naïma The Sun (2023)
Although scientists are seriously concerned about so-called flat earthers, it’s difficult not to be a little entertained by certain follies that this community’s doubt about the earth’s sphericity has given rise to. From US rapper B.o.B’s fundraising campaign to buy a satellite that would provide clarity about the earth’ shape; to NBA superstar Kyrie Irving, who still is not quite sure about the whole issue; to veteran pop culture sensation Tila Tequila’s ominous rant on Twitter back in the days—it’s all quite amusing. What’s adding to the entertainment is that flat earthers have to find explanations for a whole bunch of other everyday phenomena that wouldn’t be all that pedestrian if the earth were flat. At the end of last year, for example, comedians Jason Selvig and Davram Stiefler shared a video on their x account The Good Liars showing Selvig in conversation with a man who explains that there is no such thing as the sun, but rather different suns that are only a couple of kilometers away from us. Simple-minded as we are, we tend to believe what scientists at NASA and other experts tell us: the earth being (sort of) a globe and the sun being a star that is roughly 150 million kilometers away from earth. This helps us simpletons understand that the sun—looking at it from over here—is rising and setting on a daily basis. As a result we can enjoy Swiss r’n’b and soul singer naïma’s heartwarming song “The Sun” without overtaxing our little minds.
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