#hoax — Public Fediverse posts

Ein #Hoax ist auf Englisch ein Streich, ein Schabernack mit dem Ziel, jemanden in die Irre zu führen oder zu erschrecken. Das Internet ist voll von sogenannten Hoaxes, Falschmeldungen zum Beispiel, auf die möglichst viele Menschen hereinfallen sollen. Ein ganz besonders dreister Hoax hat es Anfang des 19. Jahrhundert gar in die britische Presse geschafft, der sogenannte «Berners Street Hoax». Mein neuer Beitrag auf Radio SRF 2 Kultur.

https://www.srf.ch/audio/100-sekunden-wissen/berners-street-hoax?id=AUDI20260722_RS_0001

#100sekunden #wissen

Ein #Hoax ist auf Englisch ein Streich, ein Schabernack mit dem Ziel, jemanden in die Irre zu führen oder zu erschrecken. Das Internet ist voll von sogenannten Hoaxes, Falschmeldungen zum Beispiel, auf die möglichst viele Menschen hereinfallen sollen. Ein ganz besonders dreister Hoax hat es Anfang des 19. Jahrhundert gar in die britische Presse geschafft, der sogenannte «Berners Street Hoax». Mein neuer Beitrag auf Radio SRF 2 Kultur.

https://www.srf.ch/audio/100-sekunden-wissen/berners-street-hoax?id=AUDI20260722_RS_0001

#100sekunden #wissen

From www.thenerve.news -
'The #Reform candidate for Makerfield, Robert Kenyon, said #women should be denied #abortions even if they had been #raped by a family member; the Reform MP Sarah Pochin said there were too many #black people on #television; the Reform candidate for Rayleigh West, Stuart Prior, said #white people were the master #race and had bigger #brains than black people; the Reform candidate for Bootle West, Jay Leslie Cooper, said the #Holocaust was a #hoax; ....'

From www.thenerve.news -
'The #Reform candidate for Makerfield, Robert Kenyon, said #women should be denied #abortions even if they had been #raped by a family member; the Reform MP Sarah Pochin said there were too many #black people on #television; the Reform candidate for Rayleigh West, Stuart Prior, said #white people were the master #race and had bigger #brains than black people; the Reform candidate for Bootle West, Jay Leslie Cooper, said the #Holocaust was a #hoax; ....'

Step right up for the latest in Bigfoot hoaxes

Once again, someone has put on display a hairy man prop as a real Bigfoot and we can admire or cringe at the art of the hoax.

Parade of hairy hoaxes

Bigfoot hoaxing shenanigans is an unfortunately common part of cryptozoology. Remember the witless wonders, Rick Dyer and Matthew Whitton? In 2008, they claimed to have encountered several Bigfoots in the Georgia woods and bagged one. Their story went that they dragged one huge dead body out and put it in a freezer. They released their story and a photo to the press. Partnering with well established Bigfoot huckster Tom Biscardi, the brazen trio held a press conference revealing more photos. Many Bigfoot believers wanted this to be “the real deal” as Biscardi called it. But the hoax was short-lived. When the time came to examine the real body, the fakers bolted and the jig was up. It was a costume with added animal guts. To this day, I cannot fathom what they thought would happen with this swindle. It was just one bamboozle in a long line of cryptid counterfeits that continues to today.

Before the Georgia Bigfoot hoax, there was the Minnesota Iceman. Exhibited as a real creature by Frank Hansen, the iceman was a latex apeman model frozen in a block of ice. It fooled the founders of cryptozoology Bernard Heuvelmans and Ivan Sanderson who examined the specimen (still encased in ice, of course). Heuvelmans wrote about it, believing it to be a real hominid carcass. I suspect Dyer and Witton got their idea from Hansen. But Dyer wasn’t done with his antics.

In 2014, Dyer claimed that he had “really” shot a creature in Texas. “Hank” was a hoaxed model made of latex, foam and camel hair that he and a partner toured around the US, charging people $10 a head to see the gaff. According to the San Antonio Express News, they pocketed $60,000 before the jig was up. This was a classic story of “fool me twice” because Dyer was already an established Bigfoot con artist so you were kind of daft if you fell for this a second time. But people still wanted to see it.

Dack and the Fake “Snake”

Self-titled Bigfoot expert Charles “Snake” Stuart claimed to have found a dead Bigfoot specimen in the Adirondack Mountains of New York in October 2024. A cobbled-together website at BigfootsRemains.com showed the body and a promotional Press Release of detailed nonsense describing the 8ft creature as Neanderthal-human hybrid coined “Dack”.

“Snake the Bigfoot Hunter”, in his Day Glo duds, gave media interviews about how he came across the carcass by following a rotting smell after which he and a few buddies dragged the thing out of the woods. Borrowing from Hank and the previous infamous fakes, Snake put the creature on display at the New York State Fair in 2025.

There is nothing about this that was remotely believable. But it pissed off infamous legit serious Bigfoot guy Matt Moneymaker enough for him to crow about it:

Not long after the publicity ramped up about Dack, Bigfoot research personality Steve Kulls discovered that the Charles Snake Stuart is really Brian Andrew Whiteley, a rather lackluster visual/performance artist who was known for hoaxing Bigfoot before. Even though Whiteley is making it all up, it’s transparent what’s going on here to anyone who can do an Internet search.

The Dack stunt was a success. There is a sliver of my being that finds this outright hilarious. Other than the 13% or so of the populace that may take Bigfoot seriously, the rest of society sees it as a harmless tall tale, or as a joke. I’m guessing that most of the visitors queuing to see Dack are playing into the fun. Though, I would not be surprised if Whiteley ends up being punched in the face by a member of the Bigfoot Standom.

Snake’s performance hasn’t ended. He has posted a “DNA report” of the remains from the “Cornell University Bio DNA lab”. On the radio show Into the Parabnormal in May 2026, “Snake” explained that an old girlfriend worked at the Cornell lab with whom he was able to get back in touch and persuade her to do the testing. He defers to scientists from Japan as experts who authenticated the report. The name on the report, “Clinical Supervisor, Misty Pichard, PhD” does not appear to be a real person anywhere on the Internet, let alone at Cornell. The report looks like an AI-composited document, sounding just sciencey enough to impress the curious.

“Snake” Whiteley knows that controversy gets attention. Arguing about a real or fake story generates more clicks than a non-ambiguous report. (The news stations also know this. In reference to the Ohio Bigfoot flap in the spring, one reporter said it was the most online engagement they ever got. That’s the goal now.) Working in his favor are the recent Bigfoot stories from Ohio and the overall rise in Bigfoot/cryptid pop interest in 2026. He’s also keyed into the PGF kerfuffle and even picked up a religious theme with his new “Bigfoot Bible” book (self-published). It’s a transparent grift that is making Finding Bigfooters like Matt Moneymaker seethe as they perform their role as serious and ethical researchers appalled at this attention-grabbing stunt.

The history of Bigfoot hoaxes (and cryptid hoaxes in general) is very long. P.T. Barnum gave us one of the Cardiff Giants (actually a replica of the original fake), and the Feejee mermaid in the mid 1800s. The “real” fake Cardiff Giant was supposedly a lithified giant man whose appearance was a sensation in New York in 1869. Created by George Hull, who spend a large amount of cash to have it constructed, he cleared a tidy profit by the end. Funny enough, a Facebook comment on “Dack” called it the Cardiff Giant 2.0. Eh, that commenter forgot a few examples in between.

The infamous Hodag of the late 1890s was a constructed beast from the Wisconsin woods that was so popular that it became the mascot for the town of Rhinelander. Gene Shepard was a noted storyteller and jokester, it’s unlikely many people believed this mash-up monster was real. Today, the Hodag is a top pop cryptid with his own store and a traveling shop that appears at cryptid town festivals.

Cryptid fans continue to complain that the humbug is bad for the reputation of the field. But hoaxes have been an integral, and common, part of cryptozoology since its beginning. In fact, the most successful hoaxes have laid the foundation for the popularity of many cryptids, including Bigfoot and Nessie, to the point that the way we think about those creatures today is inextricably tied to the hoax portrayal.

Dack is just another one of those events counting on people’s wish to believe, to pull your leg for a laugh, or to see how much they can get away with. Whiteley has done the work to construct his alternate reality, using ideas from past hoaxes, and sciencey-sounding words, to manufacture a production that is entertaining to some. It’s not original or well-done, but it is art.

