Moderated Bigfoot- Anybody Seen one?

[WGBH]

To convince others yourself you were not Crazy?

ETA: Not saying you are crazy, just saying that many people who suffer a hallucination falsely believe that because they had a hallucination that they are crazy. I am saying you are trying to convince yourself, that you must have seen Bigfoot, because otherwise, you must have had a hallucination, and therefore I would be crazy, but since you don't want to think you are crazy, you latched on to the Bigfoot explanation.

Not the case.

 

[WGBH]

John, have you ever been as frightened as you were that day when you collapsed?

No, the most frightening thing WAS NOT when I collapsed. It was later when I SAW a Bigfoot.

 

[kitakaze]

I believe John witnessed something (real or unreal we will never know) and wouldn't try to force it into a sudden onset hallucination box as the only explanation of his experience.

(snipped for brevity)

Personally, I think this is an excellent post by LuvGodzilla. I feel it is a fine line to walk when discussing John's experience. I feel there is an inherent danger in blindly reinforcing what may never have happened the way footers do for John by filling his head with infrasound and stink attack gobbledygook. I also need to take seriously that I am not a physician or psychologist and can not proporly diagnose John with anything. I can't insist that he had sleep paralysis, and while others like Drew have their reasons to think that is the explanation, I'm not so sure. What I do know is that John had some type of seizure right before he saw what would be the singular most amazing find in zoological history. I am confident John did not see a Bigfoot, but I can't rule out that he really did see something.

Maybe he did see some kind of primate or something else that he did confabulate in his memory. I don't know, maybe he experienced some trauma and had a false memory created. Memory is a creation and very prone to distortion. We all know this. Let's look into each thing point by point, but I am going to try and stay away from playing doctor with John.

Right now I'm going to look into the enviromental agent angle for accounting for John's seizure. I encourage John to contact Great Dismal people but in the meantime I will use the internet to look for stories of people having similar seizures as John in the area. I don't think I'll find anything siginificant, but I prefer it to playing doctor.

 

[Bitter Monk]

I feel there is an inherent danger in blindly reinforcing what may never have happened the way footers do for John by filling his head with infrasound and stink attack gobbledygook.

This. Even if John did see a bigfoot, which I know is a premise many here wouldn't consider, it doesn't mean that everything that happened that day was caused by the presence of said bigfoot.

 

[HarryHenderson]

Hi, Cimerian, and welcome to the JREF.

Yeah, that's about the way it goes, isn't it. Wild claim, requisite request for evidence, rain of excuses, oh, I have the pictures but there are legal obligations, you see. It's really quite fascinating and I never tire of seei*snore*

Really, footer people, let's try harder shall we? Put some swagger on it. Try something new. At least people like Bull$#!% Maker had the beans to do crazy things like make a Bigfoot hat and take pictures of that...

http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=173&pictureid=793

The whole copyright dreck is so tired. Gimme some plush toys and a polaroid and I'll do better than those clowns.

BTW, if you are not banned at the BFRO board now, you should be about sometime tomorrow. Kim Jong Moneymaker or somebody will take care of that.

The entire post is laugh out loud funny...Comedy Gold™.

 

[WGBH]

I feel there is an inherent danger in blindly reinforcing what may never have happened the way footers do for John by filling his head with infrasound and stink attack gobbledygook. QUOTE]

Kit,

My Footer friends (all 5 I normally associate with) do not reinforce anything about infrasound or stink. It is merely a theory that is discussed in this research. None of them have ever tried to force that on me. My footer friends know I do not like to talk much about my encounter at all and they never force me to do so. People who I don't know do get curious and ask me questions about it. Like when I go on larger expeditions like with the ABS. Billy will step in and let them know I don't like to discuss it publicly anymore since the Ohio conference fiasco. After I get to know people I can discuss it usually. It is much easier on internet forums, I can just turn off my laptop if I want.

 

[rockinkt]

This. Even if John did see a bigfoot, which I know is a premise many here wouldn't consider, it doesn't mean that everything that happened that day was caused by the presence of said bigfoot.

True.

BTW - welcome to the JREF BM!

It was my pleasure to read your posts and debate issues with you on the BFF and I look forward to your participation here.

 

[Bitter Monk]

Same to you Rock.

 

[kitakaze]

Kit,

My Footer friends (all 5 I normally associate with) do not reinforce anything about infrasound or stink. It is merely a theory that is discussed in this research. None of them have ever tried to force that on me. My footer friends know I do not like to talk much about my encounter at all and they never force me to do so. People who I don't know do get curious and ask me questions about it. Like when I go on larger expeditions like with the ABS. Billy will step in and let them know I don't like to discuss it publicly anymore since the Ohio conference fiasco. After I get to know people I can discuss it usually. It is much easier on internet forums, I can just turn off my laptop if I want.

