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In the spring of 2017, NBA superstar Kyrie Irving and NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille ONeal both publicly discussedtheir belief that the world is flat, althoughShaq later clarified that he was joking. These statements brought light to what Live Science called the ultimate conspiracy theory a refutation of the globe, and with it, heliocentrism and even the theory of gravity. This being the internet, it is not shocking to find groups who believe in anything, whether it is that pterodactyls still fly in our skiesor that people live at the center of the hollow earth.While there are plenty of believers in chemtrails and vaccination conspiracies that rely on faulty science, these other fringe-of-the-fringe theories that refute the most basic scientific understanding of our world garner little to no mainstream traction.However, flat earth ideas have moved incrementally towards the mainstream. After examining these flat earth online communities, it becomes clear that there are common threads and a similar vocabulary shared between them and the alt-right communities that gained prominence in 2016. Here, we will outline what online flat earth communities look like, what they believe, and answer perhaps most commonly asked question about the flat earth theory:do people actually believe this?

The central tenet of the flat earth movement is obvious the earth is flat, rather than a sphere.

The exact details of how a flat earth works differ among believers, but generally the earth is seen as a flat disc with the sun and moon revolving around it. Most flat earth models have the North Pole at the center of the flat disc and a ring of ice (Antarctica) surrounding it.

Representation of a flat earth with revolving sun and moon

Representation of a flat earth with revolving sun and moon

For a more detailed explanation of flat earth beliefs, see Ashley Feinbergs concise explainer from 2016 here. However, there are flat earth heretics who believe in a different map, including (as The Guardian detailed in 2016) one prominent flat earth YouTuber who believes that Antarctica is at the center of the flat disc, and not along the rim.

If one were to sincerely adopt the belief of a flat earth, it would require a reshaping of other notions, such as the nature of the universe and elementary laws of physics. Thus, the beliefs surrounding flat earth communities are rarely isolated to just the shape of the planet, and will extend to rejecting the most basic tenets of physics and astronomy, such as Copernican heliocentrism (the earth revolves around the sun, and not the other way around) and the theory of gravity. YouTube channels, Facebook groups, and Imgur albums provide endless examples (and variations) of these alternative laws of physics.

The cognitive dissonance required to believe that the earth is flat leads to a number of absurd subsequent beliefs, including, as best documented by Sam Kriss inThe Atlantic, that there are actually no forests on earth. An 80-minute video, embedded below, lays out the details of the idea, which as Kriss describes, goes beyond simple assertions about forests and veers into nonsensical mythic assonances.

Flat earth beliefsare nothing new. Through much of the 20th century, the International Flat Earth Society and theFlat Earth Newsserved as the most visible communities for those who believed in or were curious about the alternative world view.

December 1980 edition of the Flat Earth News (source)

There is no need to elaborate on how the internet has accelerated the spread of some conspiracy theories, whether it beancient (yet, still active) Usenet groups, GIF-heavy Geocities sites, and eventually somewhat through websites like InfoWars. In the latest development,YouTube and social networks have accelerated the spread of flat earth ideas, with tens of thousands of followers on various Facebook pages, Instagram accounts (see this AV Club primer on the topic), andendless YouTube videos with men (and a few women) speaking over a slideshow of shoddily-edited photographs and memes.

These memes have become a new focal point forflat earth believers in their attempts to spread their message and persuade others. Most recently, the flat earth movement has adopted Fepe, or Flat Earth Pepe, to spread their ideas. This character is a spin-off of the alt-right favorite, Pepe the frog, though Fepe is supposed to be a penguin.

A penguin was chosen for Fepe in order to referencethat Antarctica is (as they believe) on the edge of the earth, rather than the bottom. Lacking a grasp on gravity and basic physics, many flat earth believers assert that it is impossible to be upside-down on Antarctica, and only a flat earth wouldexplain why penguins do not fall off into space while at the bottom of the world. In one especially dramatic video, Pepe is transformed into Fepe, showing what is perceived to be a continuation of the alt-right use of Pepe.

