Biography:Mark Sargent (flat Earth proponent)

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Short description: Promoter of the flat Earth conspiracy theory
Mark Sargent
Mark Sargent.png
Sargent speaking at a conference in 2017.
Born1968/1969 (age 55–56)[1]
Boulder[1]
NationalityAmerican
OccupationYouTuber
Years activeSince 2015

Mark K. Sargent is one of the leading proponents of, and recruiters for, the flat Earth conspiracy theory in the United States. According to critics, his YouTube videos have greatly accelerated the popularization of modern flat Earth belief, one without scientific merit.

Early life

Sargent's studies at Western Washington University were interrupted when he was charged for manufacturing fireworks.[2] He worked in IT support in Colorado, and relocated to Washington (state) in 2015. As of 2021, he lives on Whidbey Island.[3][4]

Sargent has been a competitive video game player[3] and has worked as a software analyst[1], but he has no scientific background.[2]

Flat Earth beliefs and influence

A model of the Earth as a disk, similar to what Sargent promotes.

In 2015, Sargent released a series of videos he created on YouTube called Flat Earth Clues, which questioned the accepted shape of the Earth. The series attracted two million views, propelling the rise of the modern flat Earth movement.[5][4][6][7][8][9]

Sargent works to convince others that the Earth is flat disk, with a giant wall of ice around the circumference. An indestructible dome is claimed to be attached to the rim, making it a closed system.[3][10][11][12][8] Sargent alleges all world governments have been lying about the shape of the planet, and that NASA faked the Apollo program as well as all other space exploration programs.[2][3]

An article in The New Yorker explained how Sargent's video series was instrumental in converting people to his viewpoint. It reported that Darryle Marble, who would later be a featured speaker at the first-ever Flat Earth Conference, said that Marble,[5]

...found the light in his YouTube sidebar. While looking for videos related to Under the Dome, a TV sci-fi drama, he came across "Under the Dome," a two-hour film, which takes the form of a documentary, by Mark K. Sargent, one of the leading flat-Earth proselytizers. The flat-Earth movement had burbled along in relative darkness until February of 2015, when Sargent uploaded "Flat Earth Clues," a series of well-produced videos...[5]

Sargent says that being single was a contributing factor to his discovering and believing in the flat Earth conspiracy. He said, "Most people get married and have kids. But if you don't, you have huge amount of free time on your hands."[3] According to Sargent in an interview with the Los Angeles Times , as of 2018 his YouTube channel had accumulated ten million views and he had become a full-time YouTuber.[1]

Sargent has been a speaker at numerous flat Earth events in the United States, Canada and New Zealand. He describes himself as a recruiter for the movement,[2][13][1][11] and has been called its main organizer by media including the Los Angeles Times.[1] He was extensively interviewed for the 2018 documentary Behind the Curve, a Netflix documentary about the flat Earth community.[3][14][15][16] He also expounded on his views in a self-published book titled Flat Earth Clues: The Sky's The Limit in 2016.[17]

Critics point out that the flat Earth beliefs promoted by Sargent are pseudoscience: the theories and assertions are being based on beliefs rather than scientific knowledge. They are classified by experts as a purposeful denial of reality called denialism.[18][19]

Sargent also incorporates other conspiracy theories into his worldview, accusing government agencies of employing Freemasons to protect their secrets.[5] Sargent is also interested in cryptozoology, believing Bigfoot exists somewhere out there in the woods.[3]