I wasn't thinking of Billy, Bruce, Sean, DB or any other of your main Bigfoot friends. I was thinking more of turkeypants people on forums like the BFF when you were there, or the SFB. I can think of very few footers who would not accept that you saw Bigfoot and were frazzled in some manner. The "'Round the mulberry bush" Blogsquatcher piece would definitely encourage footers to think that way. Have you never had a footer say they think you got blasted by Bigfoot? I very much doubt that. I think you heard it often.

Those people need to take off the asshat and get out of Bigfoot la La Land long enough to pick up a book and read enough to get a grip on reality and let go of infrasound, Bigfoot pets, glowing eyes insanity and other fortean delusions. You know it's crazy, but you won't accept some internal physical/neurological cause for your seizure prior to your sighting, so that leaves you with outside agent causing you to have a seizure not related to the 9x5ft beast unknown to science that you immediately after saw. We know it was not the emission of any animal like a skunk as their sprays are sulfate and not neurologically affecting in any manner.

What does that leave us with? Swamp gas? I don't think there was any meth labs there in 1982 (though I'm sure you could find one around the Pasquotank now). We need to explore every option we can and eliminate all the possibilities that can not account for your experience deductively. Remember, Bigfoot alone can not account for your experience which included a seizure.

 

[WGBH]

I wasn't thinking of Billy, Bruce, Sean, DB or any other of your main Bigfoot friends. I was thinking more of turkeypants people on forums like the BFF when you were there, or the SFB. I can think of very few footers who would not accept that you saw Bigfoot and were frazzled in some manner. The "'Round the mulberry bush" Blogsquatcher piece would definitely encourage footers to think that way. Have you never had a footer say they think you got blasted by Bigfoot? I very much doubt that. I think you heard it often.

Yes some footers try to tell me I was blasted by Bigfoot or got a stink bomb. Some of them don't believe I saw Bigfoot at all, for example Bruce or Melissa. I am used to it now.

 

[kitakaze]

True.

BTW - welcome to the JREF BM!

It was my pleasure to read your posts and debate issues with you on the BFF and I look forward to your participation here.

Wow, where are my manners?

Very glad you decloaked, Monk, and welcome to the JREF.

How does it feel to have that new poster smell? I never registered an account at the BFF, but I was a regular reader of the BFF for years before coming here. We got you, Volsquatch, wolftrax, rockinkt, RayG... it's nice to have some BFF old guard here. I do not read the BFF even a fraction of what I used to and wow! are there some idiots there now.

Hope you stick around.

 

[kitakaze]

Yes some footers try to tell me I was blasted by Bigfoot or got a stink bomb. Some of them don't believe I saw Bigfoot at all, for example Bruce or Melissa. I am used to it now.

What? Really? What does Bruce Harrington think happened and what does Melissa think happened?

 

[Bitter Monk]

Wow, where are my manners?

Very glad you decloaked, Monk, and welcome to the JREF.

Thank you very much.

How does it feel to have that new poster smell? I never registered an account at the BFF, but I was a regular reader of the BFF for years before coming here. We got you, Volsquatch, wolftrax, rockinkt, RayG... it's nice to have some BFF old guard here. I do not read the BFF even a fraction of what I used to and wow! are there some idiots there now.

It's been quite a while since I've got to sport the noob hat. If I'm going to be a noob somewhere that's good company to start out in.

On topic... John I think kit and I are saying the same thing when it comes to you being primed to the possibility that bigfoot was related to your seizure or episode, and in reading your responses I think you're saying the same. If someone were to ask you point blank (without maybe being an option) if bigfoot induced your seizure would you say yes or no?

 

[WGBH]

What? Really? What does Bruce Harrington think happened and what does Melissa think happened?

Melissa said:
"I believe John did see something that shook him to the core. But, I have never even told John that I "believe he seen a bigfoot". I believe he had an encounter of some kind, what exactly I can not say. That is as honest as I can be"

Bruce can speak for himself.

 

[kitakaze]

Melissa said:
"I believe John did see something that shook him to the core. But, I have never even told John that I "believe he seen a bigfoot". I believe he had an encounter of some kind, what exactly I can not say. That is as honest as I can be"

Bruce can speak for himself.

Well, that isn't Melissa saying she doesn't believe you saw a Bigfoot. That's Melissa declaring no opinion one way or the other, other than that she thinks you did see something. That was an expression of neutrality after WP pointed out the irony that she professed to consider evidence claims as hoaxes until proven otherwise. You said Melissa didn't believe you saw Bigfoot at all, which actually wasn't what she said.

Such a nitpick, I know, but I really, really wish someone would sit Melissa down and walk her through the difference between "seen" and "saw". When I hear the phrase "he seen a Bigfoot" I just think of hiked up tights, a sweater with a unicorn on it, haircurlers, a pack of Newports, a bottomless rum and coke, and horrible, horrible teeth.