Step right up for the latest in Bigfoot hoaxes

Once again, someone has put on display a hairy man prop as a real Bigfoot and we can admire or cringe at the art of the hoax.

Parade of hairy hoaxes

Bigfoot hoaxing shenanigans is an unfortunately common part of cryptozoology. Remember the witless wonders, Rick Dyer and Matthew Whitton? In 2008, they claimed to have encountered several Bigfoots in the Georgia woods and bagged one. Their story went that they dragged one huge dead body out and put it in a freezer. They released their story and a photo to the press. Partnering with well established Bigfoot huckster Tom Biscardi, the brazen trio held a press conference revealing more photos. Many Bigfoot believers wanted this to be “the real deal” as Biscardi called it. But the hoax was short-lived. When the time came to examine the real body, the fakers bolted and the jig was up. It was a costume with added animal guts. To this day, I cannot fathom what they thought would happen with this swindle. It was just one bamboozle in a long line of cryptid counterfeits that continues to today.

Before the Georgia Bigfoot hoax, there was the Minnesota Iceman. Exhibited as a real creature by Frank Hansen, the iceman was a latex apeman model frozen in a block of ice. It fooled the founders of cryptozoology Bernard Heuvelmans and Ivan Sanderson who examined the specimen (still encased in ice, of course). Heuvelmans wrote about it, believing it to be a real hominid carcass. I suspect Dyer and Witton got their idea from Hansen. But Dyer wasn’t done with his antics.

In 2014, Dyer claimed that he had “really” shot a creature in Texas. “Hank” was a hoaxed model made of latex, foam and camel hair that he and a partner toured around the US, charging people $10 a head to see the gaff. According to the San Antonio Express News, they pocketed $60,000 before the jig was up. This was a classic story of “fool me twice” because Dyer was already an established Bigfoot con artist so you were kind of daft if you fell for this a second time. But people still wanted to see it.

Dack and the Fake “Snake”

Self-titled Bigfoot expert Charles “Snake” Stuart claimed to have found a dead Bigfoot specimen in the Adirondack Mountains of New York in October 2024. A cobbled-together website at BigfootsRemains.com showed the body and a promotional Press Release of detailed nonsense describing the 8ft creature as Neanderthal-human hybrid coined “Dack”.

“Snake the Bigfoot Hunter”, in his Day Glo duds, gave media interviews about how he came across the carcass by following a rotting smell after which he and a few buddies dragged the thing out of the woods. Borrowing from Hank and the previous infamous fakes, Snake put the creature on display at the New York State Fair in 2025.

There is nothing about this that was remotely believable. But it pissed off infamous legit serious Bigfoot guy Matt Moneymaker enough for him to crow about it:

Not long after the publicity ramped up about Dack, Bigfoot research personality Steve Kulls discovered that the Charles Snake Stuart is really Brian Andrew Whiteley, a rather lackluster visual/performance artist who was known for hoaxing Bigfoot before. Even though Whiteley is making it all up, it’s transparent what’s going on here to anyone who can do an Internet search.

The Dack stunt was a success. There is a sliver of my being that finds this outright hilarious. Other than the 13% or so of the populace that may take Bigfoot seriously, the rest of society sees it as a harmless tall tale, or as a joke. I’m guessing that most of the visitors queuing to see Dack are playing into the fun. Though, I would not be surprised if Whiteley ends up being punched in the face by a member of the Bigfoot Standom.

Snake’s performance hasn’t ended. He has posted a “DNA report” of the remains from the “Cornell University Bio DNA lab”. On the radio show Into the Parabnormal in May 2026, “Snake” explained that an old girlfriend worked at the Cornell lab with whom he was able to get back in touch and persuade her to do the testing. He defers to scientists from Japan as experts who authenticated the report. The name on the report, “Clinical Supervisor, Misty Pichard, PhD” does not appear to be a real person anywhere on the Internet, let alone at Cornell. The report looks like an AI-composited document, sounding just sciencey enough to impress the curious.

“Snake” Whiteley knows that controversy gets attention. Arguing about a real or fake story generates more clicks than a non-ambiguous report. (The news stations also know this. In reference to the Ohio Bigfoot flap in the spring, one reporter said it was the most online engagement they ever got. That’s the goal now.) Working in his favor are the recent Bigfoot stories from Ohio and the overall rise in Bigfoot/cryptid pop interest in 2026. He’s also keyed into the PGF kerfuffle and even picked up a religious theme with his new “Bigfoot Bible” book (self-published). It’s a transparent grift that is making Finding Bigfooters like Matt Moneymaker seethe as they perform their role as serious and ethical researchers appalled at this attention-grabbing stunt.

The history of Bigfoot hoaxes (and cryptid hoaxes in general) is very long. P.T. Barnum gave us one of the Cardiff Giants (actually a replica of the original fake), and the Feejee mermaid in the mid 1800s. The “real” fake Cardiff Giant was supposedly a lithified giant man whose appearance was a sensation in New York in 1869. Created by George Hull, who spend a large amount of cash to have it constructed, he cleared a tidy profit by the end. Funny enough, a Facebook comment on “Dack” called it the Cardiff Giant 2.0. Eh, that commenter forgot a few examples in between.

The infamous Hodag of the late 1890s was a constructed beast from the Wisconsin woods that was so popular that it became the mascot for the town of Rhinelander. Gene Shepard was a noted storyteller and jokester, it’s unlikely many people believed this mash-up monster was real. Today, the Hodag is a top pop cryptid with his own store and a traveling shop that appears at cryptid town festivals.

Cryptid fans continue to complain that the humbug is bad for the reputation of the field. But hoaxes have been an integral, and common, part of cryptozoology since its beginning. In fact, the most successful hoaxes have laid the foundation for the popularity of many cryptids, including Bigfoot and Nessie, to the point that the way we think about those creatures today is inextricably tied to the hoax portrayal.

Dack is just another one of those events counting on people’s wish to believe, to pull your leg for a laugh, or to see how much they can get away with. Whiteley has done the work to construct his alternate reality, using ideas from past hoaxes, and sciencey-sounding words, to manufacture a production that is entertaining to some. It’s not original or well-done, but it is art.

#JeffBezos plädiert dafür, lebenswichtige Ressourcen wie #Trinkwasser einzuschränken, damit #AI genug Ressourcen hat, um das Ressourcenproblem zu lösen. 🥳

«Sometimes you have to prioritize the intelligence that will save us over the biology that slows us down.» 😵‍💫

Nur: DIE SACHE STIMMT NICHT. Bezos hat das nie gesagt und es lenkt ab von seinen tatsächlichen Ansichten, KI und Tech-Lösungen noch mehr zu fördern statt einzuschränken. Der #Hoax spielt auf den Preis dafür an. 1/2

#fakeNews #fake

#JeffBezos plädiert dafür, lebenswichtige Ressourcen wie #Trinkwasser einzuschränken, damit #AI genug Ressourcen hat, um das Ressourcenproblem zu lösen. 🥳

«Sometimes you have to prioritize the intelligence that will save us over the biology that slows us down.» 😵‍💫

Nur: DIE SACHE STIMMT NICHT. Bezos hat das nie gesagt und es lenkt ab von seinen tatsächlichen Ansichten, KI und Tech-Lösungen noch mehr zu fördern statt einzuschränken. Der #Hoax spielt auf den Preis dafür an. 1/2

#fakeNews #fake

It's not a #hoax
It's not #FakeNews
It's real
It's here to stay
....Forever
Welcome, #drump and team to the #EpsteinFiles

https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/politics/100000010947363/how-trump-administration-handled-epstein-files.html

#Epstein

Leider steht der Betreiber nicht mehr zu seiner Aussage aus früheren Tagen den Bürgern am Ort günstigen Strom anzubieten. Die angeblichen Gründe sind Uneinigkeit darüber mit seinen Co-Investoren. Aber das wird er bei kommenden Projekten dann auch merken. Wir sind wütend und enttäuscht...
#buergerstrom #falschaussage #hoax #enttaeuschung

The Cardiff Giant: The Story Behind America’s Famous 19th-Century Hoax

📰 Original title: The Cardiff Giant, One of the Most Famous Archaeological Hoaxes in American History

🤖 IA: It's not clickbait ✅
👥 Users: It's not clickbait ✅

View full AI summary: https://en.killbait.com/the-cardiff-giant-the-story-behind-america-s-famous-19th-century-hoax.html?utm_source=mastodon_world&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=killbait.mastodon_world

#history #hoax #archaeology #giants

The Cardiff Giant: The Story Behind America’s Famous 19th-Century Hoax

📰 Original title: The Cardiff Giant, One of the Most Famous Archaeological Hoaxes in American History

🤖 IA: It's not clickbait ✅
👥 Users: It's not clickbait ✅

View full AI summary: https://en.killbait.com/the-cardiff-giant-the-story-behind-america-s-famous-19th-century-hoax.html?utm_source=mastodon_social&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=killbait.mastodon_social

#history #hoax #archaeology #giants

In January I wrote about the genuine Norse artifacts that were used in a hoax "proving" that Vikings had made it to the extreme western end of the Great Lakes around 1000 CE. This sword is the jewel of the three Beardmore relics and is still on display at the Royal Ontario Museum -- albeit with no mention that they were fooled by it.

