I really need people to know that Helen Keller did fly a plane and yes, this fact alone is the crux of a lot of weird Keller-denialism. It’s ironic that the woman in the post is suggesting the man mentioning Keller is ignorant for confusing her with Earhart, because he wasn’t. He is ignorant for thinking the Keller story is unbelievable, however.
First I’m told there’s a guy who didn’t know the difference between Helen Keller and Emilia Earhart.
Then I’m told that Helen Keller really did fly a plane, and that the guy wasn’t misspeaking.
And now I have to grapple with the fact that the guy wasn’t stupid, but rather a conspiracy theorist, and that “Helen Keller conspiracy theorists” are a real thing.
The thing about the “there’s no way she flew that plane” thing is so annoying is that it’s not even that bold of a claim. They flew her up, she flew for a bit with someone there to take control if something bad happened, then they landed.
Literally. I don’t mean this to diminish Helen Keller, but the sort of “flying” she did was the same as when they let a kid into the cockpit.
Given her conditions, this is still absolutely an accomplishment and worth applauding. But to suggest that there is anything remotely unbelievable about it would require a fundamental misunderstanding of the reality of the situation
That’s not how misinformation works. It preys upon the ignorant and fills them with lies before they can be filled with truths. All it takes is mild interest in one tiny slice of the right-wing nutjob conspiracy pie to be immediately pulled down the rabbit hole via algorithms on youtube, tiktok, even reddit.
I really need people to know that Helen Keller did fly a plane and yes, this fact alone is the crux of a lot of weird Keller-denialism. It’s ironic that the woman in the post is suggesting the man mentioning Keller is ignorant for confusing her with Earhart, because he wasn’t. He is ignorant for thinking the Keller story is unbelievable, however.
https://www.britannica.com/story/how-did-helen-keller-fly-a-plane (egregious ad deployment on that site, fair warning)
I’m getting whiplash here.
First I’m told there’s a guy who didn’t know the difference between Helen Keller and Emilia Earhart.
Then I’m told that Helen Keller really did fly a plane, and that the guy wasn’t misspeaking.
And now I have to grapple with the fact that the guy wasn’t stupid, but rather a conspiracy theorist, and that “Helen Keller conspiracy theorists” are a real thing.
Welcome to the party, my friend. It’s BYOB and nobody brought beer.
More of a wine guy here, but I always bring extra.
The thing about the “there’s no way she flew that plane” thing is so annoying is that it’s not even that bold of a claim. They flew her up, she flew for a bit with someone there to take control if something bad happened, then they landed.
Literally. I don’t mean this to diminish Helen Keller, but the sort of “flying” she did was the same as when they let a kid into the cockpit.
Given her conditions, this is still absolutely an accomplishment and worth applauding. But to suggest that there is anything remotely unbelievable about it would require a fundamental misunderstanding of the reality of the situation
I think it’s worth mentioning that this was a publicity stunt. Keller wasn’t a pilot by trade.
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If the guy didn’t know who Emelia Earhart was, I doubt he knew of this conspiracy
That’s not how misinformation works. It preys upon the ignorant and fills them with lies before they can be filled with truths. All it takes is mild interest in one tiny slice of the right-wing nutjob conspiracy pie to be immediately pulled down the rabbit hole via algorithms on youtube, tiktok, even reddit.
Yeah that’s a good point. I hadn’t thought about that side of things