abirdcall
(she/her)
Cognitive dissonance.
I don't like calling flat-earthers, sovereign citizens, or anti-vaxxers "conspiracy theorists". The word "theory" gives them too much credibility. Thinking the government is monitoring your phone or that a cabal of wealthy individuals controls all the insulin in the world are conspiracy theories; highly unlikely, but theoretically possible. The ability to straight out deny reality when it stares you in the face by talking loudly and ignoring all evidence contrary to your worldview is something else.
My conspiracy theory is that all flat-earthers don't really believe it. They just want to get in on the conspiracy theory lifestyle so they have chosen it to argue for. They're all in on it and at meetings they joke about how fun it is to argue with people.