Now it's just one of several Norse weapon artifacts in a display cabinet on the third floor of the ROM

#history #norse #cryptoarchaeology #hoax #ontario #vikings

In January I wrote about the genuine Norse artifacts that were used in a hoax "proving" that Vikings had made it to the extreme western end of the Great Lakes around 1000 CE. This sword is the jewel of the three Beardmore relics and is still on display at the Royal Ontario Museum -- albeit with no mention that they were fooled by it.

Now it's just one of several Norse weapon artifacts in a display cabinet on the third floor of the ROM

#history #norse #cryptoarchaeology #hoax #ontario #vikings

#Reform candidate: ‘Nigerians should be melted down to fill in pot holes’ wins

He ranted on social media he ‘carnt [sic] believe amount of #Nigerians in town’ & they ‘should melt them all down and fill in the pot holes’

Another #ReformUK candidate said #Holocaust was a #hoax also won in #elections

Jay Cooper won set on #Sefton Council accused of spewing out #conspiracy theories, labelling #genocide of millions of #Jewish people propaganda

https://metro.co.uk/2026/05/09/reform-candidate-said-nigerians-melted-fill-pot-holes-wins-seat-28297091/

#fascism #racism #England

#Reform candidate: ‘Nigerians should be melted down to fill in pot holes’ wins

He ranted on social media he ‘carnt [sic] believe amount of #Nigerians in town’ & they ‘should melt them all down and fill in the pot holes’

Another #ReformUK candidate said #Holocaust was a #hoax also won in #elections

Jay Cooper won set on #Sefton Council accused of spewing out #conspiracy theories, labelling #genocide of millions of #Jewish people propaganda

https://metro.co.uk/2026/05/09/reform-candidate-said-nigerians-melted-fill-pot-holes-wins-seat-28297091/

#fascism #racism #England

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oCgi8kV8AkI

#WHCD #WHCD2026 #trump #Putin #Russia #Staged #Fake #PublicityStunt #Breaking #BreakingNews #News #BreakingFakeNews #FakeNews #DC #US #USA #ShotsFired #Ballroom #Bunker #BullShit #BS #CBS #SeeBS #SeeBullShit #Reagan #Hilton #Ellison #WeijiaJiang #Jiang #HOAX

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3IiZostL7G0

#WHCD #WHCD2026 #trump #Putin #Russia #Staged #Fake #PublicityStunt #Breaking #BreakingNews #News #BreakingFakeNews #FakeNews #DC #US #USA #ShotsFired #Ballroom #Bunker #BullShit #BS #CBS #SeeBS #SeeBullShit #Reagan #Hilton #Ellison #WeijiaJiang #Jiang #HOAX

🎬 👈🤯👌🎥

#WHCD #WHCD2026 #trump #Putin #Russia #Staged #Fake #PublicityStunt #Breaking #BreakingNews #News #BreakingFakeNews #FakeNews #DC #US #USA #ShotsFired #Ballroom #Bunker #BullShit #BS #CBS #SeeBS #SeeBullShit #Reagan #Hilton #Ellison #WeijiaJiang #Jiang #HOAX

🎭🎬😲👌
Watch Melania and Donald discreetly and quickly look directly at the camera/videographer...
Then watch CBS News’ Weijia Jiang on the right very closely...
Jiang realizes her response time is off...
So she discreetly looks at the camera/videographer and then does the same response again...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PErY6yZkVFA

#WHCD #WHCD2026 #trump #Putin #Russia #Staged #Fake #PublicityStunt #Breaking #BreakingNews #News #BreakingFakeNews #FakeNews #DC #US #USA #ShotsFired #Ballroom #Bunker #BullShit #BS #CBS #SeeBS #SeeBullShit #Ellison #WeijiaJiang #Jiang #HOAX

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/03/21/hungary-election-interference-russia-orban/

#WHCD #WHCD2026 #trump #Putin #Russia #Staged #Fake #PublicityStunt #Breaking #BreakingNews #News #BreakingFakeNews #FakeNews #DC #US #USA #ShotsFired #Ballroom #Bunker #BullShit #BS #CBS #SeeBS #SeeBullShit #Ellison #WeijiaJiang #Jiang #HOAX

That awkward moment...
When you're too early with your fake shocked response so you laugh it off and just do your fake shocked response all over again for the camera....
Even though the camera caught both of your fake shocked face responses...
CBS News’ Weijia Jiang when loud sounds were heard inside the dinner...

#Staged #Fake #trump #PublicityStunt #Breaking #BreakingNews #News #BreakingFakeNews #FakeNews #DC #US #USA #ShotsFired #Ballroom #Bunker #BullShit #BS #CBS #SeeBS #SeeBullShit #Ellison #WeijiaJiang #Jiang #BadActress #SheKnew #SheKnows #PartOfTheHoax #HOAX

Letra da música “hoax” de Taylor Swift
#TaylorSwift #Hoax
https://daletra.com.br/taylor-swift/letra/hoax.html

Donald Trump is the greatest hoax ever played on America by the Russians.

When looking for the ultimate puppet, Putin hit a bullseye when he recruited Trump.

#trump #hoax #russia #putin #epstein #EpsteinFiles #republicans #MAGA #IranWar #middleeast #NATO #puppet #news #politics #Midterms

Donald Trump is the greatest hoax ever played on America by the Russians.

When looking for the ultimate puppet, Putin hit a bullseye when he recruited Trump.

#trump #hoax #russia #putin #epstein #EpsteinFiles #republicans #MAGA #IranWar #middleeast #NATO #puppet #news #politics #Midterms

Die "Wahrheit" über die Freimaurer-Verschwörung. #Freimauerer #verschwoerung #conspiracy #verschwoerungstheorie #fakenews #hoax #skeptizismus

Die "Wahrheit" über die Freimaurer-Verschwörung. #Freimauerer #verschwoerung #conspiracy #verschwoerungstheorie #fakenews #hoax #skeptizismus

A fraudulent Formosan, chronicler of cannibalism
https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/made-in-taiwan-how-a-frenchman-fooled-18th-century-london/
#hoax #BullDada

A fraudulent Formosan, chronicler of cannibalism
https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/made-in-taiwan-how-a-frenchman-fooled-18th-century-london/
#hoax #BullDada

“Lord, what fools these mortals be!”*…

Readers sometimes ask me where I find the items featured in (Roughly) Daily. The answer is that they are sifted out of the reading (politely put, “broad”; less politely put, “undisciplined”) that I do on a relatively continuous basis. I’m going to take today– April Fools Day– to spotlight the source of an occasional post, but of very regular enlightment and entertainment: Today in Tabs, from Rusty Foster.

Following, a lift of a single section of a recent issue…

Today in Scientists: Human brain cells on a chip learned to play Doom in a week. “Should we be worried?” asks The Guardian’s Rich Pelley in a rare anti-Betteridge [see here]. A Billionaire-Backed Startup Wants to Grow ‘Organ Sacks’ to Replace Animal Testing, reports Wired’s Emily Mullin. At last, we’ve created ChickieNobs from the famous Margaret Atwood novel “Don’t Create ChickieNobs.” “If we can create a nonsentient, headless bodyoid for a human being, that will be a great source of organs.” Should we be worried? Scientists put 792 ants in a particle accelerator. They found out ants are all full of even littler stuff inside them. I already believed that, but it was just a superstition. Now we know it’s true. Should we be worried? Robert Hart in The Verge: No, ChatGPT did not cure a dog’s cancer. Apparently it’s relatively easy to make a genetically customized mRNA vaccine that does not cure cancer. Who knew! Becky Ferreira in 404: Why It’s Good to Jack Off Frequently, According to Science. Should we be worried (complimentary)?