Similarly, flat earth believers have recently picked up the #Globexit hashtag, playing off of Brexit, to share their ideas. Taking the cue of far-right internet activists whoshared memes in support of Trump, Brexit, and Marine Le Pen, #Globexit is being pushed as an ideological movement.

Flat earth believers recent use of alt-right favorite Pepe and #Globexit isnot a coincidence, as many of their ideological tenets and goals can be found in thealt-right. This is not to say that the alt-rightbelieves that the earth is flatin fact, most on the alt-right would likely see flat earth believers use of their memes and methods as a detriment to their far-right causes. Rather, modern flat earth online communities should be seen as inspired by the alt-right, as opposed to the previous iterations of flat earth communities, whichwere rooted in literalist readings of the Bible and fringe Christian evangelical movements.

Flat earth beliefs are not just a break from scientific logic, but more centrally an explicit rejection of mainstream political authority. According to flat earth believers, the round earthis more than a scientific lie;it extends to a grand conspiracy orchestrated by the global order and perpetuated by a range of institutions, both real (NASA) and imaginary (the Illuminati). With this, we see the common threads between flat earth online communities and alt-right ones, with similar messaging strategies and a shared vocabulary of describing their ideological foes. For example, many Trump fans believe that their massive propagationof pro-Trump Pepe memes had a tangible effect on his electoral victory(as seen in the rare Pepe tweet below, posted just before the presidential election). Following this success, they tried to replicate their meme war to push far-right politician Marine Le Pen to victory in the French presidential election.

The same tactics are being borrowed by flat earth believers, with the spread of Fepe as a means of spreading the truth of flat earth. A British man named Joseph Green has taken this notion to its logical end point with his GoFundMe crowd-funding campaign to raise money for a Flat Earth Meme Factory, which would be operational for 50+ hours every week; producing and sharing flat earth content throughout the world wide web. His pitch is a bit convoluted, to put it mildly, as he explains why the Flat Earth Meme Factory is a good investment:

Whether youre part of the flat earth movement or not, I promise you this is the best place you can invest your money right now. Once my objective is complete, your money will be worthless anyway.

Greens insistence that money will be worthless after flat earth truth spreads across the globe (or the disc) underscores the world-changing stakes for whichflat earth believers feel they are fighting. To accept flat earth does not just mean rejecting the globe, but rejecting all political and scientific authority, thus changing your entire worldview. In another recent development in flat earth online communities, the sudden cognitive shiftthat takes placeafter discovering flat earth ideas is compared to the red pill. The red pill idea is originally fromThe Matrix, marking the main characters decision to see the world in its undisguised form, and has been adopted by a number of alt-right and misogynist online communities to mark the ideological shift that takes place in adopting these fringe viewpoints.

This is far from the only vocabulary borrowed from the alt-right movement, as flat earth believers also echo the frequent alt-right/conservative refrain of disrupting safe spaces with their ideas. Their means of disrupting so-called safe spaces mostly involves spamming flat earth memes, but they also go outside and try and spread their ideas in the real world. In the video below, a flat earth believer conducts a stand-up comedy bit at a Manchester comedy clubs amateur comedy night. The narrator explains how this open mic bit shows how there are no more safe spaces left, no safe spaces on flat earth, YouTube cannot contain this thing, the Internet cannot contain it, the dam has broken, we are everywhere

To red pill someone is the same as disrupting their safe space, allowing a supposedly world-changing ideology to break down existing political orders. InfoWars Paul Joseph Watson was mostly known for his belief in chemtrails and other bizarre conspiracies before the rise of the alt-right, while now he is a YouTube mainstay spreading far-right and misogynist views to (mostly) young menor, in other words, red-pilling them.

So, this all brings us to our final question: do people actually believe this? In short,yes.

Clearly, thereare many people who write about flat earth and create memes about it sarcasticallyfor many examples of this, check out the Flatearth subredditor pretty much any 4chan thread on the topic. But there are genuine true believers, from Bible literalists to the emerging alt-right inspired flat earth communities. A recent article inPsychology Todayconvincingly asserts that many adoptflat-earthism through a cascading series of events leadingto a mistrust of science and, more so, political and scientific authority. This, combined with a few snazzy YouTube videos and impressionable minds, can lead to some people genuinely believing the earth is flat. Despite its bizarre resurgence, it is difficult to seeideas about the flat earth having anywhere near a fraction of the pull that alt-right ideas have had, despite the similar tactics and vocabulary. However, the ideas are not going away anytime soon, no matter how often us globeheadsor, in the alt-right inspired variation, globecuckstry to convince people otherwise.

