Off the Edge: Flat Earthers, Conspiracy Culture, and Why People Will Believe Anything
by Kelly Weill
Published by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill in 2022.
. . .
"Hughes had an advantage that most other would-be zetetic Flat Earthers lacked: he knew how to build a rocket and had no fear of dangerous stunts."
. . .
Review by William D. Tucker.
You ever wonder where that Flat Earth bullshit comes from? Off the Edge has answers.
You ever wonder if and when people who have bought into Flat Earth bullshit will grow up and read an actual introductory astronomy book, or, at the least, watch a Crash Course YouTube video on the subject? Off the Edge . . . well, it has answers, but none of 'em are easy or satisfying. In fact, Off the Edge makes the case that even discussing such fringe ideas as Flat Earth poses a risk of pushing the true believers into a more fervent defense of their crackpot beliefs. There's also a risk of inadvertently spreading the intellectual contagion to vulnerable minds by even offering up the option of believing in something as wacky and contrarian as Flat Earth. I mean, to even engage with such ideas-however critically-means acknowledging that they have a following even if it's nothing but a hypervocal, insular minority, and this merest acknowledgement may be twisted into a form of validation. Mockery and satire have comparable perils in that true believers don't like having their core beliefs ridiculed, and so they dig in deeper.
Off the Edge is written by a reporter-Kelly Weill-who spent time attending Flat Earth conferences and interviewing the people she encountered, including key organizers and leaders. Weill puts the Flat Earth idea in its historical context as well as showing how it became incorporated into other aspects of conspiracy thinking. Weill shows how Flat Earth flourished despite being treated as a joke for many decades by scientists and journalists, and achieved a sinister new life with the ascendancy of Donald Trump, Alex Jones, and Qanon. Moreover, Off the Edge illustrates how people can gain power through appealing to antisemitic racism, anti-immigrant bigotry, misogyny, and homophobia; and by exploiting popular resentment of government, academia, and scientific institutions. Even the most elite of elites are prone to conspiracy thinking, including politicians, wealthy CEOs, and even Winston Churchill. Weill reminds us that Churchill-who stood strong against Nazi Germany-was himself an antisemite who actively promoted conspiracy theories falsely accusing Jewish people of evil plots. Yes, even those we revere as heroes can fall prey to crackpot thinking.
Weill describes the systemic factors that contribute to people embracing conspiracy theories as a perverse means of empowerment, but she also explains the downsides. For every successful grifter, there's a score of largely unrecognized folks who lose jobs and friends over crazed social media posts. Tying one's identity to Flat Earth and other conspiracy theories can drive people to make disastrous financial and relationship decisions. Family gatherings become argumentative battlegrounds. Bonds are sundered. Any dinner or PTA meeting or city council can become a (not so) civil war as conspiracists assert their extremist identities and play out persecution fantasias before the public eye.
Extreme conspiracy beliefs can also lead to acts of harassment, full-on violence, and terrorism. Parents whose children were murdered in mass shootings have been targeted by denialists who claim the shootings were staged by the US government. Anti-Asian hate crimes have been motivated by conspiratorial lies that exploit the COVID-19 pandemic. Doctors and nurses have been harassed by anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers. Most notoriously, the grotesquely idiotic Pizzagate shooting was motivated by conspiracism. It's all a joke until people are harmed or killed.
Off the Edge is a deft and sobering read. It reminded me that many of those who truly believe in Flat Earth and other forms of conspiratorial nonsense are being scammed by the handful of heavy operators who build media empires, political machines, and merchandising regimes off the backs of gullible folks. It's kind of a conspiracy to benefit the conspiracy theory grifters-which is a bit of a mindfuck to contemplate.