Today in Headlines: “Quadruple amputee and cornhole pro accused of fatally shooting man while driving” is the craziest headline since “Charlie Kirk’s Mentor Jeff Webb, the Father of Modern Cheerleading, Dies in Freak Pickleball Accident,” which itself was the craziest headline since “Vaginal weightlifter sex coach charged with assaulting census taker who knocked at door.”

There’s so very much more where that came from: Today in Tabs, from @rusty.todayintabs.com— one the subscriptions for which I’m happiest to pay.

For the history of today’s distinction, see : “How Did April Fools’ Day Get Started?” (source of the image above)

* Shakespeare (Puck, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene II)

###

As we smirk, we might recall that it was on this date in 1957 that Britain’s premiere documentary public affairs television show, the BBC’s Panorama, aired a segment, reported by host Richard Dimbleby, featuring a family in Ticino, Switzerland picking spaghetti from a “spaghetti tree.” About 8 million people were tuned in. The next day, hundreds of people called the BBC to ask if spaghetti trees were real and how to grow them. The BBC told callers to put some spaghetti in a can of tomato sauce and “hope for the best.”

source

Gate-keeping taste
Art lovers, ever heard of the Disumbrationist Movement? How about painter Pavel Jerdanowitch?
#art #artist #arthistory #hoax
https://substack.com/@gordonbonnetauthor/p-192717118

Gate-keeping taste
Art lovers, ever heard of the Disumbrationist Movement? How about painter Pavel Jerdanowitch?
#art #artist #arthistory #hoax
https://substack.com/@gordonbonnetauthor/p-192717118

Delhi Police arrest Srinivas Louis from Mysuru for sending over 1,100 hoax bomb threats across India https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/india/delhi-police-arrests-mysuru-man-hoax-bomb-threats-cb47fpp3?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #delhipolice #delhi #bombthreat #mysuru #hoax

Celebrity "Cosmic Belt" Hoax Spikes Seatbelt Compliance

Youth buckle up to "channel the universe" and police can only applaud.

#AltAndPaperEN #Seatbelt #Hoax #DigitalArt

Times are changing for Bigfoot hunters

As evidence for the reality of Bigfoot remains objectively poor, with promising finds deteriorating under scrutiny, the future for scientific cryptozoology looks troubling for those who committed their reputation to finding a biological creature. What comes next?

Several events in the history of bigfoot studies have boosted or burned the potential reality of the sasquatch. Three recent developments, in particular, shifted the tenuous foundation on which bigfoot researchers derive any public currency and social credibility. I argue that the general tide is turning on those who promote the idea of biological bigfoot. The biological concept is being replaced by a cultural version of bigfoot, which may work just as well financially. But first, it’s worthwhile to revisit some of the past key evidence examples that were intended to bolster the reality of bigfoot and what happened to them. Then, I present three examples to show how bigfoot research has lost critical parts of its foundation in the 2020s.

Jerry Crew and the Wallace prints

In 1958, the giant hairy creature of the Pacific Northwest gained its infamous moniker after huge prints were found in Northern California by Jerry Crew and then publicized by the Humboldt Times newspaper who named the printmaker “Bigfoot”. This finding set the scene for what was to come over the next 10 years – giving shape and structure to what was previously viewed as a tall tale or myth. In 2002, the family of Ray Wallace, who owned the company doing the work where the tracks were found, admitted Wallace had made the trackways himself with fake feet. The reveal made news at the time and was fairly influential. The average uninvested citizen heard the news and thought, “Bigfoot is a hoax.” Not so for the invested believers. The Wallace hoax claim was ultimately disregarded by many Bigfooters as they had already compiled significantly more trackway evidence that, in their minds, nullified this incident.

Photo by Dave Rubert

Skookum cast

The Skookum cast was discovered in fall of 2000 by the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) during an expedition to the Skookum Meadows area of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington. On location for a TV show, the muddy area was baited with fruit with the intent to capture prints. The resulting large print was interpreted by bigfoot researchers as a body imprint, which was cast and studied. Those involved saw significant detail in the print. Just a few months later, others familiar with wildlife traces concluded this was an elk wallow, complete with elk hairs. There was no other corroborating evidence for a sasquatch. Bigfooters had mixed feelings about the cast, but the hype about the body imprint ultimately faded away due to the elk conclusion and the hard-to-accept story about it being bigfoot-generated.

Critical literature

In 2004, a book landed on the scene explaining how Patterson did his infamous film (PGF). The Making of Bigfoot by Greg Long was supported by investigative work and extensive interviews that laid bare the fact the Patterson was an unscrupulous character. The book revealed that Bob Heironimus was in the Patty suit in the iconic film clip. Later in 2012, the scholarly book Abominable Science by Loxton and Prothero detailed how Patterson had constructed the film based on the 1955 account of William Roe. It matched liked a storyboard of what Patterson would later film. Long, Loxton, and Prothero’s works were pilloried by Bigfooters who refused to engage with the confounding or outright damning evidence. They rejected Long’s claims of the suit and the filming while conceding that Patterson was no angel. The two books were critical parts of the Bigfoot story but the believers would consistently dismiss any red flags that degraded the legacy, continuing to mostly consider the PGF as legitimate bigfoot evidence. After steering clear for decades, Bob Gimlin eventually began to make the rounds to the cryptid conventions telling a dramatic story of being there. Gimlin became a revered figure, bolstering the legitimacy of the PGF once again.

Ketchum’s DNA circus

In 2008, Melba Ketchum, a veterinarian at a forensics laboratory, was picked to analyze a suspected yeti hair from Bhutan collected as part of Josh Gates’s adventure show, Destination Truth. Over the next few years, Ketchum re­ceived additional samples and funding from various sources to conduct more analyses of hair, blood, saliva and tissue of supposed hairy hominin creatures. This included a sample from Justin Smeja who claimed he shot two bigfoots (he didn’t). After promising blockbuster results that would withstand scrutiny, many Bigfooters followed her every word. As of 2012, she had vociferous defenders and a publicist but others were deserting her and her trail of empty promises. The resulting paper was rejected by Nature. In February of 2013, the fiasco culminated in a sloppy paper published in a “journal” she set up for her sole purposes. Accompanying the official version of the paper was a video which supposedly showed a sleeping sasquatch – a brown, furry figure on the forest floor. DNA was supposedly obtained from this individual, named Matilda. The video was laughably bad and the DNA results were terribly botched, showing nothing of value. The paper was roundly destroyed by genetics experts. Ketchum ironically expressed that the creature had a partly supernatural origin. Years later, she ended up in further professional trouble and is now thoroughly discredited, with the episode almost entirely forgotten. Several bigfoot-curious people who followed the Ketchum saga were disgusted and either dropped out of the scene for a while or disappeared entirely.

Canonical stories

Two specific witness stories remain a solid part of the bigfoot/sasquatch canon. Albert Ostman told a dramatic but unverified story that he was abducted by a family of sasquatches in 1924. He came forward decades later in 1957 when nothing could be confirmed and bigfoot was now a media commodity. The Ape Canyon incident, also of 1924, described how several men were attacked by “wild apemen” in a cabin at Mt. St. Helens. Fred Beck publicized his version of the account in 1967. Beck considered the creatures “supernatural beings” but this aspect was frequently left out of the retelling by those who thought of bigfoot as a human-adjacent hominin. The Ape Canyon attack was disputed by the forest rangers but remained a graphic story repeated countless times to demonstrate the reality of these creatures.

Not Finding Bigfoot

Additional key videos, photos, recordings, tracks, and eyewitness accounts still make up the body of evidence presented for the reality of bigfoot. Yet, even the “best” evidence does not hold up well to scrutiny. Beginning in 2011, a new audience was exposed to the legend and the idea that bigfoots were EVERYWHERE thanks to nine years of a semi-scripted “reality” show called Finding Bigfoot. The show successfully placed the idea of bigfoot as a real animal back into the public consciousness. Those on the show made an effort to look like they knew what they were doing and serious about it. They encouraged people to tell their stories, which sound highly convincing. The kicker was… they never found bigfoot (to the degree that the scientific world would be satisfied). Thanks to TV, the internet, and the surge of amateur paranormal investigation as a popular pastime, bigfoot was again a hot topic and now regularly “sighted” across the continent. More researchers signed on to look for evidence themselves.