And if you still dont think that people believe in flat earth, just read the comments below.

Link:
No Safe Spaces on the Flat Earth Emergent Alt-Right Inspired Flat Earth Online Communities - bellingcat

KING 5's Ryan Takeo reports

Ryan Takeo, KING 10:51 PM. PDT June 06, 2017

(Photo: Ryan Takeo, KING)

Several local interfaith leaders stand united against this weekends planned March Against Sharia rally.

We stand with our Muslim neighbors, said Rev. Carol Jensen, co-chair of the Faith Action Network.

Rev. Jensen was joined by other pastors, rabbis, and local elected officials in denouncing the ACT for Americaevent Saturday in downtown Seattle.

The alt-right group canceled a rally in Portland the same day after its mayor accused the of hate speech and re-opening the emotional wounds from a fatal hate-crime last month.

We will speak out against hate speech, continued Jensen. We will speak out for a positive role that Muslims play in our community.

Rev. Terry Kyllo, Director of Neighbors In Faith, pointed out the Southern Poverty Law Center called ACT for America a hate group.

They use a lot of deceptive messaging that is simply not true, he said. Messaging that makes people fearful that Muslims are trying to take away the religious freedom of other people in this country, when that is in fact not true.

Last month in Westlake Park, a self-proclaimed pro-USA group held a rally on May Day. Now many of the same participants plan to return this weekend. Anthony Parish, a Kent man who is a member of ACT for America, is organizing the event. He insisted he is not anti-Muslim, just against some of the teachings of Islam.

Aneelah Afzali, director of the American Muslim Empowerment Network, said ACT for America twists what sharia law is to make it seem extreme to the American public.

Sharia simply means me practicing things like praying five times a day, me being kind to my parents, repelling evil with good, she said.

Some of the religious leaders plan to attend a counter-rally Saturday.

2017 KING-TV

Original post:
Local religious leaders denounce upcoming alt-right rally - KING5.com

Getty Images

For the last year, researchers and journalists have speculated about whether the mostly-online alt-right movement would ever coalesce with real world action. They excelled with memes and trolling, but was there more to it?

Its happening now, with the proliferation of street gangs inspired by the alt-right who are showing up at rallies across the country.

The New York Times recently described such groups as part of a growing movement that has injected a new element of violence into street demonstrations across the country.

One such group is the Fraternal Order of Alt-Knights, founded by Kyle Chapman, known online as Based Stickman. The name comes from a widely-circulated video in which Chapman hits a counter protestor with a stick. Based is slang for not caring about how you are perceived by others. The Proud Boys is another prominent group, spearheaded by Vice co-founder Gavin McInnes.

These alt-right inspired groups are part fight club, part Western-pride fraternity, the Times writes, which recruit battalions of mainly young white men for one-off confrontations with the left-wing anti-fascist protestors who have also become fixtures at protests in recent months.

Email Sam Kestenbaum at kestenbaum@forward.com and follow him on Twitter at @skestenbaum

See the original post here:
'Alt-Right' Gangs Like Proud Boys Ramp Up Activity The Forward - Forward

Pro-Trump demonstrators at the rally on Sunday. The event sparked controversy in the wake of a racially charged killing. Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Republicans have used a controversial alt-right rally in Portland, held in the wake of the the killing spree allegedly perpetrated by a local white supremacist, to recruit new members to the party.

The effort was led by James Buchal, chair of the Multnomah County Republican party, who urged attendees at the rally on Sunday to join to the GOP. Details of his efforts were uncovered in a recording from the rally.

I want to say, since I am involved in the Republican party, that the structure to change the government officials in a party, a political party, Buchal told the crowd . And we are looking for young conservatives to get active in the Multnomah County Republican party.

