Our girls watch a lot of YouTube videos. They are often regaling us with “facts” that a random person in their bedroom has told them – many of which sound like nonsense or, to give them the benefit of the doubt, highly embellished. As the line between reality and make-believe gets increasingly blurred by “fake news” and other such stories, it’s important that we introduce the idea of thinking critically.
We saw a video on Tik-Tok which poked fun at a flat-earther (someone who believed the Earth is actually a disc, rather than a sphere) who spent thousands of dollars on scientific equipment in order to prove his belief, but which ultimately appeared to disprove his theory.
I spotted that the clip was taken from a documentary called Behind The Curve – available on Netflix – so we decided to watch to see what more there was to the theory.
It’s a very interesting documentary, and one we would recommend. Although the flat-earthers’ come across as quirky, kooky and, in some cases, genuinely unhinged, the film does not really seek to poke fun; more to simply shine a light on this “other” world. It’s then presented against the views of several academics, who give their side of the argument.
One particluarly aware scientist makes the point that the blame for these peculiar conspiracy theories lies with the scientific community itself – for often arrogantly dismissing claims and making people feel sidelined. It was a good opportunity to discuss how we should react in the face of wild claims and contrary beliefs.
Ultimately the girls decided that the Earth is, indeed, a sphere and that the flat-earthers are a bit weird.