Around 2000, the internet ushered in a new means of communication allowing people with fringe ideas to find each other. The internet platforms not only were a way to hear new opinions, claims, and findings, but also leveled the field whereby anyone could be heard and present themselves as qualified “experts”. The situation created new self-styled bigfoot influencers and a place for the bigfoot-curious researchers to find information. In the 2020s, Bigfoot and other cryptids became more mainstream as cultural icons, as celebrated local folklore, and as commodities. The efforts to bring accounts of anomalous creatures to the masses transformed into an explosion of casual cryptid interest by a new generation. This new model of cryptids was less about discovery of a real animal and more about the performance of investigating mysteries and the joy of indulging in edgy beliefs, an aesthetic derived from the cryptid TV shows and social media platforms.

2025 may mark the beginning of a definable shift in Bigfootery as highlighted by three major developments. Time will tell how the community responds.

Death of Dr. Jeff Meldrum

Dr. Jeffrey Meldrum was the scientific face of bigfootery. A credentialed university researcher, Meldrum went to many bigfoot related events every year, was the in-demand spokesperson for the reality of bigfoot on TV, started a journal, and embraced his role as leading bigfoot expert. He also provided a measure of reason by rejecting dubious claims such as those by the aforementioned Melba Ketchum as well as Russian Yeti promoters. When Meldrum passed away in September of 2025, it was a shock and a heavy blow to the community of Bigfooters. There is no equivalent figure to fill his shoes. While others continue to reference his legacy and opinions, they cannot replace the familiar bearded professorial guy calming telling you that he knows bigfoots are real because of “science”.

There are not many candidates who could step up to fill the role of scientists of bigfoot studies. Active scientists are generally unwilling or unable to commit to work on what, for all intents and purposes, appears to be a dead end zoological subject. After 60 years of questionable, weak, and hoaxed evidence, the subject has instead slipped into a pop cultural phenomenon that people see as fun, with a few hundreds, perhaps, who consider themselves serious researchers. Like a bigfoot Pope, (an admittedly inappropriate metaphor) Meldrum kept the faith alive, providing guidance and authority. He encompassed a role that seems unlikely to be filled soon, if ever. But the lure of being the most important fish in a small pond may be tempting (e.g., Avi Loeb).

Absence of evidence

Every day that goes by without a biological finding means that Bigfoot is more likely to not exist. After nearly 60 years, we have no better evidence for its reality as a biological entity. If people are actually experiencing a Bigfoot as they say they are – in their backyards, crossing roadways, watching in the forests, moving around with their offspring, signalling to each other across distances – there should be actual evidence of their existence. Instead, we have useless visuals, prints without a print-maker, and scads of eyewitness accounts certainly influenced by cultural contagion that prompts people to see a Bigfoot when it is unlikely to be that at all. We now have the technology to watch game trail traffic, and to use drones and infrared equipment. We can map out all areas on earth remotely and in most places in person. Even though the number of serious seekers has increased, no biological sign of an unknown ape has been secured. Yet, Bigfooters insist discovery is close.

Lewis and Bartlett’s book Bigfooters and Scientific Inquiry (2026) does a good job of showing how Bigfoot knowledge claims are constructed through absences: whatever cannot be attributed to other causes is interpreted as possible evidence of Bigfoot. Such a framing can work for constructing a hypothesis – such as, the missing cause is a “Bigfoot”. However, that hypothesis has yet to be confirmed. It has failed, so far.

Typical collection of data isn’t enough. Images and video will need corroborating evidence to prevent being discarded out of hand, DNA testing will need funds, deep analysis, and continued efforts. Gathering even more eyewitness accounts is worthless when the volumes already existing have never have led to a capture. Only a body or body part will do.

Instead, the process continues as it has for six decades – amateur speculation, excuses, and criticism of existing scientific processes. Seekers see a bigfoot everywhere but find it nowhere. Bigfooters who wish to maintain the position that a bigfoot can be found will have an ever more difficult time justifying their efforts and maintaining any credibility if the same tired old evidence is all that gets presented. In reference to Meldrum’s passing, the field lacks scientific leadership.

PGF film hoax reveal

The vehement reaction by some Bigfooters to the assertion that the Patterson film has been solidly and conclusively demonstrated to be a hoax (by Patterson and Gimlin, et al.) has been a textbook example of cognitive dissonance. (See Long hidden evidence blows up the reality of the Patterson Gimlin Bigfoot film) While it is fair to say we should wait for the Capturing Bigfoot documentary to be available to assess it, it is NOT reasonable to also throw out excuses of how the debunking itself must have been faked. These same people who are denying the premise and claims of Capturing Bigfoot, as well as previous evidence of a hoax, will, ironically, take eyewitness accounts of bigfoot at face value. How will they square their rejection of facts from a physical film that everyone will be able to see? America is awash in obvious examples of how far people will reach to soothe their cognitive dissonance these days.

The hoax denialists claim the new pieces were AI generated, that the footage was from Roger’s other documentary, even that Patty Patterson is too old to remember and Clint Patterson is not a reliable claimant. None of this is remotely reasonable in the big picture. So far we have no public disputes of the claims from Bob Gimlin or the Pattersons. To me, that is the crucial point. They know it’s a hoax and this is the end of the line for this key piece of evidence. That realization hits hard with those for whom searching for a real animal has become an inherent part of their identity (and their revenue stream).

Eliminating the PGF doesn’t automatically correlate to the end of bigfoot. We still have the unsolved problem of people seeing and experiencing what they say they have. However, looking back at history, people also were sure they saw fairies, demons, angels, aliens, and spirits. This is not an easy enigma to unravel. The previous point of “absence of evidence” comes into play. Bigfooters cannot make their biological argument without outrageous mental acrobatics, distractions, and slight of hand.

A key piece of evidence revealed as invalid does not take down the whole system, but it makes some people on the inside start to doubt and many more on the outside say, “See! We told you this was nonsense.” Social ridicule also has the tendency to squelch further sighting reports and involvement. So, while some Bigfooters insist this too shall pass, I don’t think it will. What happens in response to the public release of Capturing Bigfoot will be illuminating.

Still the #1 cryptid

As documented on this blog, bigfoot and other cryptids are more popular than ever before. However, finding a body is not a primary goal. Cryptid tourism is flourishing. Places are embracing their local monster lore even if the creature is an absurdity that has no basis in biology or reality. People appear to be looking for connection, experiences, and entertainment, maybe even a sense of enchantment in the world. They want to believe. This works much better when the mystery remains active. As we see daily, even when the explanation punches us in the face, we would rather continue to believe our constructed “truth” instead. Cryptid media is on fire and there are more movies, books, and online content to peruse, including merch so you can advertise your belief to those around you. Cultural bigfoot is not equivalent to physical bigfoot, but it’s not nothing. And, it’s still important.

Those with museums, podcasts and YouTube channels, even TV shows, will still rake in the viewers who yearn for the mystery and experience. Conventions and festivals will still attract fans. Bigfoot remains the #1 North American cryptid. Bigfoot is iconic, and commodified, Americana that is not going away soon. The PGF, if not a film of a real bigfoot, is a universally-successful hoax. And that’s really something.

(Please note that comments are moderated. Substantive comments only will be posted.)

Times are changing for Bigfoot hunters

As evidence for the reality of Bigfoot remains objectively poor, with promising finds deteriorating under scrutiny, the future for scientific cryptozoology looks troubling for those who committed their reputation to finding a biological creature.

Several events in the history of bigfoot studies have boosted or burned the potential reality of the sasquatch. Three recent developments, in particular, shifted the tenuous foundation on which bigfoot researchers derive any public currency and social credibility. I argue that the general tide is turning on those who promote the idea of biological bigfoot. The biological concept is being replaced by a cultural version of bigfoot, which may work just as well financially. But first, it’s worthwhile to revisit some of the past key evidence examples that were intended to bolster the reality of bigfoot and what happened to them. Then, I present three examples to show how bigfoot research has lost critical parts of its foundation in the 2020s.

