that the distance also changes the length of day ????

 

12 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Or are you also now going to suggest that the distance also changes the length of day ????

 

In the flat earth model, "distance" does not mean the same at all.

The sun stays at the same height above the earth. The distance between a specific point on the map will obviously change, but "distance" in globe model is completely different. 

 

• Distance variation: In a flat Earth model, the sun moves in a circle over the disc of the Earth, so its distance from any given point on the surface changes throughout the day.
• Circular path: The sun is generally believed to be about 3,000 miles above the Earth's surface and follows a circular path over the North Pole.

 

Also, doesn't the sun's size remain constant the entire day? I don't know because I don't spend much time staring at the sun. 

 

 

4 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

19 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Or are you also now going to suggest that the distance also changes the length of day ????

 

In the flat earth model, "distance" does not mean the same at all.

The sun stays at the same height above the earth. The distance between a specific point on the map will obviously change, but "distance" in globe model is completely different. 

 

• Distance variation: In a flat Earth model, the sun moves in a circle over the disc of the Earth, so its distance from any given point on the surface changes throughout the day.
• Circular path: The sun is generally believed to be about 3,000 miles above the Earth's surface and follows a circular path over the North Pole.

 

Also, doesn't the sun's size remain constant the entire day? I don't know because I don't spend much time staring at the sun. 

 

 

I'm sorry - its not that I don't have a valid argument (which I'm sure I'll be accused of)...

 

... But this subject is really so stupid... I should never have engaged - I'm stepping out on the basis that some topics are just way too idiotic to waste time on; debating them only spreads the stupidity.... 

 

7 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

... But this subject is really so stupid... I should never have engaged - I'm stepping out on the basis that some topics are just way too idiotic to waste time on; debating them only spreads the stupidity.... 

 

Ok, fair enough. 

No one is forcing you to debate. 

 

14 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

That BM2 is funny and you aren't, is that what you're getting at.

Sorry, but I can't tell lies to make you laugh.............😏

So -  Flat earthers "What single observation or experiment would convince you that the Earth is not flat?" 

On 11/30/2025 at 12:21 AM, save the frogs said:

 

That's what we have been told.

Maybe they have gone to the moon, but they are withholding from the masses what's actually up there.

 

The truth is out there....

 

 

 

One of the biggest problems with conspiracy theorists is their inability to understand or handle big numbers or the scale of real-world data.
They think they’re the first person in history to notice something, then completely misinterpret it.
A classic example is the “ice ages are cyclical, so climate change is natural” line. They never factor in the actual chemistry, the rates of change, or the sheer volume of measurements behind modern climate science. They latch onto one half-understood idea and treat it as proof against thousands of independent lines of evidence.
This is the hallmark of someone who doesn’t grasp the maths, the datasets, or the ongoing research.
Their “answers” are always frozen in time — a single hypothesis treated as a final conclusion — because they can’t distinguish scientific evidence, which updates, from fixed beliefs, which don’t.
 

On 4/18/2025 at 9:57 PM, kwilco said:

Why so many conspiracy theorists and what to do about them

 

I think only a radical solution would cut it. I mean, they are dangerous after all.

 

The danger isn’t so much believing nonsense; it’s acting on it.
Conspiracy theories aren’t harmless entertainment — they have real-world damage attached. A few of the big ones:
• They stop people thinking.
Conspiracies replace evidence with vibes. Once someone decides “experts lie”, they’ll trust anything that confirms their bias, no matter how irrational.
• They undermine public safety.
Anti-vax myths, COVID denial, 5G hysteria — people got sick, people died, and infrastructure was attacked. Misinformation spreads faster than medicine.
• They erode democratic institutions.
If your starting point is “the system is rigged”, then every election is stolen, every court case is corrupt, and only your favourite YouTuber is telling the truth.
• They radicalise people.
When “the government is lying” turns into “the government is the enemy”, it’s a short hop to extremism, harassment, and violence.
(We’ve already seen this globally.)
• They destroy trust in science.
Decades of research and evidence get tossed aside because someone with poor lighting and a whiteboard says they’ve “done the maths.”
• They fracture families and communities.
Once someone falls down the rabbit hole, everything becomes a conspiracy — medicine, weather, elections, even relatives. You can’t reason with someone who treats logic as optional.
• They make honest debate impossible.
You can’t have a rational discussion with a person who thinks disagreement = “you’re a shill”, “you’re brainwashed”, or “AI wrote that”.
(Those are not arguments — they’re escape hatches.)
• They normalise bad thinking.
If people stop understanding the difference between hypothesis, theory, and fact, we’re left with a society that can’t tell evidence from YouTube speculation.
… and that’s dangerous.
  

9 hours ago, kwilco said:

The danger isn’t so much believing nonsense; it’s acting on it.
Conspiracy theories aren’t harmless entertainment — they have real-world damage attached. A few of the big ones:
• They stop people thinking.
Conspiracies replace evidence with vibes. Once someone decides “experts lie”, they’ll trust anything that confirms their bias, no matter how irrational.
• They undermine public safety.
Anti-vax myths, COVID denial, 5G hysteria — people got sick, people died, and infrastructure was attacked. Misinformation spreads faster than medicine.
• They erode democratic institutions.
If your starting point is “the system is rigged”, then every election is stolen, every court case is corrupt, and only your favourite YouTuber is telling the truth.
• They radicalise people.
When “the government is lying” turns into “the government is the enemy”, it’s a short hop to extremism, harassment, and violence.
(We’ve already seen this globally.)
• They destroy trust in science.
Decades of research and evidence get tossed aside because someone with poor lighting and a whiteboard says they’ve “done the maths.”
• They fracture families and communities.
Once someone falls down the rabbit hole, everything becomes a conspiracy — medicine, weather, elections, even relatives. You can’t reason with someone who treats logic as optional.
• They make honest debate impossible.
You can’t have a rational discussion with a person who thinks disagreement = “you’re a shill”, “you’re brainwashed”, or “AI wrote that”.
(Those are not arguments — they’re escape hatches.)
• They normalise bad thinking.
If people stop understanding the difference between hypothesis, theory, and fact, we’re left with a society that can’t tell evidence from YouTube speculation.
… and that’s dangerous.
  

Just so happens that with the top 100 conspiracy theories since ww2, 79% of them turned out to be true. A few remain unsolved. and a few join the list every so often.

 

The big ones still in doubt; moon landings; Princess Di; Epstein death (if he did); Charlie Kirk. Trump attempted murder.

 

I'm interested in the jabs that kill and mutilate babes. On that the evidence is out there already; with new revelations coming out weekly.

2 minutes ago, Stiddle Mump said:

Just so happens that with the top 100 conspiracy theories since ww2, 79% of them turned out to be true. A few remain unsolved. and a few join the list every so often.

 

The big ones still in doubt; moon landings; Princess Di; Epstein death (if he did); Charlie Kirk. Trump attempted murder.

 

I'm interested in the jabs that kill and mutilate babes. On that the evidence is out there already; with new revelations coming out weekly.

And you, carrying a virus has been proven, eh.......