Tracking Belief in Bigfoot

[Q-C]

Me & My Mama Was what you will call Very Very Poor, I was Hunting to feed my Family, the big deer was enough meet to feed us all winter, My Mama Died of Breast Cancer on Nov 30 that same year, My Hunt Was for FOOD not a wall mount!!!!!!!!!

I have never killed an animal but have no problem with others letting them run free and then killing a wild animal for food. I am a carnivore and for me it beats slaughterhouses and commercial animal farms. I have let others try to convert me and I've gone out with hunters plenty of times, but I just find I enjoy the woods, especially in the dark. And I usually fall asleep by morning

I do not condone trophy hunting at all. Period. I hate zoos and marine animal lock ups, which according to some biologists, removing an animal from its environment is the same as killing it. I know zoos have been changing over the years but most i still don't like.

[RoadMaster04]

I can understand hunting for food. But I can also understand getting a job for food. How we choose to feed ourselves is up to each of us I guess.

Don't let that bother you though. I won't bat an eye when buying a nice juicy steak or a few pounds of hamburger in the grocery store. In a sense I'm quite the hypocrite when it comes to this matter. And I love to fish, so I'm clearly not opposed to a lot of what is involved with being at the top of the food chain.

I was more commenting on the uncommonly impressive awareness and prowess displayed by the buck in the above mentioned story. I just couldn't bring myself to kill such an impressive animal. I would find far more value in just marveling at its guile.

Boon I was Raised this way, over 3/4 Cherokee, in 1989 I had a Life Changing Accident that still govern's my life you don't know what you may do till you are fased with the fact that you need it to survive, As for Killing a Creature such as a Bigfoot if it is real I would not do so, unless it is a threat to me or mine, My Gun Now-a-days is my Camera, but I am ready at all times, one reasion is the Screeming in the woods talked about in my other post, if I can help it I'm nit gona be Food for a big cat or any creature in thiese woods. Edited April 29, 2012 by RoadMaster04

[Q-C]

I hate "nontrophy" trophy hunting too. A lot of my outdoor friends are hunters. And a few go to Canada to hunt bear. They bait em with donuts and then end up with these poor German Shepherd sized animals to mount.

One of my uncle's friends got his comeuppance though, he was alone and counted 7 bears all around him just before it got dark. By the time he ran and dove into the pickup an hour after dark, he was one freaked out dude.

[Sakari]

Naaaaw, I'd snuff it too. You have any idea what a real Bigfoot carcass would bring on the open market?

......ok, nether do I, but I wouldn't let a detail like that stop me......except in Oregon where the mythical creature enjoys the full protection of the law. Although, I might be able to sneak it back into Washington.......maybe.

There is no law protecting " Bigfoot ".....I believe you are mistaking the April Fools joke in a small county.( Washington, not Oregon )

[booNyzarC]

In the spirit of getting back on topic I'll just say that among all of the unexplained mysteries out there, sometimes the most difficult to fully understand and quantify are those which are directly related to the human condition.

[Saru]

Thread cleaned

Removed a few posts that were derailing the topic, just a quick reminder from the rules:

3e. Flamebaiting: Do not taunt or bait another member in to an argument.

[Night Walker]

A while ago I asked these questions:

What about ethnicity? How many Bigfoot sightings come from African-Americans?

No-one replied. Did I word it incorrectly/insensitively? I'm an ignorant, untravelled Aussie so I would appreciate correction if needed - preferably before I join some African-American forums and ask the same thing.

Anyway, I did a Google Image search of "bigfoot conference", counted around 200 participants, yet found only 1 African-American:

What about the high proportions of New Agers and Mormons among the ranks of Bigfoot Researchers (the main source of Bigfoot claims)? Does this suggest that Bigfoot is a learned cultural experience rather than a universal biological one?

[Q-C]

Who are the Mormons you speak of? Meldrum?

[Mattshark]

Interesting that 30% of people (In the US?) belive BF is really out there. That is around 100 million people in the US. How can so many be wrong? Is it the bad education system? Are we (US citizens) just stupid? Or is there actually something going on here?

Always remember that there is no limit to the amount of people who can be wrong! Homo sapiens is not as intelligent as it would like to believe.

[Q-C]

Half asleep. Deleted post.

Edited May 4, 2012 by QuiteContrary

[Night Walker]

Who are the Mormons you speak of? Meldrum?

I'm referring more to the 'footers active in the field although it is interesting that the 2 highest qualified scientific advocates for Bigfoot (Meldrum & Krantz) are/were Mormon. Of course, there are no actual statistics on the relative proportions of New Agers and Mormons among 'footer subculture so I could be way out on that one. However, in Australia where the Yowie Research subculture is much smaller nearly all would fall under the New Age banner...

