Moderated Bigfoot- Anybody Seen one?

[HarryHenderson]

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.

Oh yes, but of course, pardon me for the interruption, You're so right...and so savvy and...insightful too. I'm at a loss. I now clearly see the error of my ways. Thanks, no really, thanks.

When you all get the chance, you need to thank this man for turning me onto the correct path of Bigfoot Righteousness™.

There is a Bigfoot! HALLELUJAH!!!!

 

[kitakaze]

I tried googling seizures and the Pasquotank area, but all I got was land seizures for drug offences. Interestingly, our current conversation came up as the fifth google listing. I tried seizures and Great Dismal Swamp and the only thing of interest I got was a study of hyperthermia, heat stroke, and sun stroke in various animals, including bears in the Great Dismal Swamp...

In Bears
Panting. (J1.25.w6)
This was noted in all Ursus americanus - American black bear with body temperatures reaching or passing 42 °C during a study in the Great Dismal Swamp, Virginia and North Carolina, USA. (J1.25.w6)
Apparent weakness. (P85.1.w4)
High body temperature. (D268.w1, J428.34.w1)
If the bear's rectal temperature rises above 104 °F then it is hyperthermic. (D249.w13)

http://wildlife1.wildlifeinformation.org/S/00dis/PhysicalTraumatic/sunstroke.html

Wildlife biologists in Great Dismal taking rectal temperatures of bears -

Wildlife biologists finding Bigfoot -

Well, this bear is clearly hyperthermic. It's rectal temperature is 104 °F and clearly... BOB! Don't move! You are not going to believe this but...

Tried swamp gas and seizures - nothing there but we came in at #8 on google there. Meth labs, Pasquotank, and 1982 - we come in #2. John, you didn't happen to see any smoke or smell anything burning at all, right?

 

[kitakaze]

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.

Have I been rude to John and condescending? I think I've been very friendly with John. I like John. That's why I really try to help find some answers. If you can find where I'm insulting John and being rude to him, Bruce, please quote it for me, and if I was in fact rude or insulting, I will apologize. If we are just going to derail a conversation with yes, you did/no I didn't, I won't be contributing to that.

 

[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.

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.

For clarity for other posters, CreatureSeeker is the Bruce that John/WGBH is referring.

Bruce, John says you don't believe your fellow Sasquatch Watch member saw a Bigfoot at all. As a self-described skeptic, what do you think he experienced and what options have you suggested?

 

[kitakaze]

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!

Cimerian, I think you made a thoughtful post there and I want to help you in your future contributions at the JREF. While you had some very salient points in that post, you created what I refer to as a textberg. A textberg is daunting chunk of text that causes the average reader to think Well, I just am not even going to try getting through that.

The way to avoid textbergs and invite people to read your posts is to make proper use of paragraphs. Paragraphs are best employed based on managable chunks of information based on subject. As such, let me put that textberg of yours, which contains valuable thoughts, in a more reader friendly format...

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!

There we have rather than a sizable block of text that deters the reader from actually taking the time to read it, to four managable paragraphs that can be easily read. Please don't interpret my advice as negative criticism, but rather friendly help from a fellow member that has experience with effective writing in the internet forum medium.

 

[clayflingythingy]

I made up this story why? Because I like being accused of lunacy and dishonesty? Because I like having my friends, family and co-workers ridicule me? I decided after 25 years that I wanted to pull a hoax? No, I wanted to try to get some closure and get some sleep without being drugged.

When I was a younster a couple of times a year my Mom would drag me along to visit her elderly aunt. This woman lived alone, in a rural area, with no close by neighbors. Every visit she would tell Mom about her "talks" with here dead husband and child. She would say things like: "Mr Cays (husband) came to visit me."

Aside from her "talking to dead people" she was normal. I have always suspected she fantasized about talking to dead releatives out of sheer loneliness.

Your bigfoot yarn has always struck me as some kind of made up fantsy, which I think is just as likely as an hallucination.

 

[WGBH]

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!!!

Good Morning Harry,

I will admit that I need to be more patient and probably over reacted. I am not humbled in the least by the JREF and please explain why you think I should be. Is it because you feel I have been treated well by the members here? Fine, but that is the way people should act in a public forum and IMO it does not really need to be acknowledged. It should be expected. For the record, I have no problem at all with my personal treatment here at the JREF and If I did, I can just ignore the people responsible.

My "friends" are not mysterious people on a internet forum who I have no personal connection or experience with.

 

[WGBH]

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.QUOTE]

I think you did just say it.

 

[WGBH]

When I was a younster a couple of times a year my Mom would drag me along to visit her elderly aunt. This woman lived alone, in a rural area, with no close by neighbors. Every visit she would tell Mom about her "talks" with here dead husband and child. She would say things like: "Mr Cays (husband) came to visit me."

Aside from her "talking to dead people" she was normal. I have always suspected she fantasized about talking to dead releatives out of sheer loneliness.

Your bigfoot yarn has always struck me as some kind of made up fantsy, which I think is just as likely as an hallucination.

So your theory is that I began a hoax in 1998 when I made my BFRO report and waited 8 years to spring my trap? I have only been talking about my encounter since 2006 and only publicly for about a year.

 

[kitakaze]

I think you did just say it.

Really, John? Is that what I said? I specified that my impression of the improper use of saw/seen was focused solely at Melissa? As far as I recall, I still consider Melissa to be an intelligent woman and she considers me to be an intelligent man. If you consider your use of the report function to be appropriate, then so be it. I will accept whatever punishment.

