I defended Dave for months about discussing this topic when I believed he was simply exploring it as a mental exercise. He was lying then and he's lying now. He knows perfectly well that personal attacks aren't the problem. I addressed every argument he presented and he routinely ignored every thing I said. I had to practically beg him to respond to any of the things I said and when he did respond it would last all of a day to two at most then he'd be back to posting every video ever made on the topic and ignoring every rebuttal and find any excuse to discard any argument made on videos that any of us rational people posted. David knows that the personal attacks aren't coming simply because flat earthism is stupidity, they're coming because he has chosen to be dishonest about his acceptance of this nonsense from the beginning and dishonorable in his dealings with people who not only gave him the benefit of the doubt but defended him and were not only NOT attacking him but were actually having fun discussing the topic.
David has proven himself to be no more intellectually honest that Nang or Beloved57 or (fill in the blank with your favorite TOL lunatic). Every word you say to him on this topic is a waste of your own breath. He doesn't care what is said, who says it or how it is presented. He is locked into a conspiracy delusion. His mind is no longer capable of processing an argument objectively. Everything is filtered through the conspiracy screen. He is hopeless. Losing everyone who ever respected him or was willing to give him the time of day is the road he's on to the bitter end. Unfortunately, there's plenty of other lunatics that will fill in those gaps and permanently lock him into a world where reason is useless.
Clete
When I saw his first post I was already suspecting exactly what you are saying here. I wasn't sure how I could make the discussion productive, but I did know if I ever said anything as a personal attack, that it would be the excuse he would use to ignore the discussion. So I kept the discussion without personal attacks, not in the hopes of convincing Dave, but to actually have a line of reasoning play out.
Like you, I thought this was more likely a perfect parody. People that argue for common descent act the same way as Dave, and I thought he was exposing it. But I've come to the same realization as you that Dave wasn't exposing that type of thinking... but that's still not necessarily entirely bad. I don't think I could pull off a convincing act of being a flat earther unless I made myself drink the koolaid so it wouldn't be an act. And I just don't think drinking that would be worth it to make a parody convincing enough to expose people that believe common descent.
Therefore - Dave has sacrificed himself. He drank every drop. And the only good that can come of it is using his sacrifice to try and make a coherent line of reasoning that can expose the thinking of not only flat earthers, but common descentists as well (and a few other topics).
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Dave, if you are reading this, let me tell you a story: There were two soldiers in a foxhole. Both out of ammunition, and both realizing that all their fellows on this battlefield were either keeping their heads down for the same reason they were, or dead.
They heard a tank coming. The one soldier decides since he has only his rifle left, it's the best weapon he has - even as just a club - and says they should jump out of the foxhole and attack the tank. The other soldier remarks that it is silly to attack a tank with what amounts to a club and says the best move is to hide in the foxhole and wait for the enemy to pass. This plan relied on the hope that the enemy won't have time or perhaps inclination to make a sweep of every foxhole in this little hell of a spent battlefield. The first soldier calls the second a coward and jumps out of the foxhole with his club to attack the tank.
So the question I have for you Dave, is this: was the first soldier brave? Was the second soldier wise?