Jerry Crew and the Wallace prints

In 1958, the giant hairy creature of the Pacific Northwest gained its infamous moniker after huge prints were found in Northern California by Jerry Crew and then publicized by the Humboldt Times newspaper who named the printmaker “Bigfoot”. This finding set the scene for what was to come over the next 10 years – giving shape and structure to what was previously viewed as a tall tale or myth. In 2002, the family of Ray Wallace, who owned the company doing the work where the tracks were found, admitted Wallace had made the trackways himself with fake feet. The reveal made news at the time and was fairly influential. The average uninvested citizen heard the news and thought, “Bigfoot is a hoax.” Not so for the invested believers. The Wallace hoax claim was ultimately disregarded by many Bigfooters as they had already compiled significantly more trackway evidence that, in their minds, nullified this incident.

Photo by Dave Rubert

Skookum cast

The Skookum cast was discovered in fall of 2000 by the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) during an expedition to the Skookum Meadows area of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington. On location for a TV show, the muddy area was baited with fruit with the intent to capture prints. The resulting large print was interpreted by bigfoot researchers as a body imprint, which was cast and studied. Those involved saw significant detail in the print. Just a few months later, others familiar with wildlife traces concluded this was an elk wallow, complete with elk hairs. There was no other corroborating evidence for a sasquatch. Bigfooters had mixed feelings about the cast, but the hype about the body imprint ultimately faded away due to the elk conclusion and the hard-to-accept story about it being bigfoot-generated.

Critical literature

In 2004, a book landed on the scene explaining how Patterson did his infamous film (PGF). The Making of Bigfoot by Greg Long was supported by investigative work and extensive interviews that laid bare the fact the Patterson was an unscrupulous character. The book revealed that Bob Heironimus was in the Patty suit in the iconic film clip. Later in 2012, the scholarly book Abominable Science by Loxton and Prothero detailed how Patterson had constructed the film based on the 1955 account of William Roe. It matched liked a storyboard of what Patterson would later film. Long, Loxton, and Prothero’s works were pilloried by Bigfooters who refused to engage with the confounding or outright damning evidence. They rejected Long’s claims of the suit and the filming while conceding that Patterson was no angel. The two books were critical parts of the Bigfoot story but the believers would consistently dismiss any red flags that degraded the legacy, continuing to mostly consider the PGF as legitimate bigfoot evidence. After steering clear for decades, Bob Gimlin eventually began to make the rounds to the cryptid conventions telling a dramatic story of being there. Gimlin became a revered figure, bolstering the legitimacy of the PGF once again.

Ketchum’s DNA circus

In 2008, Melba Ketchum, a veterinarian at a forensics laboratory, was picked to analyze a suspected yeti hair from Bhutan collected as part of Josh Gates’s adventure show, Destination Truth. Over the next few years, Ketchum re­ceived additional samples and funding from various sources to conduct more analyses of hair, blood, saliva and tissue of supposed hairy hominin creatures. This included a sample from Justin Smeja who claimed he shot two bigfoots (he didn’t). After promising blockbuster results that would withstand scrutiny, many Bigfooters followed her every word. As of 2012, she had vociferous defenders and a publicist but others were deserting her and her trail of empty promises. The resulting paper was rejected by Nature. In February of 2013, the fiasco culminated in a sloppy paper published in a “journal” she set up for her sole purposes. Accompanying the official version of the paper was a video which supposedly showed a sleeping sasquatch – a brown, furry figure on the forest floor. DNA was supposedly obtained from this individual, named Matilda. The video was laughably bad and the DNA results were terribly botched, showing nothing of value. The paper was roundly destroyed by genetics experts. Ketchum ironically expressed that the creature had a partly supernatural origin. Years later, she ended up in further professional trouble and is now thoroughly discredited, with the episode almost entirely forgotten. Several bigfoot-curious people who followed the Ketchum saga were disgusted and either dropped out of the scene for a while or disappeared entirely.

Canonical stories

Two specific witness stories remain a solid part of the bigfoot/sasquatch canon. Albert Ostman told a dramatic but unverified story that he was abducted by a family of sasquatches in 1924. He came forward decades later in 1957 when nothing could be confirmed and bigfoot was now a media commodity. The Ape Canyon incident, also of 1924, described how several men were attacked by “wild apemen” in a cabin at Mt. St. Helens. Fred Beck publicized his version of the account in 1967. Beck considered the creatures “supernatural beings” but this aspect was frequently left out of the retelling by those who thought of bigfoot as a human-adjacent hominin. The Ape Canyon attack was disputed by the forest rangers but remained a graphic story repeated countless times to demonstrate the reality of these creatures.

Not Finding Bigfoot

Additional key videos, photos, recordings, tracks, and eyewitness accounts still make up the body of evidence presented for the reality of bigfoot. Yet, even the “best” evidence does not hold up well to scrutiny. Beginning in 2011, a new audience was exposed to the legend and the idea that bigfoots were EVERYWHERE thanks to nine years of a semi-scripted “reality” show called Finding Bigfoot. The show successfully placed the idea of bigfoot as a real animal back into the public consciousness. Those on the show made an effort to look like they knew what they were doing and serious about it. They encouraged people to tell their stories, which sound highly convincing. The kicker was… they never found bigfoot (to the degree that the scientific world would be satisfied). Thanks to TV, the internet, and the surge of amateur paranormal investigation as a popular pastime, bigfoot was again a hot topic and now regularly “sighted” across the continent. More researchers signed on to look for evidence themselves.

Around 2000, the internet ushered in a new means of communication allowing people with fringe ideas to find each other. The internet platforms not only were a way to hear new opinions, claims, and findings, but also leveled the field whereby anyone could be heard and present themselves as qualified “experts”. The situation created new self-styled bigfoot influencers and a place for the bigfoot-curious researchers to find information. In the 2020s, Bigfoot and other cryptids became more mainstream as cultural icons, as celebrated local folklore, and as commodities. The efforts to bring accounts of anomalous creatures to the masses transformed into an explosion of casual cryptid interest by a new generation. This new model of cryptids was less about discovery of a real animal and more about the performance of investigating mysteries and the joy of indulging in edgy beliefs, an aesthetic derived from the cryptid TV shows and social media platforms.

2025 may mark the beginning of a definable shift in Bigfootery as highlighted by three major developments. Time will tell how the community responds.

Death of Dr. Jeff Meldrum

Dr. Jeffrey Meldrum was the scientific face of bigfootery. A credentialed university researcher, Meldrum went to many bigfoot related events every year, was the in-demand spokesperson for the reality of bigfoot on TV, started a journal, and embraced his role as leading bigfoot expert. He also provided a measure of reason by rejecting dubious claims such as those by the aforementioned Melba Ketchum as well as Russian Yeti promoters. When Meldrum passed away in September of 2025, it was a shock and a heavy blow to the community of Bigfooters. There is no equivalent figure to fill his shoes. While others continue to reference his legacy and opinions, they cannot replace the familiar bearded professorial guy calming telling you that he knows bigfoots are real because of “science”.

There are not many candidates who could step up to fill the role of scientists of bigfoot studies. Active scientists are generally unwilling or unable to commit to work on what, for all intents and purposes, appears to be a dead end zoological subject. After 60 years of questionable, weak, and hoaxed evidence, the subject has instead slipped into a pop cultural phenomenon that people see as fun, with a few hundreds, perhaps, who consider themselves serious researchers. Like a bigfoot Pope, (an admittedly inappropriate metaphor) Meldrum kept the faith alive, providing guidance and authority. He encompassed a role that seems unlikely to be filled soon, if ever. But the lure of being the most important fish in a small pond may be tempting (e.g., Avi Loeb).

Absence of evidence

Every day that goes by without a biological finding means that Bigfoot is more likely to not exist. After nearly 60 years, we have no better evidence for its reality as a biological entity. If people are actually experiencing a Bigfoot as they say they are – in their backyards, crossing roadways, watching in the forests, moving around with their offspring, signalling to each other across distances – there should be actual evidence of their existence. Instead, we have useless visuals, prints without a print-maker, and scads of eyewitness accounts certainly influenced by cultural contagion that prompts people to see a Bigfoot when it is unlikely to be that at all. We now have the technology to watch game trail traffic, and to use drones and infrared equipment. We can map out all areas on earth remotely and in most places in person. Even though the number of serious seekers has increased, no biological sign of an unknown ape has been secured. Yet, Bigfooters insist discovery is close.

