Just to add one general thought to this discussion: Whenever someone claims that the Earth is flat, they are called "ignorant". However, I am absolutely sure that a large percentage (above 90%) of the population in all developed countries would not be able to provide a proof that the Earth is a sphere that is in accordance with the alleged proofs provided by mainstream science. And I don't count "Go to space and take a picture!" here, because I want proof that can be reproduced by an average person. Allegedly, such simple proofs exist in mainstream science, yet, like I said, most people would not be able to provide such a proof if you stopped them on the street and asked them. I dare you to try it if you think otherwise.
In fact, I have seen many people give "proofs" that were easily refuted and where even mainstream scientists would have bashed their heads into a wall. And many people would eventually probably admit that their teacher simply told them so, so it must be correct.
Yet, it is the flat-earthers who are described as "ignorant"? In my opinion, it is more ignorant to accept some statement as a basic fact without being able to actually prove it than rejecting it outright and using the basic perception of our senses as default assumption. I might be an anomaly among flat-earthers, but I am an atheist. I will not accept the assumption that there is a god without accompanying proof. In the same way, I will not accept the assumption that the Earth is a sphere without accompanying proof. However, large parts of the population do. And that to me is akin to a religious belief. If you determine why people believe in a god, you will find that most of them simply accepted the statement "There is a god!" from their parents. In the same way, people simply accept the statement "The Earth is a sphere."
So if someone wants to stop ignorance, they should start with the people who actually do believe that the Earth is a sphere. If the Earth is indeed a sphere, then we flat-earthers are simply a strange anomaly, a sadly small bunch of misled people. Such people are easily ignored. However, the people who believe the Earth is a sphere without having even the most basic proof for such an important statement are people who will believe everything that someone in authority told them. They are your real problem.
You're not the first FE proponent to play this style of card, and the short response is that even if a RE proponent cannot personally verify their claim, they are
more than entitled to believe the earth is round due to how substantiated the claim is. There is an absolute wealth of evidence available, evidence that is out-right foolish to discard just because you cannot personally verify it - photographs and videos come to mind, as does the existence of satellite based technologies.
Furthermore, everybody has clearly visible evidence to suggest that at the
very least the earth certainly isn't flat. The horizon is simply the point where the earth begins to curve out of view. Any other suggestion involving bendy light, the atmosphere's opacity, etc, etc - that's all nonsense. The most simple answer is that the earth is curving out of view. I'm not going to get into the debate about the ship 'rising' out of the ocean but it honestly takes mental gymnastics to believe anything other than the horizon is exactly what the vast majority of the population believe it to be - because that's what it is.
Carl Sagan once said, 'It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brains fall out.'
You are effectively claiming nobody should believe anything unless they can personally verify it, and oh boy, what an intellectually dangerous position that is. Can you imagine a world where evidence provided for statements was never accepted because people didn't come up with said evidence personally? Are you actually serious?
We breathe oxygen - fact or fiction?
The molecular formula for water is H
2O - fact of fiction?
Kangaroo's exist - fact or fiction?
Honestly - that list is effectively endless. The amount of things people 'know' without ever being able to personally verify it is astronomical. However, they all have something in common. Evidence - all of these things can be demonstrated as true, even if you cannot personally verify it.
Your position on the existence of god is not analogous because there is no proof to suggest one exists. RE theory is not an assumption, it is a certainty and the amount of supporting evidence for it (personally verifiable or not) is huge. Not only that, all the pieces of said evidence interlock and support each other. That's rather convenient for a conspiracy isn't it?
In a nutshell, don't pretend that disbelief in something because you can't personally verify whatever 'something' is, is always the intellectual high-ground. It most certainly isn't.
However, the people who believe the Earth is a sphere without having even the most basic proof for such an important statement are people who will believe everything that someone in authority told them. They are your real problem.
This statement just isn't true. Yes, the first time you are told the earth is round it will be from an authoritative figure - but there is proof behind the statement, a lot of it at that.
People who disregard hard evidence on the grounds that they can't test it themselves, instead favouring wild, unsubstantiated, bronze-age theories that ironically have little to no proof - now that's a problem.