[keninsc]

I'm referring more to the 'footers active in the field although it is interesting that the 2 highest qualified scientific advocates for Bigfoot (Meldrum & Krantz) are/were Mormon. Of course, there are no actual statistics on the relative proportions of New Agers and Mormons among 'footer subculture so I could be way out on that one. However, in Australia where the Yowie Research subculture is much smaller nearly all would fall under the New Age banner...

I thought Mormons were only interested in very young girls and seeing angels?

Do they prefer their Sasquatch.....uhm......less.......hairy? Just curious.

Edited May 4, 2012 by keninsc

[orangepeaceful79]

A while ago I asked these questions:

No-one replied. Did I word it incorrectly/insensitively? I'm an ignorant, untravelled Aussie so I would appreciate correction if needed - preferably before I join some African-American forums and ask the same thing.

Anyway, I did a Google Image search of "bigfoot conference", counted around 200 participants, yet found only 1 African-American:

What about the high proportions of New Agers and Mormons among the ranks of Bigfoot Researchers (the main source of Bigfoot claims)? Does this suggest that Bigfoot is a learned cultural experience rather than a universal biological one?

I think that the reason nobody responded is probably because nobody really knows. I doubt if any entity that is tracking BF reports is disaggregating their data out to include socio-economic or racial information. At least - race doesn't seem to be a field you fill out if you go to BFRO's website and fill out an encounter.

My unfounded guess would be that the majority of BF sightings are made by caucasians simply because most BF sightings come from areas that are more rural. Population density for African-Americans and Latinos tends to be higher in urban areas.

[Night Walker]

I thought Mormons were only interested in very young girls and seeing angels?

Do they prefer their Sasquatch.....uhm......less.......hairy? Just curious.

My understanding is that Bigfoot is not part of mainstram LDS theology but it is popular among the fringes of the religion. Mythology and folklore are not just things from the past but are important and active parts of this dynamic religion.

The Mormon Bigfoot Genesis Theory

Bigfoot, the Three Nephites and the Lost Tribes of Israel

A Mormon Bigfoot

The Truth About Mormon Myths [Mormon Bigfoot, White Horse Prophesy, & Nephites alive 2,000+ years]

My unfounded guess would be that the majority of BF sightings are made by caucasians simply because most BF sightings come from areas that are more rural. Population density for African-Americans and Latinos tends to be higher in urban areas.

Below is from Mangani's Bigfoot Maps - Overview Map of North American Bigfoot Sightings as reported by selected bigfoot research organization web sites:

Are there no African-Americans in these areas? Do they not travel out of urban areas?

[orangepeaceful79]

My understanding is that Bigfoot is not part of mainstram LDS theology but it is popular among the fringes of the religion. Mythology and folklore are not just things from the past but are important and active parts of this dynamic religion.

The Mormon Bigfoot Genesis Theory

Bigfoot, the Three Nephites and the Lost Tribes of Israel

A Mormon Bigfoot

The Truth About Mormon Myths [Mormon Bigfoot, White Horse Prophesy, & Nephites alive 2,000+ years]

Below is from Mangani's Bigfoot Maps - Overview Map of North American Bigfoot Sightings as reported by selected bigfoot research organization web sites:

Are there no African-Americans in these areas? Do they not travel out of urban areas?

Like I said - I have no idea. It was merely a guess on my part. I know from my own limited experience camping and hiking in wild areas that most if not all of the people that I have encountered have been caucasian. Do my experiences speak for the whole of everyone? Certainly not. I'm guessing that at least a nominal portion of these reports were made by people of color - but I doubt if anyone is keeping track. Go ask BFRO - maybe they know?

And I suppose a question I would ask is "is it relevant anyway?" I get your angle on whether certain myths may have cultural alignments I suppose. I jsut don't see how you are going to find out what percentage of BF sightings were made by which ethnic group.

[Sakari]

You know when the Bigfoot discussions have gone as far as they possibly could when it turns into a debate on what race has seen them.....

Hey, Orange, besides hiking, and camping, they know how to swim and play hockey also.......

[orangepeaceful79]

You know when the Bigfoot discussions have gone as far as they possibly could when it turns into a debate on what race has seen them.....

Hey, Orange, besides hiking, and camping, they know how to swim and play hockey also.......

Yes I'm aware of that. thanks. I wasn't debating whether other races, hike, camp, etc. Of course they do - I was merely responding to a question with my own limited personal knowledge.

[Night Walker]

I get your angle on whether certain myths may have cultural alignments I suppose. I jsut don't see how you are going to find out what percentage of BF sightings were made by which ethnic group.

By examining the ethnic makeup of people actively involved in the search for Bigfoot (ie the 'footer subculture):

You know when the Bigfoot discussions have gone as far as they possibly could when it turns into a debate on what race has seen them.....

Why? Is it taboo to ask why African-Americans are almost completely absent (1 in 200 or 0.5% from my example) from the 'footer subculture? I don't understand this but like I said - "I'm an ignorant, untravelled Aussie so I would appreciate correction if needed - preferably before I join some African-American forums and ask the same thing". Please explain it to me - I want to understand...

