“Believing” in things just to troll people. Acceptable?

[OgNasty]

I feel like life might be more entertaining if you were a part of something crazy like the belief in an obviously fake conspiracy. Do you think it is ok to pretend to believe in things like ‘flat earth’ or ‘birds aren’t real’ just for the sole purpose of inviting hilarious reactions and debates from people you come across?

I think a ‘birds aren’t real’ convention might be a ton of fun to attend.

[davidbland889]

 Hello,
Ah, the allure of absurd conspiracies! While I don’t endorse spreading misinformation, I can appreciate the humor and curiosity behind such ideas. Pretending to believe in outlandish theories can indeed spark lively conversations and reactions. Just remember to keep it light-hearted and respectful – after all, we’re all just stardust riding on a giant rock through space!  https://www-flyingtogether.com

[ovcijisir]

I think it is more fun to see people defend their "belief" in "science" when you challenge them with some fake conspiracy.

Also asking people to give you proofs to defend their belief that earth is round can be interesting. The most of people will just say that everybody knows that earth is round, or that it is common knowledge. It just proofs that they will believe everything that authority will tell them.

Challenging people with absurd theories like this one is good way to see who thinks with their own head and who will believe what others tell them they should believe.

[PonderingCuriosity]

Yes, and in fact, this strategy has a name and is called Devil's advocate.

Sometimes it is just fun to pretend that you actually believe in something out of ordinary for you just for the sake of starting debates or exploring opposing views on that one topic. There is a much more fun in doing this if you're arguing against yourself, coming up with both offensive and defensive arguments for the same position. This is especially useful for writing movie reviews because you have to learn to evaluate the downsides of any given work alongside its positives if you want to be a competent critic, otherwise you're just an obnoxious fanboy.