Lewis and Bartlett’s book Bigfooters and Scientific Inquiry (2026) does a good job of showing how Bigfoot knowledge claims are constructed through absences: whatever cannot be attributed to other causes is interpreted as possible evidence of Bigfoot. Such a framing can work for constructing a hypothesis – such as, the missing cause is a “Bigfoot”. However, that hypothesis has yet to be confirmed. It has failed, so far.

Typical collection of data isn’t enough. Images and video will need corroborating evidence to prevent being discarded out of hand, DNA testing will need funds, deep analysis, and continued efforts. Gathering even more eyewitness accounts is worthless when the volumes already existing have never have led to a capture. Only a body or body part will do.

Instead, the process continues as it has for six decades – amateur speculation, excuses, and criticism of existing scientific processes. Seekers see a bigfoot everywhere but find it nowhere. Bigfooters who wish to maintain the position that a bigfoot can be found will have an ever more difficult time justifying their efforts and maintaining any credibility if the same tired old evidence is all that gets presented. In reference to Meldrum’s passing, the field lacks scientific leadership.

PGF film hoax reveal

The vehement reaction by some Bigfooters to the assertion that the Patterson film has been solidly and conclusively demonstrated to be a hoax (by Patterson and Gimlin, et al.) has been a textbook example of cognitive dissonance. (See Long hidden evidence blows up the reality of the Patterson Gimlin Bigfoot film) While it is fair to say we should wait for the Capturing Bigfoot documentary to be available to assess it, it is NOT reasonable to also throw out excuses of how the debunking itself must have been faked. These same people who are denying the premise and claims of Capturing Bigfoot, as well as previous evidence of a hoax, will, ironically, take eyewitness accounts of bigfoot at face value. How will they square their rejection of facts from a physical film that everyone will be able to see? America is awash in obvious examples of how far people will reach to soothe their cognitive dissonance these days.

The hoax denialists claim the new pieces were AI generated, that the footage was from Roger’s other documentary, even that Patty Patterson is too old to remember and Clint Patterson is not a reliable claimant. None of this is remotely reasonable in the big picture. So far we have no public disputes of the claims from Bob Gimlin or the Pattersons. To me, that is the crucial point. They know it’s a hoax and this is the end of the line for this key piece of evidence. That realization hits hard with those for whom searching for a real animal has become an inherent part of their identity (and their revenue stream).

Eliminating the PGF doesn’t automatically correlate to the end of bigfoot. We still have the unsolved problem of people seeing and experiencing what they say they have. However, looking back at history, people also were sure they saw fairies, demons, angels, aliens, and spirits. This is not an easy enigma to unravel. The previous point of “absence of evidence” comes into play. Bigfooters cannot make their biological argument without outrageous mental acrobatics, distractions, and slight of hand.

A key piece of evidence revealed as invalid does not take down the whole system, but it makes some people on the inside start to doubt and many more on the outside say, “See! We told you this was nonsense.” Social ridicule also has the tendency to squelch further sighting reports and involvement. So, while some Bigfooters insist this too shall pass, I don’t think it will. What happens in response to the public release of Capturing Bigfoot will be illuminating.

Still the #1 cryptid

As documented on this blog, bigfoot and other cryptids are more popular than ever before. However, finding a body is not a primary goal. Cryptid tourism is flourishing. Places are embracing their local monster lore even if the creature is an absurdity that has no basis in biology or reality. People appear to be looking for connection, experiences, and entertainment, maybe even a sense of enchantment in the world. They want to believe. This works much better when the mystery remains active. As we see daily, even when the explanation punches us in the face, we would rather continue to believe our constructed “truth” instead. Cryptid media is on fire and there are more movies, books, and online content to peruse, including merch so you can advertise your belief to those around you. Cultural bigfoot is not equivalent to physical bigfoot, but it’s not nothing. And, it’s still important.

Those with museums, podcasts and YouTube channels, even TV shows, will still rake in the viewers who yearn for the mystery and experience. Conventions and festivals will still attract fans. Bigfoot remains the #1 North American cryptid. Bigfoot is iconic, and commodified, Americana that is not going away soon. The PGF, if not a film of a real bigfoot, is a universally-successful hoax. And that’s really something.

(Please note that comments are moderated. Substantive comments only will be posted.)

The very, uh, special find of the day.
Looking at the bright side: This is going to advance jurisdiction if real and employed enough 🤣 :dumpster_fire_gif:

https://malus.sh/

However, something tells me that this is clearly the equivalent hoax grade of klausprogrammieren...

#llm #ai #foss #compliance #hoax #notsureiftrolling

Long hidden evidence blows up the reality of the Patterson Gimlin Bigfoot film

A bomb dropped at the SXSW film festival that upends all hope that the infamous Patterson Gimlin film showed an actual Bigfoot. Revelations in the Marq Evans’ documentary Capturing Bigfoot appear to confirm, to all reasonable degree, that the PGF, filmed in 1967 at Bluff Creek, California, was hoaxed by Patterson and company.

Capturing Bigfoot documentary is not readily viewable at this time. It likely will get a distributor shortly because many people are very interested in this new development on a 59-year-old classic piece of Americana that started the Bigfoot craze that continues today.

Here is some info from Unseen Films, by a person who did see it

CAPTURING BIGFOOT is the story of the best-known film footage of Bigfoot, the Patterson/Gimlin film that was shot in 1967 when the pair was out looking for the creature when one showed up and Patterson was thrown from his horse but held on to his camera. It’s the tale of what happened as told by Patterson’s son, Clint, and the other people involved with it, as well as the people who believed and those that didn’t. It’s a very bittersweet and melancholy film not just for its revelations but because it’s the story of lives broken apart by the few feet of film.

[…]

The selling point of the film is that recent[ly] discovered reel of 16mm film that had been locked in a vault for decades. We know the film exists at the start and it is hinted that the revelation, borne out later in the film, that it reveals the film we all know is a hoax.

What’s on the found footage

People magazine has a story that reveals a bit more. The headline is clear that the film is revealed as a hoax: The Famed 1967 Bigfoot Film Was an ‘Incredible Hoax,’ Says the Director of a Groundbreaking New Documentary. The found film was given to Evans by the daughter of the person who apparently developed the original PGF. This new bit was a first run of the setup:

Not long after receiving Brooks’ email, Evans had the 16mm film developed and days later found himself looking at a 40-second clip set in a location similar to the one in the 1967 movie, showing what appeared to be a slightly skinnier-looking Bigfoot walking into the woods.

The article goes on to say that it was Bob Heironimus in the Bigfoot suit in the original film, and that both Clint and Patty Patterson knew the film was a hoax to make money. Finally, there is a revelation that Clint saw Roger burn the original suit.

In an interview with FilmMakerMixer.com podcast, Evans discusses how the film came to be through a fortuitous interaction with a person at his university. This interview clarifies that Evans did not set out with the intention of making a debunking film. However, as the story unfolded, he sought out more information, eventually getting to speak to the Pattersons themselves who previously have never revealed what they knew.

https://youtu.be/AW-cO1xYuMU?si=gaDqunVsqvecR92w&t=419

Roger Patterson died from cancer five years later. The PGF was a lasting legacy he could hardly have imagined. In 2004, author Greg Long dug deep into Patterson’s history and showed him to be an untrustworthy narrator of the Bigfoot tale. Long’s book The Making of Bigfoot was a big deal, but like all other critical literature on cryptids, the Bigfoot believer community rejected it. Long is vindicated by this documentary as Evans stated he relied heavily on Long’s recorded interviews.

Short of having the suit, which wouldn’t be much to look at today if it did still exist, almost all the pieces to the puzzle have been completed.

The aftermath will be fascinating

The evidence that the PGF was faked has been substantial since day one. And every day that went by without a Bigfoot body meant an incrementally more solid argument for concluding an actual zoological being does not exist.

Nevertheless, those that believe that Bigfoot is out there will likely not be swayed by more evidence of the PGF being a hoax. Apparently the film shows this exact response from Bill Munns, who has become a known “expert” for the PGF and considers it genuine. It’s not easy or simple to peel away the many thick layers of confirmatory information that believers have built up around their worldview. They will not readily concede that their life’s investment was a scam.

However, those on the fence may be swayed. Those who had doubts might turn and give up. It will be interesting to watch the reaction. What will Bob Gimlin have to say? How will the rest of the community react?