Bruce, I doubt has said that he thinks you are lying, misidentified something, were seeing things, or experienced a false memory. For a self-described skeptic espousing Bigfoot, Nessie, and Mokele-Mbembe nonsense, I really doubt that he's given you the thumbs down.

 

[WGBH]

Well, that isn't Melissa saying she doesn't believe you saw a Bigfoot. That's Melissa declaring no opinion one way or the other, other than that she thinks you did see something. That was an expression of neutrality after WP pointed out the irony that she professed to consider evidence claims as hoaxes until proven otherwise. You said Melissa didn't believe you saw Bigfoot at all, which actually wasn't what she said.

Bruce, I doubt has said that he thinks you are lying, misidentified something, were seeing things, or experienced a false memory. For a self-described skeptic espousing Bigfoot, Nessie, and Mokele-Mbembe nonsense, I really doubt that he's given you the thumbs down.

Did I say that Bruce thinks I am lying? Melissa being neutral does not constitute her believing I have seen Bigfoot. You seem to be under the opinion that anyone who goes out and investigates Bigfoot cannot be objective.

The middle part of your post was rude and juvenile and was reported.

 

[HarryHenderson]

Dude yer killin' me!

WGBH, I think you need to become a bit (or a lot) more humbled by the fact you so get an 'above the call of duty' (almost nauseating patience, compassion and concern) treatment here at the JREF. And YET, after receiving such treatment for awhile now you STILL HAVE THE BALLS to 'report' a funny written by YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST JREF ALLY WHO PROMOTES SUCH SPECIAL TREATMENT...because...you have NO ******* CLUE who your friends are? OMG! Inexplicable to me, these people are trying to HELP YOU man!

Unbelievable!!!

 

[Cimerian]

why reports are not reliable?

I don't think it is necessary to invoke hallucinations or altered mind states to account for many of the bigfoot/chupacabra/trolls/fairies sightings. The normal functioning of the visual perception is that the brain constantly constructs an estimation of what it is around. Our visual system does not work as a camera, just producing an exact representation of the 'reality', but instead, based on the few data available, fills the gaps, and create a continuous representation of what surrounds us. In other words, your perception (visual) is generated by your brain, with the help of external stimuli. Look for bistable optical illusions in the web and you can experience it for yourself, the same physical stimulus has 2 different exclusive meanings for your brain. Now, the point is, what your brain is going to generate depends on your previous experience, and on your expectations. So, when you are looking at something non-familiar, your brain will try to match that with its experience, once your brain generates a coherent perception, it tends to stick to that. Second point, memory. Memory is not an exact account of the perception, but again, is a remaining perception. Thus, it is modified every time we retrieve it, and memory is even more susceptible to the expectations and thoughts of the individual. My point is, you don't need to have fever or being starving to see hairy biped things during the night in the woods. It is enough if it is dark and full of vertical shapes (trees) to have a good. So, I would say, reports of people seeing, hearing, or smelling something are not evidence of anything (ha, reports of people touching or being touches are rather nonexistent). I believe they are convinced of what the perceived, but the human brain is a complex machine, can play you a few tricks. Just anecdotal, when I was 5, I saw 2 tall hairy humanoid shapes walking holding hands. It was a dark night, in the backyard of my house in a 5-million population city!

 

[kitakaze]

Did I say that Bruce thinks I am lying? Melissa being neutral does not constitute her believing I have seen Bigfoot. You seem to be under the opinion that anyone who goes out and investigates Bigfoot cannot be objective.

No, you didn't say Bruce thinks you're lying. You said he doesn't think you saw a Bigfoot at all. You seeing Bigfoot - him: nuh-uh. I then said that I doubt he thinks you are lying or misidentified something or were seeing things or experienced a false memory. Any of those options. See the difference?

The middle part of your post was rude and juvenile and was reported.

If you think I was breaching my MA, then you are more than welcome to report my post. Please understand my comment was not directed at any specific person, but rather what mental image I get when someone uses a phrase like "he seen a Bigfoot". I never said Melissa saunters around with hiked up tights, a sweater with a unicorn on it, haircurlers, a pack of Newports, a bottomless rum and coke, and horrible, horrible teeth. I am expressing the vibe I get from that way of speaking. See the difference?

 

[CreatureSeeker]

Dude yer killin' me!

...you STILL HAVE THE BALLS to 'report' a funny written by YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST JREF ALLY WHO PROMOTES SUCH SPECIAL TREATMENT...because...you have NO ******* CLUE who your friends are? OMG! Inexplicable to me, these people are trying to HELP YOU man!

Unbelievable!!!

I would hardly classify said poster as WGBH's "SINGLE BIGGEST JREF ALLY..." Kitakaze's posts about WGBH's experiences have been rude and condescending. How is that helping WGBH? If anything, it is WGBH who has shown remarkable patience and civility with his detractors in this forum. I am quite sure WGBH knows who his friends are.