Bibliography

  • Flat Earth Clues: The Sky's The Limit (2016)[17]
  • Flat Earth Clues: End of The World (2019)[20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Kelly, David (15 January 2018). "The Earth is round, and other myths, debunked by the flat Earth movement (you read that right)". Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-colorado-flat-earth-20180115-story.html. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 McMillan, Anna (10 August 2018). "Flat-Earth faithful flock to Edmonton for international conference". CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-flat-earth-conference-1.4780226. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Brown, Andrea (15 January 2019). "He's semi-famous for being flat-out wrong about Earth". Everett Herald. https://www.heraldnet.com/news/hes-semi-famous-for-being-flat-out-wrong-about-earth/. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Hvistendahl, Mara (11 October 2019). "Citizens of the world's Edge". Popular Science 291 (3): 74–123. https://www.popsci.com/flat-earth-people/. Retrieved 11 May 2021. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Burdick, Alan (30 May 2018). "Looking for life on a flat earth". The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/science/elements/looking-for-life-on-a-flat-earth. 
  6. ↑ Jeremias, Sofia (3 January 2020). "Remaking the world in their own image: The rise of flat Earth conspiracists in the age of YouTube". Deseret News. https://www.deseret.com/indepth/2020/1/3/20992200/youtube-flat-earth-conspiracy-theory. 
  7. ↑ Dawson, Durrell; Pilgrim, Eva; McCarthy, Kelly (25 January 2018). "Inside Flat Earth International Conference, where everyone believes Earth isn't round". ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/US/inside-flat-earth-international-conference-believes-earth-round/story?id=52580041. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Arnett, Dugan (28 November 2017). "For flat-earthers, the logic isn't circular, but is the reasoning level-headed?". Boston Globe. ProQuest 1970282931. https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/style/2017/11/28/flat-earther-reaches-point-turn/AidqpE8zX0kc9e2DQkCDpI/story.html. 
  9. ↑ Mouallem, Omar (2019). "Flat Earth 101". Canadian Geographic: 86–91. EBSCO 139341646. ISSN 07062168. https://web-a-ebscohost-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=1e62de99-97a6-4331-bdf1-75bbb5b494fa%40sessionmgr4006&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=139341646&db=f6. Retrieved 11 May 2021. 
  10. ↑ Poole, Steven (28 June 2016). "Why bad ideas refuse to die". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/jun/28/why-bad-ideas-refuse-die. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Wakefield, Jonny (10 August 2018). "Flat earthers are emerging from the internet, and they're starting in Edmonton". Edmonton Journal. https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/flat-earthers-are-emerging-from-the-internet-and-theyre-starting-in-edmonton. 
  12. ↑ Loxton, Daniel (2019). "Understanding Flat Earthers". Skeptic (London) 24 (4): 10–23. ProQuest 2454437388. ISSN 10639330. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2454437388. Retrieved 11 May 2021. 
  13. ↑ Maimann, Kevin (9 August 2018). "Faith flattens reason at Edmonton's first Flat-Earth International Conference". The Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/edmonton/2018/08/09/faith-flattens-reason-at-edmontons-first-flat-earth-international-conference.html. 
  14. ↑ Dickson, EJ (24 February 2020). "Flat Earth Community Undeterred by Death of 'Mad' Mike Hughes". https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/flat-earth-conspiracy-theory-mike-hughes-reaction-957271/. 
  15. ↑ Picheta, Rob (18 November 2018). "The flat-Earth conspiracy is spreading around the globe. Does it hide a darker core?". CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/16/us/flat-earth-conference-conspiracy-theories-scli-intl. 
  16. ↑ Harvey, John (20 February 2021). "A thoughtful look at followers of conspiracy theories". Port Elizabeth (Port Elizabeth). ProQuest 2492267731. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2492267731. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Flat Earth Clues: The Sky's The Limit. ASIN 1523851430. 
  18. ↑ Brazil, Rachel (14 July 2020). "Fighting flat-Earth theory". https://physicsworld.com/a/fighting-flat-earth-theory/. 
  19. ↑ McIntyre, Lee (14 May 2019). "Flat Earthers, and the Rise of Science Denial in America". https://www.newsweek.com/flat-earth-science-denial-america-1421936. "You don't convince someone who has already rejected thousands of years of scientific evidence by showing them more evidence." 
  20. ↑ Sargent, Mark. Flat Earth Clues: End of The World. ISBN 9781086579000. 

External links




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