I lament that Jeffrey Meldrum could not supply us with his thoughts on this. But I would also guess he would disregard it. Others who have had personal experiences will continue to insist there is something out there.

Even if this new film gets traction, it won’t diminish the presence of Bigfoot in North American culture. That will remain huge for a long time. Bigfoot is a Pop Cryptid, which means attention given to it is less about finding a new animal and more about enjoying the idea of a weird creature, particularly via speculation and fun stories, with an emphasis on casual belief and commodification.

The Ultimate Hoax

Whenever I have mentioned the PGF to people not involved in cryptozoology, they assume it was conclusively admitted as a hoax already. With about 20% of the population feeling positive about the reality of Bigfoot, this is unsurprising. What is surprising is that we have this new evidence come to light. The original film was analyzed to death. Second only to the Zapruder film as the most analyzed in American history, the PGF has enthralled people for nearly 59 years. The visual aspect of a moving creature, the ambiguity of its features, the promotion of the idea that it was out there, and the commodification that kept its spirit alive when no body could ever be found meant this piece of media had incredible impact and will live on forever.

Patterson got very lucky to have a stunt end up as a film that was fortuitously just blurry enough to fool so many people. The situation evolved in such a way that kept it fascinating for decades. But the case is now closed. Patterson and Gimlin will live on as great American hoaxers.

Update: Many people are asking pointed questions. I haven’t seen the film and it will not be release to the public for a bit. However, please check out this video from a Bigfooter who saw Capturing Bigfoot. Your questions may be answered, for the moment at least.

https://youtu.be/WBuWLe1MC_A?si=Kqfy39-RfDNUWv7x

Reaction has been varied regarding a video seemingly depicting a human sacrifice on the grounds of CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, the location of the Large Hadron Collider and cutting edge particle physics research. Some people are chuckling at the spoof while others see it confirming their dark suspicions and sinister worldview. As a science advocate who knows that people all too readily subscribe to truly outrageous ideas about how the world works, I’m angry at these participants who were clearly CLUELESS about the damage they could do to the beleaguered reputation of big science.

Take a look at the video.

The earliest source I found is from an Aug 10 Facebook post in Arabic. It is said to be a leaked video. On Aug 11, it ended up on the Facebook page Stranger Than Fiction News and RichieFromBoston’s YouTube page shown above. RichieFromBoston (RFB), the host of this video, is hung up on CERN and the Illuminati, either a believer in conspiratorial claims or he’s playing the role. It’s impossible to tell when people are sincerly delusional or pretending – it looks the same. He talks in all CAPS.

CERN officials confirm the video was taken on the grounds and concluded it is a stunt done for a laugh.

A CERN spokesperson tells the AFP that the prank video was shot without permission on its Geneva campus, and that the people who orchestrated it had badge access to the site. The spokesperson did not identify the people responsible for it, describing the investigation as an “internal matter.”

“CERN does not condone this type of spoof, which can give rise to misunderstandings about the scientific nature of our work,” the spokesperson said in an email to the AFP.

“CERN welcomes every year thousands of scientific users from all over the world and sometimes some of them let their humor go too far,” the spokesperson added. “This is what happened on this occasion.”

As the location of expensive equipment, serious security exists on site and badges are issued to all employees and visitors. Therefore, no one can sneak into the grounds. The people who are in the video have been authorized to be there. With that confirmed, viewers must decide if it’s a staged hoax, or a real sacrifice, or a pretend but serious ritual. (There are creative spins on these option proposed as well.) A faked video is the most plausible explanation to rational people who don’t assume the worst. It’s imperative to understand that so many people do NOT fit that description. They have a totally different worldview. They are vocal about it, too, and all over the place. Herein lies the very serious problem – to many, perception IS reality.

Folks at CERN have a great sense of humor – when appropriate and in suitable context. In this case, the context is ambigious and meaning can be construed in a dozen different ways. I’m at a loss to see how a perceived “leaked” video of a murder to appease a god and/or science could not be misconstrued in multiple ways. What positives could possibly be gained from it? I’m not finding this funny. At all. Instead, it’s annoying the heck out of me on a few levels.

I fully understand that some people have a dark sense of humor and brush off this scene as the players having a good time, maybe a bit tipsy, escaping the stress of a serious career. Regarding this particular circumstance which is a few steps too far, I take issue with simply considering this a harmless joke. In the Internet age, fringe ideas flow in the mainstream. Conspiratorial and occult ideas are rampant. Familiarity leads to less of a reaction to extremely bizarre claims. After a while, loopy nonsense is just another view out there, but it has become ingrained in the culture. There is not insignificant portion of the population that seriously subscribes to the idea that industries, companies, and projects are affiliated with shady dealings, secret cabals and worship of dark lords. People REALLY DO BELIEVE THIS STUFF – have you not been following Doubtful News these past many years? Don’t forget that NASA has to regularly debunk end of the world claims, NOAA had to issue statements explaining that mermaids aren’t real, and the Governor of Texas thought the US military was conducting an exercise in martial law in his state. It’s folly to assume that this kind of absurdity isn’t accepted as true for a not small minority. It clearly is. And these people get attention. They also support a candidate running for President.

Had this been a sketch on a comedy channel, clearly played up for a joke, I’d not be writing this piece, the skit maybe could have been actually humorous. But context is everything. With ambigious context in a confirmed credible location with authorized people in the roles, this prank may result in deleterious fallout. I sure hope it doesn’t but lesser crap has fueled preposterous rumors that grow into accepted belief. Conspiracy mongers and religious fundamentalists (anti-science, both) will latch onto this and use it to feed the fear.

You look at it and see an obvious hoax. Not everyone thinks like you. Remember that people thought (and still think) all kinds of bizarre stuff is going to happen thanks to the LHC: creation of a black hole, antimatter, destruction of the world, opening of UFO portals, earthquakes… this list is only limited by one’s fantastic imagination. See this Snopes piece that provides links to the extreme claims.

To gauge the views of people who do not think like you and who may or may not be playing a role, let’s visit the comments section of RT.com for this story (a source from which I would NOT recommend you get your news or any information).

Commenters note that this looks awfully elaborate for a prank – the black robes, the staging, etc. A few note it must have been authorized by CERN since security is tight and they knew they would be seen. One idea is that the person recording is a whistleblower (who has been killed) and now CERN has put out the “prank” story to cover it up. There are those that think such rituals happen at other places around the world. In a less extreme opinion, some viewers are doubtful they are doing any valuable work here, just goofing off, and their funding should be cut. If we go to a further fringe location, the bastion of conspiratorial woo, Veterans Today, we find an opinion piece by a columnist who thinks this is “psyops” –  a deliberate attempt at misinformation for the public.

This whole thing stinks of psyop to me, I think that the video was made in order to be released to the public, this is no leak.

Quite what is going on in the video I can’t say, it does look like an occult ritual but that leaves a whole boatload of unanswered questions, primarily – why did they put this video out?

It’s not a prank, it’s not a “leak”, he says, it’s a purposeful deception. For what reason, I can’t fathom. I can’t relate to any of these ideas because there is no half-decent evidence that the Illuminati exists and is a world power, that people are worshiping Satan or other pagan gods to allow them to conduct science hocus-pocus, and that blood sacrifices are being made on a regular basis, or that CERN is anything but a science institution. Let’s be clear on one thing – there is no one dead as a result of this incident – no blood, no one missing – but that has little bearing on the impact as this crazy story hits every tabloid, fringe forum and End Times website. Evidence is in the eye of beholder.

With the loads of negative publicity that the LHC received in the past, this adds to the pile. Are those responsible that clueless that they think a joke in such bad taste would be laughed off? It’s more fodder for more negative attitudes toward the project.

To the people who tell me to “lighten up” or say that I don’t have a sense of humor, save your opinion, I don’t heed it. I’m no humorless prude. There are plenty of opportunities for goofing off and having a laugh about serious stuff but when it negatively affects real people and progress, stirs up distrust and fear, and can incite backlash on an international scale, it’s so NOT funny.

Governments fund most science. People elect the government. Public appreciation for science is low. The public doesn’t see the value in the money spent on a giant machine that smashes atomic particles together. The last thing needed is to project the idea that this is more of a waste or a joke or an evil conspiracy. If the public opinion of scientific work tanks, for whatever reason – real or imaginary – the money dries up. We desperately need efforts to nuture appreciation and respect for scientific work. This bullshit gag does the exact opposite. Nice going, assholes.