Originally posted by Ivan Seeking
I don't quite agree with the way that you said it, but I think we have the same basic objection. I don't object to the notion that videos, pictures, and stories are not accepted as scientific proof; but I think some do qualify as evidence. As you pointed out, pictures are sometimes treated as evidence, even a camera as a measurement instrument, but other times the skeptics cry "pictures are no evidence!" They are evidence! They are not proof.
To deny these things as evidence reveals a complete lack of objectivity on the part of the claimant. This position assumes that these things such as Bigfoot don't exist. This since if these things do exist, and we knew it, the pictures and such clearly would be viewed as evidence.
Many people confuse objectivity with closed mindedness. In fact, to be objective requires an open mind. Within this context, I would add that at one time the great apes were also thought by most to be mythical.
Yes, they were considered mythical because they only heard of them through the passed along, oral stories of what they thought were savage and wild "natives".
The "natives" had no need of evidence since they must have made contact or had similar passes with the sasquatch. Their understanding of the community of that species was taken for granted... just as we take for granted so many things. Take TV for example. If an explorer came to us and asked us what the TV was... we'd give them the whole story about cathode ray tubes and cycles per second, electrons and studio magic.
If they held our status in low regard they would simply take our word and call it mythological... this would be reinforced by the fact that we could not show them evidence of electrons or TV studios full of cameras etc... because we are in our savage and wild livingroom.
The whole story could become a myth with in a 15 year period or as long as it takes one generation to be educated by the slanted explorer who found the community of TV slaves.
Sooooo, in the case of the explorers... back in 17 or 1800 coming across the community associated with the Sasquatch... the propensity for the misinterpretation and the loss in translation must have been greatly exagerated. Thus a strong foundation for the misconception concerning the "myth" of the Sasquatch was laid down and remained a staple view of the reported phenomenon.
As reported, the sasquatch is extremely private. Their not shy. They are private... They are used to escaping detection from the wariest of animals... such as the grizzly and the cougar. This takes talent and a lot of genetic programming that would be compiled over many many years.
They do not want anything to do with humans and they barely have very much to do with one another. This sort of strategy requires a lot of hectacres... we are talking millions of hectacres of wilderness to pull off. And with the amount of economic value placed on the contents of most wilderness we see today, it will be a wonder if the species still exists.
People wonder why there have been no carcasses found of the species. This is because they are intelligent enough to have created a ritual out of their drive for privacy. The whole lot of them will never be seen... dead or alive... if they have anything to do with it... and they most certainly do.
