One of the strangest notions that modern flat-earthers have is related to gravity. Particularly, they think that it doesn't exist and it's just a lie.
(Of course saying "one of the strangest notions" when it comes to flat-earthers doesn't really say anything because you could literally list a hundred such "strangest notions" that they have, but anyway.)
Many of the things that they are saying at least has some kind of correlation to physical observations, even if these conclusions are very infantile, primitive and rather idiotic. At least "well, it looks flat to me" is based on something that can be observed, it's based on something that actually exists (ie. the visual impression that the surface of the Earth that you are standing on appears quite flat all the way to the horizon, at least if there aren't mountains etc.) It may be a very simplistic and naive interpretation, but at least it's based on something that can be seen and observed.
But where does the notion that "gravity doesn't exist" come from, and why do all of them believe it so strongly? That notion isn't based on observation. In fact, it's the opposite: They hold the notion regardless of observations, regardless of what you can see and experiment for yourself. They are literally saying that something that you are experiencing yourself with your own body doesn't exist.
They want to replace the notion of "gravity" with "buoyancy", as if that somehow were a better explanation. (They also appear to have strange notions related to buoyancy as well. They seem to think that "buoyancy" is some kind of alternative explanation that's mutually exclusive with "gravity". They also appear to think that scientists and people in general don't believe in buoyancy, or something. Of course when asked what makes buoyancy work, and more particularly why it works in the direction it does, rather than some other direction, when they don't just dodge the question their ultimate answer is essentially "it's an unknown, a mystery." Great explanation.)
But the thing is, why do they have such a beef with gravity in particular? What's their motivation behind that?
As far as I know, this anti-gravity notion is relatively recent. Historical flat-earthers from many decades (and centuries) ago didn't have any problem with gravity and its existence. They might not have had an explanation of why or how it works (as they don't with anything), but they didn't have any problem in it existing and being a real phenomenon that can be measured, tested and quantified, and has pretty much all the properties and effects that science says it has. Some historical flat-earthers tried to give ridiculous explanations for gravity, but they didn't outright claim that it flat out doesn't exist.
I don't know the exact history of it, but it seems to me that at some point some flat-earther just decided that "gravity doesn't exist" and that it's just a lie by scientists, and for some strange reason all the other flat-earthers just started believing it (probably due to the proliferation of the claim through the internet).
It seems to be part of this cult-like group mentality: "If everybody else in our side thinks it's false, then it must be false." No doubt, no dissent, no differing opinions. Just follow the current prevailing doctrine. If everybody else in the group is saying that thing X is thing Y, then it must be so.
This even with things that seem so obviously ridiculous, like claiming that "gravity doesn't exist", even though it's a trivially observable, measurable and testable fact.
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