[orangepeaceful79]

By examining the ethnic makeup of people actively involved in the search for Bigfoot (ie the 'footer subculture):

Why? Is it taboo to ask why African-Americans are almost completely absent (1 in 200 or 0.5% from my example) from the 'footer subculture? I don't understand this but like I said - "I'm an ignorant, untravelled Aussie so I would appreciate correction if needed - preferably before I join some African-American forums and ask the same thing". Please explain it to me - I want to understand...

I don't think that its a taboo question. I think its a question that has no answer - at least not that any of us is going to be able to provide. Even if one of us happened to be African-American - its not like one person can answer for a whole race. And the rest of us are just white folks speculating.

If you'd like my speculation, I think that the reason that African-Americans and probably to some extent other ethnic minority groups are not as prevalent in this discussion is cyclical. Look at most of the proponents of the BF mythology - the big names I mean - mostly (not all I realize) middle aged - to- old white guys. The public face of BF the bigfoot phenomenon is generally white - the people who get interviewed about it, the people who show up on Finding Bigfoot to their ad-hoc town-hall meetings, most of these people are white. So my guess is that the BF phenomenon is percieved to have a white face - at least to the casual observer - perhaps that makes it seem less relevant to people of color in general - which in turn causes fewer of those races to engage in learning about the phenomenon and around and around it goes. I have no idea - I'm just guessing.

But again I ask - why is it even an important question? unless you explained already and I missed it, I didn't see an answer to this when I asked earlier.

[Night Walker]

But again I ask - why is it even an important question? unless you explained already and I missed it, I didn't see an answer to this when I asked earlier.

I don't have an answer either other than Bigfoot-as-learned-cultural-experience. If Bigfoot was a legitimate undiscovered biological creature then you would expect sightings and interest from a representative cross-section of the broader population but that does not appear to be the case.

I just like to raise the point. It's important to look at the Bigfoot phenomenon from different perspectives and this angle has rarely, if ever, been considered. The whole field is ripe for serious sociological study...

[Zarifa]

Living in the Pacific Northwest, I can speak somewhat to the subject of African-Americans being in the minority of witnesses here. First, we have a relatively small populace of Afro-Americans in general, and mostly confined to urban areas. A few do arrive here, usually from other parts of the country, and seek to gain employment in the woods. However, I've worked on several projects for the Forest Service with inter-city Afro-American kids who have never before set foot in the forest, and so were inordinately afraid of lions and tigers and bears. They are not inclined to go out in the woods to recreate, for whatever cultural reasons, at least not in this area. A sampling of Bigfoot studies from the southern states might yield different results. But since the large body of sightings come from the PNW, this might factor into such a statistic. We do have a large populace of Mexican Americans and transient latino workers, who spend a lot of time in the forest, mostly engaged in work of some kind. However, I think that they would be less inclined to report sightings, and language barriers might contribute to that. We do have a large populace of Native-Americans, who freely acknowledge Sasquatch, as it is an ingrained part of their culture. I don't think that they feel the need to try and convince others.

Edited May 19, 2012 by Zarifa

[drpaxton]

I saw the new episode tonight - According to Ancient Astronaut theorists - Bigfoot is an Alien - no kidding, that is what they said.

That was the plot of several ^ Million Dollar Man episodes in the 1970s.

[itsnotoutthere]

http://www.livescien...nfographic.html

Interesting that 30% of people (In the US?) belive BF is really out there. That is around 100 million people in the US. How can so many be wrong? Is it the bad education system? Are we (US citizens) just stupid? Or is there actually something going on here?

It's probably the same reason that 100 million americans claim to have been abducted by aliens. i.e. boring lives & fifteen minutes of fame.

[+DieChecker]

Why? Is it taboo to ask why African-Americans are almost completely absent (1 in 200 or 0.5% from my example) from the 'footer subculture? I don't understand this but like I said - "I'm an ignorant, untravelled Aussie so I would appreciate correction if needed - preferably before I join some African-American forums and ask the same thing". Please explain it to me - I want to understand...

I tend to agree with Zarifa. From what I have experienced with black people, here in Oregon and in the US Army, they generally don't want wilderness recreation, so don't do as much hiking, camping or nature photography. They also tend (in general) to remain in urban centers, and few live on the edges of the urban zones where BF is sometimes spotted. These are my opinions and nothing more.

I think you would find the same kind of percentages within asian populations, as they also are primariy urban. While hispanic/latin peoples probably are well represented, as they work in outdoors positions very often and live in areas on the edge or outside urban zones.

I think we all have the same psycological triggers, just that in blacks maybe it points toward a mugger or bum instead of assuming it is a bigfoot. Maybe they are more rational in that way.

[+DieChecker]

That was the plot of several ^ Million Dollar Man episodes in the 1970s.

That was not an alien. It was a robot. I think its head gets knocked off if I remember right. Andre the giant was inside the suit, if I remember right.