14.

“Not a flat earther. But I was a 9/11 ‘truther’ I guess you could say — insofar as I thought it was an inside job. I was heavily influenced and believed in multiple conspiracies in the Zeitgeist film as well. There was a never-ending source of dark, shadowy ‘they’s and them’s’ controlling everything behind the scenes. I think there were a few factors that helped me escape that. They were…”

“1. Losing my father. It was such a life-changing event at that age that it made me reconsider everything in my life.

2. Some light training in evaluating information. I learned about how to vet sources, whether something was actually news or just an opinion/editorial, etc. Ironically, this education came before I was duped. After my dad died, suddenly this started to kick in more.

3. Lack of time/means to dig myself a deeper hole. I started college shortly after my father passed and that plus a full-time job took up all my time. I had none to buy further into the newest crazy bullshit. I had no Facebook/Twitter/IG/etc. No smartphone or texting. 

So all in all, I think the time away gave me time to detox. If I had been on social media as I discovered those things, I can only imagine I may have become a Q believer as well. Looking back I see how gullible I was in that moment, fooled by the onslaught of half-truths and clever ‘logic’ of the various theories. I know better now (and I should have known better then), but I’ve been humbled to the fact that everyone is vulnerable to this sort of stuff. To think otherwise is deluding yourself.”

—u/redyellowblue5031

Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/mikespohr/15-stories-about-flat-earthers