But let's get back to nuts and bolts. You don't think you had the infrablast or stink laid down on you. I couldn't find anything for an external source to make you have a seizure. Any ideas?

 

[kitakaze]

I think you did just say it.

No, really. How so? How did I say Melissa tugs Newports and wears unicorn sweaters?

 

[Drewbot]

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 think you did just say it.

WGBH

Kitakaze was clearly referring generally to the incorrect use of 'Seen' in the past tense of the word 'see'. When in fact 'Seen' is a past participle.

He said when he hears 'seen' used in the past tense of 'see' it invokes the above description. For example "I seen Ronnie Dobbs at the Quik-Mart."

You made the jump that he was referring directly to Melissa on your own. The mention that Melissa uses 'Seen' as a past tense of 'see, is a known fact for anyone who reads her writing, however your conclusion that the above referred directly to her was incorrect.

Back to the topic:

Having a hallucination is a known phenomenon. If it occurs one-time in half the population, and only ¹/₁₀₀% of those 150,000,000 believe what they thought they saw to be a bigfoot, that is 15,000 people, if only 10% of those people actually report a bigfoot sighting, that is 1,500 reports per year involving a hallucination. We are talking about tiny percentages of the population actually mistaking what they saw for Bigfoot.

When you compare it to the idea that there is a Giant, North American, Hairy, Bipedal Monster stalking the woods and rural driveways of North America, hurling pigs, porpoising while salmon fishing, the hallucination possibility dwarfs this idea in likelihood.

The other thing that leads me to believe that some of these sightings are Hallucination related, is that the sightings occur in ALL areas of the world. China, Indonesia, Australia, Nepal, Russia, Canada, South America...
Do you think a living Bipedal, Giant, hairy primate is really that widespread?
Let alone the idea that it lives in Alaska, BC, Washington, Idaho, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana every continental state and Canada. Does anyone really think that is possible? Oh... really?!? Really?

 

[WGBH]

No, really. How so? How did I say Melissa tugs Newports and wears unicorn sweaters?

For the 3rd and 4th time.

 

[WGBH]

Really, John? Is that what I said? I specified that my impression of the improper use of saw/seen was focused solely at Melissa? As far as I recall, I still consider Melissa to be an intelligent woman and she considers me to be an intelligent man. If you consider your use of the report function to be appropriate, then so be it. I will accept whatever punishment.

I don't expect a punishment.

But let's get back to nuts and bolts. You don't think you had the infrablast or stink laid down on you. I couldn't find anything for an external source to make you have a seizure. Any ideas?

No ideas at all.

 

[Cimerian]

Cimerian, I think you made a thoughtful post there and I want to help you in your future contributions at the JREF. While you had some very salient points in that post, you created what I refer to as a textberg. A textberg is daunting chunk of text that causes the average reader to think Well, I just am not even going to try getting through that.

The way to avoid textbergs and invite people to read your posts is to make proper use of paragraphs. Paragraphs are best employed based on managable chunks of information based on subject. As such, let me put that textberg of yours, which contains valuable thoughts, in a more reader friendly format...




There we have rather than a sizable block of text that deters the reader from actually taking the time to read it, to four managable paragraphs that can be easily read. Please don't interpret my advice as negative criticism, but rather friendly help from a fellow member that has experience with effective writing in the internet forum medium.

Kitakaze, you just deterred the below the average forum writer to make further contributions... just kidding, thanks for the advice. I'll take it in account. Can the original post be edited?

 

[WGBH]

Back to the topic:

Having a hallucination is a known phenomenon. If it occurs one-time in half the population, and only ¹/₁₀₀% of those 150,000,000 believe what they thought they saw to be a bigfoot, that is 15,000 people, if only 10% of those people actually report a bigfoot sighting, that is 1,500 reports per year involving a hallucination. We are talking about tiny percentages of the population actually mistaking what they saw for Bigfoot.

When you compare it to the idea that there is a Giant, North American, Hairy, Bipedal Monster stalking the woods and rural driveways of North America, hurling pigs, porpoising while salmon fishing, the hallucination possibility dwarfs this idea in likelihood.

The other thing that leads me to believe that some of these sightings are Hallucination related, is that the sightings occur in ALL areas of the world. China, Indonesia, Australia, Nepal, Russia, Canada, South America...
Do you think a living Bipedal, Giant, hairy primate is really that widespread?
Let alone the idea that it lives in Alaska, BC, Washington, Idaho, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana every continental state and Canada. Does anyone really think that is possible? Oh... really?!? Really?

I save my opinions about Bigfoot research for people who actually get in the field or have the field experience to constructively criticize it.

I do think Bigfoot are widespread geographically, but I do not think the animal exists in great numbers.

 

[LTC8K6]

Ha ha! Another bigfoot research faker...

 

[Drewbot]

2009... it was a very good year. FOR BIGFOOTERS LYING ABOUT STUFF!

 

[kitakaze]

Kitakaze, you just deterred the below the average forum writer to make further contributions... just kidding, thanks for the advice. I'll take it in account. Can the original post be edited?

There's a window of something like two hours after you submit a post that it can be edited by you. After that time the only person who can edit it is a mods or admin, which they would only do if it violated the membership agreement in some way.

 

[kitakaze]

No ideas at all.

OK, so both of us are drawing blanks for reasonable options of an external agent that caused you to have a seizure just before you witnessed the massive beast unknown to science 27 years ago just outside Elizabeth City in North Carolina.

Can you think of a physiological cause for a type of seizure? This doesn't need to include something that would cause you to hallucinate.