He added: Were looking for young conservatives to step up and run for local offices. We need to get control of local school boards and every other local district. We need people on the streets talking to people, knocking on doors, making phone calls. The party is there, the party is open. Come and help us win America back.

On Monday, Buchal confirmed to the Guardian that he used the controversial rally to recruit new GOP members, and said the effort paid off. I have had a handful of calls from people, but I do not know whether or not they are rally participants, and I did not ask them.

Buchal shared a platform at the event with Kyle Based Stickman Chapman, who became a cult figure in the far right movement after wielding a stick in a skirmish with anti-fascist protesters in Berkeley.

Not long after Buchal spoke, the leader of the militant Oath Keepers group, Stuart Rhodes, publicly swore Tusitala Tiny Toese into the organisation. Toese was filmed punching an anti-fascist demonstrator to the ground during a confrontation last month, later defending the move as an act of self-defense.

Buchal and the organisers of Sundays rally, which was ostensibly a protest over free speech, have distanced themselves from Jeremy Christian, who is accused of fatally stabbing two men in Portland when they tried to shield young women from his anti-Muslim tirade.

However the decision to press ahead with the rally, so soon after the racially-charged murders, has inflamed tensions in Portland.

Buchal is the same senior local Republican that the Guardian previously reported was considering using the Oath Keepers and a similar group called The Three Percenters as security, because of what he called belligerent, unstable people who are convinced that Republicans are like Nazis.

The same militant groups provided security for the Sundays rally in downtown Portland, where anti-fascist counter-protesters had tear gas and rubber bullets deployed against them by riot police.

Buchal praised the Oath Keepers in his speech on Sunday, comparing them to the two men who victims who were allegedly murdered by Christian.

Now, theres been a lot of attacks on people like the Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters. People say that theyre racist and theyre evil, well you know what? I think theyre acting from the same moral impulse that Rick Best and Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche had.

He continued: They are there to protect. They see that wolves are on the rise, and they step forward like sheep dogs to protect us. The people who cant see that, the people sitting in that office over there who cant see that? They are morally blind.

Buchal said he did not attend the event in any official capacity. His main purpose was to investigate whether some of the media claims concerning the event were correct: that the rally would consist of hate speech uttered by bigots and white supremacists.

Asked about the impression he formed following his investigation, Buchal said: I did not find that to be the truth.

Read more here:
Republicans use 'alt-right' Portland rally to recruit new members - The Guardian

A newDaily Beast report reveals that members of a European alt-right group aim to defend Europe by chasing down boats full of Libyan refugees off the coast of Italy.

After successfullyraising more than 50,000 poundsfor boats andequipment, the Defend Europe project led by a group who call themselves Identitarians wrote thatthey are on a mission to rescue Europe by defending the Mediterranean Sea by stopping illegal immigration.

The illegal immigrants they claim to be stopping are, according to theBeast, the thousands of migrants and refugees who arrive in Italy from Libya every week. Their methods include attacking humanitarian ships and they have claimed they will protect Europes borders at sea at any cost.

Although most of the Libyans who make the dangerous journey to Italy via the Mediteranneando not do so legally, many humanitarian groups aim to help them and according to the Beast,those groups are also the targets of Identitarian ire.

When the governments fail, we step in because this land is ours, the Identitarians said in a video describing their Defend Europe mission. It starts and has to end here.

Last month, Defend Europe members hit a humanitarian ship owned by a French organization calledSOS Mditerrene. The Identitarian ship reportedly bore Canadian activist Lauren Southern, a supporter of American President Donald Trump.

TheBeast report also suggests the tiny boat of fringe activists might have been gained access to the SOS Mditerrene due to either overt or implied help by Sicilian prosecutorCarmelo Zuccaro, an official well-known for his stance against immigrants and the nongovernmental organizations that aid them.

The Identitarian movement began in France in the early 2000s, but has spread through Europes wealthier nations where anti-immigration sentiments are strongest. They are reportedly close with the American alt-right so much so that they often fly the same flag bearing the Greek lambda.

Watch video of the attack on the SOSMditerrene below.

See the article here:
European alt-right activists 'protect Europe's borders' by chasing refugees away at sea: report - Raw Story