Why Bigfoot looms large in human imagination

[Eldorado]

"Such folklore can reflect our uneasy relationship to the natural world around us: While we see ourselves as civilized, differentiated from the wild beasts of the forests, the wild man mythology presents a shadowy remnant of our former, uncivilized self.

"By the 20th century, though, the wild man mythos had developed other, less savory connotations.

"Bigots and eugenicists pushed junk science claiming genetic differences between ethnic groups, and arguing that whites were biologically superior, myths of the wild man—uncivilized and beast-like—found new purpose in racist pseudo-science. (Among those obsessed with finding evidence of Bigfoot in the 1950s was the Harvard anthropologist and crypto-eugenicist, Carleton S. Coon.) "

Full article at the Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-bigfoot-and-abominable-snowman-loom-large-human-imagination-180975365/

[Piney]

1 minute ago, Eldorado said:

"Bigots and eugenicists pushed junk science claiming genetic differences between ethnic groups, and arguing that whites were biologically superior

But the quality of evidence clearly shows that Caucasians are smarter than we brown people. 

[papageorge1]

Let's not carry this psychological stuff to the point where we forget that many of us are claiming that Bigfoot is also a real thing too.

[papageorge1]

13 minutes ago, Eldorado said:

eugenicists pushed junk science claiming genetic differences between ethnic groups,

Is it junk science or just politically incorrect science self-labelled junk by the politically correct. I think the latter.

[Susanc241]

7 minutes ago, Piney said:

But the quality of evidence clearly shows that Caucasians are smarter than we brown people. 

I am not sure if that was tongue in cheek or not, but going back to when the ‘white man’ of Europe had his first contact with, say, Africans, I suspect it was the fact that the ‘white man’ at that stage was technologically advanced compared to the native peoples of Africa and some of Asia and the Americas.  They saw things in terms of inventions and the technology of their day, rather than just seeing people being culturally different.  I believe (don’t know for sure) we respect the indigenous (rain forest) tribes of places like South America these days - even to the extent of being careful about introducing disease that they might have no immunity to.  Attitudes to different races were seen in the context of the times and while we know they were wrong back then, both morally and otherwise, I don’t think we should judge people of earlier centuries by our own current standards.  Each generation learns from the one before - from both their mistakes and their successes.
I know I am going off topic here (apologies) but recently a woman of African heritage has written about her great grandfather, on the west coast of Africa being a slave trader - slaving was endemic amongst the tribes of north Western Africa for centuries (up till the 1950s apparently), and he secured slaves for the Europeans.  I admire her honesty and I feel this part of the slaving story needs to be included in the whole history of the subject.  It had bugged me a lot since the BLM issue became so prominent that nobody seemed to want to admit (until now) the Africans own complicity in the trade.  All of it was wrong, even the slaving amongst the African tribes, by our standards, but not by theirs.  Different times, different standards.

If a moderator wants to move this elsewhere, please feel free.

[Piney]

33 minutes ago, Susanc241 said:

I am not sure if that was tongue in cheek

Firmly planted in. 

One of my Black ancestors, Anthony Pierce was a slave trader, the other Cuffee Cuff was a slave so your preaching to the choir. 

[HandsomeGorilla]

3 hours ago, Piney said:

But the quality of evidence clearly shows that Caucasians are smarter than we brown people. 

Clearly. 

Lol so smart they now wonder how the hell yall did what yall did, then put you on this weird ass pedestal where they kinda treated you as these brilliant sages but also kinda looked down on you at the same time. Weird dichotomy. 

[simplybill]

The biggest disappointment for me regarding Bigfoot is how the quality of Bigfoot confrontations has been reduced to blurry photos and tree-knocking in the night. Years ago, Bigfoot stories were full of adventure. They were tales of survival, of man- vs.-beast. Compare Albert Ostman’s story to modern-day claims of seeing a tall, hairy creature alongside a dark highway while driving 70 mph:

“Ostman did not use his gun on them as they had done him no harm. He stayed with the Bigfoot family for a week. Ostman ate most of his rations, (the 'boy' Sasquatch was fascinated with the discarded hash and beans cans). When they started to run out, Ostman subsisted off of the "sweet tasting grass" that they gave him. According to Ostman the female Sasquatch washed and stacked leaves. Albert escaped after one day noticing the massive male was quizzical about his snuff container. Ostman offered the male a pinch, whereupon the creature took the whole container and gulped it down. This made the Sasquatch ill and thirsty. Upon realizing the adult male had left for water in the creek bed, Albert took this opportunity to escape. The female Sasquatch gave chase, screeching for a few yards but retreated when Albert fired off his rifle.”

 

Read the full story here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Ostman
 

 

Edited July 21, 2020 by simplybill

[acute]

How unconvincingly sharp and detailed would images of Bigfoot be.....

without my widely available and reasonably priced AutoBlur® range of binoculars and cameras?

 

Edited July 21, 2020 by acute

[Resume]

1 hour ago, simplybill said:

The biggest disappointment for me regarding Bigfoot is how the quality of Bigfoot confrontations has been reduced to blurry photos and tree-knocking in the night. Years ago, Bigfoot stories were full of adventure. They were tales of survival, of man- vs.-beast. Compare Albert Ostman’s story to modern-day claims of seeing a tall, hairy creature alongside a dark highway while driving 70 mph:

“Ostman did not use his gun on them as they had done him no harm. He stayed with the Bigfoot family for a week. Ostman ate most of his rations, (the 'boy' Sasquatch was fascinated with the discarded hash and beans cans). When they started to run out, Ostman subsisted off of the "sweet tasting grass" that they gave him. According to Ostman the female Sasquatch washed and stacked leaves. Albert escaped after one day noticing the massive male was quizzical about his snuff container. Ostman offered the male a pinch, whereupon the creature took the whole container and gulped it down. This made the Sasquatch ill and thirsty. Upon realizing the adult male had left for water in the creek bed, Albert took this opportunity to escape. The female Sasquatch gave chase, screeching for a few yards but retreated when Albert fired off his rifle.”

 

Read the full story here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Ostman
 

 

But then Ostman lowered his rife; he shuffled nevously as Squatchima waggled her furry brows, and cupped her even furrier bosom suggestively.  She approached him slowly and he thought "Uh-oh" and heard strange music in his mind's ear: Wocka-wocka-wocka . . . 

[Matt221]

On the subject of Biggie and guns don't shoot him Bobbie Gentrys Billy jo Mcalister did and .......