I've been looking into the phenomenon of Bigfoot for about 20 years or so. For many years, I did not post very much stuff on the internet. Over the last couple of weeks, I was reminded WHY I didn't post much Bigfoot stuff on the internet.
I have to say, over the last few weeks there has been some of the most idiotic Bigfoot stories I have ever seen, being published. For example, take the ludicrous story about a young woman who claims "Bigfoot is her baby's daddy". She states that "He totally freaked out when I told him I was pregnant, He got all weird and said he had to go see a friend and that he’d be back in a couple of hours. That was two years ago."
Or how about this recent report about Nancy Hoggart. Nancy claims "she is in a sexual relationship with bigfoot". Yes, really. She even claims her and Bigfoot are trying to start a family and that she has been in the relationship since 2008. In the article, Nancy goes into some details about their sexual encounters, which I'll not get into.
Are these stories a poor attempt at satire? I hope so.
Here is the thing about these outlandish, totally dumb, lying stories, they get posted on 99 percent of Bigfoot websites, News sites, played on the radio and more. It's hard to avoid these types stories.
Then, we have the people who keep posting pictures of foliage, stumps and shadows. These pictures get posted over and over, and the majority of people eat them up. Are they so desperate to see a Bigfoot that they will believe anything? I have one person, who I really like, tell me he has never taken a picture (while Bigfooting) that didn't have a Bigfoot in it. Then, there is some people who take 100's if not 1000's of random pictures and then pour over them trying to find something that looks like a face or shape of Bigfoot. Listen, if you didn't hear anything or see anything, then the chance of you catching a Bigfoot taking random pictures is really slim. Take for example the picture above left, me and my wife took this while out riding our ATVs. This has the shape of a Bigfoot but it is just light and shadow creating the figure. We see this type of photo on numerous Facebook Bigfoot pages. But if you disagree that it "could" be a Bigfoot or try to tell people it is just light and shadows, then in many cases you are attacked. I was recently told that I "should leave the group" if I didn't have an interest in Bigfoot. The thing is I do have an interest and I guess this person didn't know much about me.
In any case, I find these reports and stump photos annoying sometimes. Normally, I just shake my head and forget about such reports, but the last couple weeks it seems there has been a barrage of junk stories. I only touched on a couple of them but there has been more.
So, what can we do about this stuff? Nothing. It is part of the world of Bigfoot, it gets people followers and views. The bad part is that honest research efforts often go unnoticed and ganders little support when compared to those who make wild claims about photos or tell fantastic stories. Why is it that hoaxers and those who are over zealous seems to get the most attention? Is it because they feed those who just like an over the top story? Hmmmm maybe. It's really hard to pinpoint.
I try to be open minded and supportive of "possible" Bigfoot stories and photos. I understand that sometimes we can be mistaken or fooled. But after years of seeing all the phony stories and pictures, it is clear that only a small percentage of stories and pictures have any merit. It sometimes makes me believe that efforts are being taken to keep the water muddy and a cloud around the whole Bigfoot phenomenon.
I guess, in the end, even the outlandish tales have some entertainment value. I mean, I watch and read other stuff just for the sole purpose of getting some entertainment and/or enjoyment. I guess, I could just look at it in a little different light and just see it as entertainment. It's just that I have put so much of my time and effort into researching, it kind of feels like a poke in the eye when these fake stories come along and generate such a buzz.
I'm glad I found out for myself about Bigfoot. My mind was settled long ago about whether or not Bigfoot is real and crazy stories can not change what I have seen and found. The deluge of fake stories and wishful thinking photographs does sometimes make me want to exit the public forum of Bigfoot. To not share anything via social media. To do like I did for many years, research for nothing but personal satisfaction and knowledge. I'm kind of a loner anyways. But I might be missed, at least until the next crazy story surfaced about how "Bigfoot mows my lawn and repairs my truck" came out.
In the future, maybe I can be a little more lighthearted about crazy stories and pictures. It probably will not happen but maybe ...just maybe.
With that said, there are also stories that come along that are inspiring and makes a person hopeful. Stories or pictures that gets you fired up and makes you want to get out in the forest, do some research and find a Bigfoot! Now, that's the stories I'm thankful for, we just need more of them.
Have a great week!
~Tom~
This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter and a published photographer, and poet.
facebook.com/TheCryptoCrew
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