Open letter for ardent skeptics...believers want to know...what brings you here?

Blondie1 wrote:

I'd prefer not to use "I think you might be wrong" but to present it from "Have you considered this." or "This is how I see this or this is how I think".

- if someone tells me they think I might be wrong I immediately discount the remaining information because I've been insulted.

I don't see the difference, but that might be where I am going wrong.

Can you recall a specific topic, thread or post of acknowledgement or concession to an alternate view you submitted?

Woodwose wrote:

NobleSavage wrote:
"Ideally that's what I enjoy about a good debate."



Because I often assume, can you clarify this statement, and how it relates to your membership on the forum?

No problem, I can often do the same thing.

This sort of follows on from another thread, but is not an attempt to carry on an existing disagreement.

Following the scientific method my opinions must be subject to falsification. Engaging with people on a forum like this will result in my engaging with differing (not necessarily opposing) opinions. So, as I engage with a discourse that tests my views I can be satisfied that my opinions hold some weight.

I'm not sure that follows from what I said.

You can acknowledge counter arguments without conceding to them.

As requested I won't follow up on this until the mods have conferred.

NobleSavage wrote:I'd say some debate is a part of any forum, including this one. It's a mindset I'm talking about. It's motivation. Why is one here to begin with? Is it to counterpoint, question, correct, or patronize? Or, is it to relate, envision, experience, and share? These are drastically different frames of mind. I think we all deserve consideration, but I'd like to understand first.

So what you are basically asking in simple terms is -Why would someone who does not believe in Bigfoot be here participating in this forum?

FYI, It's almost midnight here and I can tell I'm having to work to focus. I may not be here much longer but this is an interesting thread.

I can't answer that question either.

I think that there is compelling evidence that there may be an unknown bipedal primate populating the US or even other areas of the world. I'm interested in how we can determine whether these animals exist and how we can establish scientific methods of assessing any evidence that comes forward.

If someone does not have an enquiring attitude to BF and cannot accept the notion of an unrecorded population of primates in the US or elsewhere, it makes no sense to antagonise those exploring the subject.

BF does not threaten accepted wisdom and is not a threat to mainstream science.

The post above is refreshing and reflective I think of many of the skeptics on our forum. It's vital that we respect the opinions and backgrounds of all. Although we may differ in what brings us here, the forum itself benefits from having a broad spectrum of opinions on the subject itself. Although I have a hard time understanding the motivations, I'm open to explanation. I certainly appreciate the willingness of Woodwose to answer the call for skeptical enlightenment.

I've been going back and reading all the old topics and there are some posts that address this very thing. I'll try to bring over some that seem applicable such as this one. I think the last paragraph is a good explanation.

Me and Bigfoot: Close Friends No More.- jerrywayne on Sat Aug 11, 2012 1:59 pm

Nice to be here.

Once, I was a Bigfoot believer. I learned about Bigfoot from Green, Sanderson, Krantz, etc., back in the 60's and 70's. When there were only occasional sightings and trackways in the Pacific Northwest, I thought it very plausible that an unknown animal such as Bigfoot could exist and be the explanation for such eyewitness accounts and tracks . I remember the first time I saw the Patterson film on the cover of Argosy magazine at the local new-stand---I was so thrilled I phoned my father on a pay phone to excitedly discuss it with him. I spent all day once rummaging through a disorganized used book store trying to locate old True magazines that had Sanderson's original articles on "America's Abominable Snowman." Over the years I kept up best I could on Bigfoot news and views, collecting articles, buying the books, discussing Napier with my Anthropology 101 professor, etc. Alas, my belief in Bigfoot was killed off by the appearance of, over time, the Ubiquitous Bigfoot.

The Ubiquitous Bigfoot is not relegated to the confines of plausibility. The UB is not just a PNW phenomena. No, UB is everywhere. According to some researchers, the UB has been seen just a 40 minute drive, north or south, from where I'm sitting now. I'm sitting in the heart of Dallas,Texas. There are millions of people here. There are no dense forests 40 minutes from here, just open prairie grasslands with small wooded areas. This type of UB phenomena is repeated innumerable times in every state in the U.S., excepting Hawaii. Current believers do not recognize the problems with thinking a population of giant apes or massive relict humans is part of everyone's local fauna. And I gradually stopped believing in Bigfoot when the Greens and the Krantzs of Bigfoot advocacy egged on the idea of an UB, rather than taking a stand against it. For me, if sightings in Texas or Oklahoma (for instance) were considered as valid as same such sightings in remote British Columbia (for instance), then this invalidated the whole phenomena for me.

Why do I bother to post on pro-Bigfoot forums? The answer is that I like mysteries and I like to discuss and probe this particular mystery. It IS a mystery --- what is behind Bigfoot phenomena? And any possible solution would be illuminating, whether it adds to our understanding of nature or the human psyche.

The only thing I can say here is that this gentleman is uninformed. There are some very dense forests within 1 hour of Dallas, as I live near Dallas myself. To dismiss the number, and quality of eye witness reports in Texas, and quantify them as UB, "ubiquitous bigfoot" is an extreme position, in my opinion.

A Great Debate topic Noble, yet no one comes to the debate. I think the silence is deafening on their intentions. I think if they had HONEST open intentions
there would have been some hoest debate in here already. Yet there is none

As I have not actually seen a BF, but have heard questionable things in the forest, I guess one might call me a sceptic, though I do believe there is something out there.
Now I can't answer for agree non-believer, but I for one am here to open mindedly discuss the possibility of the big guy.

Is am sure there are those out there that aren't so open minded as I am, and are out to cause trouble, but so far on this forum I haven't seen that.

Though out and out arguing, just because, is stupid. A good back and forth discussion is fun to read and participate in, especially when there is good evidence brought out for everyone to look at and make their own conclussion.

There have been very few discussion boards that I have stayed this long on, much less participated in. Everyone here is for the most part non-judge mental and friendly.
And I really enjoy coming backup each day for new stuff. Thanks.

Green911 wrote:As I have not actually seen a BF, but have heard questionable things in the forest, I guess one might call me a sceptic, though I do believe there is something out there.
Now I can't answer for agree non-believer, but I for one am here to open mindedly discuss the possibility of the big guy.

Is am sure there are those out there that aren't so open minded as I am, and are out to cause trouble, but so far on this forum I haven't seen that.

Though out and out arguing, just because, is stupid. A good back and forth discussion is fun to read and participate in, especially when there is good evidence brought out for everyone to look at and make their own conclussion.

There have been very few discussion boards that I have stayed this long on, much less participated in. Everyone here is for the most part non-judge mental and friendly.
And I really enjoy coming backup each day for new stuff. Thanks.

Thank you so much for those kind words, Green. We hope to try our best to keep it that way.