People have been left outraged by 'flat earther' parents teaching their kids the conspiracy theory from a young age.
The flat earth movement has been gaining traction in recent years, so much so that the first generation of kids are being indoctrinated with the belief that our planet is flat – despite the fact that it goes against all scientific evidence.
This was demonstrated in a Facebook post shared by flat earth parents who revealed their home school setup for their kid.
Alongside two pics of a homemade flat earth model, they wrote: "We homeschool, and we're learning world geography and cultures this year.
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"We took the first two weeks of school to set a foundation of flat earth before we start seeing globe maps in all our textbooks.
"They loved learning about our earth, and verses to support the geocentric model.
"Here's the homemade model they came up with. I ordered a clear dome from Amazon, and they did the rest, even tracing a map on a light board to cut out the continents.
"Toilet paper rolls for the pillars of the earth. Painted foam balls for the sun and moon. Stick on gemstones as stars.
"They're debating making an ice wall out of modeling clay right now."
The post has been shared far and wide online, with many in despair about what this means for future generations.
As said by one commenter: "There's no hope for us... everyday I'm happier and happier that I never had kids."
Another wrote: "I hate that the 'unschooling' trend has taken off too. Yes there is absolutely merit in letting children explore their passions. But you shouldn’t let them choose their education decisions based off this!!"
Others had some novel ideas on what to do about the parents. "Shoot this parent into outer space I say," said one, to which another replied: "That way they can actually see that the earth is not flat."
While some pointed out the reasons people get caught up in conspiracy theories in the first place, including one person who said it is often a 'coping mechanism'.
They explained: "All conspiracy theorists at the wacky end of the spectrum do it to either feel part of a community because they're lonely, to inflate their ego because they're missing some other way of feeling good about themselves, or to find something certain (to them) to focus on because the world is complicated and they’re scared of being out of control.
"Some people really can't cope with change, with complexity, with uncertainty: they have to create a psychological ‘peg’ to hang everything on.
"Internalised anxiety transforms into external clarity about someone or something that is ‘wrong’.
"Someone or something is doing this to them, they lack agency in their lives so they regain it by creating a story whereby they're in control, they're ‘in the know’, they're the central character.
"That's why conspiracy theories exploded during the Pandemic and during political crises. This is stressful for humans. They create stress releasing thoughts and feelings.
"Being ‘in the know’ and part of the ‘resistance’ is all a coping mechanism."
Although the explanation makes sense for the conspiracy theory movements that grew out of the pandemic, the concern is that these ideas are being passed on to children who are going to consider them to be scientific fact.
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Topics: Science, Conspiracy Theories, News, Parenting
Daisy Phillipson