georgerm Posted January 10, 2014 Posted January 10, 2014 I've read many reports where Bigfoots seem to tease and play jokes on humans. Below is an example: "Oh my god did you hear that. two owls right there above me". Doesnt sound that creepy butin the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere with no flash light it will startle you. I said "yea i heard it what was it?" she said "they sounded like owls but owls are territorial and are never that close unless they are mating." Just as she said that every where around us started "hooting" 20 to 30 differernt ones. Loud to like stereo turned up all the way in your car loud. And then some of the calls turned in to jungle noises. Like monkeys and tookans all kinds of noises, and in the middle of some of the calls it in a way sounded almost like human laughing but kind of like in an insane way. It just kept getting louder and louder until it was almost ear piercing and then there was complete silence....." http://www.bfro.net/GDB/show_report.asp?id=3964
Guest Darrell Posted January 10, 2014 Posted January 10, 2014 I believe humans want to attribute certain human behaviours to non human species. We see this all the time with dogs & cats not to mention all the Disney cartoons. Unless we assume that bigfoot is human I would think humorous/joking behaviour is only a coincidence. This concept is also why I discount so many eye witness reports.
Guest DWA Posted January 10, 2014 Posted January 10, 2014 I like to focus on what the witness saw, not how the witness interpreted it. I have read many accounts that I consider compelling even if I disagree with the witness's interpretation of events. That said: I also think there is too much imputing human motives and intent to sasquatch.
WSA Posted January 10, 2014 Posted January 10, 2014 I tend to agree with the investigator that this was more probably a chorus of owls....although the emphasis on the volume aspect gives me pause. I've heard a single barred owl go all psycho and I can tell you it gives you a very creepy feeling. But, do they? Any mammal has a playful side, or what appears to us to be playful. Hard to attribute objective reasons for subjective motives, of course. How big a leap is it for a sentient creature who can grasp and throw a rock to anticipate and relish the results? Not big. 1
Guest DWA Posted January 10, 2014 Posted January 10, 2014 I have to say - having heard what were almost certainly barred owls going bonkers (as we humans might put it) once - that that's what the above description sounds like. But WSA can be right too. When Mike the chimp found out about Jane Goodall's empty jerrycans...well, it's hard not to think he did a chimp version of: wait 'til the hierarchy gets a load of THIS.
SWWASAS Posted January 10, 2014 BFF Patron Posted January 10, 2014 (edited) Most of the witness accounts that indicate some kind of play are from habitation situations. Slapping the house, that kind of thing. That could be play or "hey we are here!" Pinecone throwing is often mentioned and that most likely is "we are here." Some have suggested that some road crossing sightings are intentional. I have often wondered when I am out doing field work and you can hear a vehicle coming miles away on a logging road, why would any reclusive creature, step out in front a the vehicle when they could just wait a minute or two and let it pass? Habitation witnesses report that teenager BF act much like human ones. Take chances, do mischief, etc. Perhaps the road crossing thing is some sort of dare act. Or perhaps some BF are deaf due to middle ear infections at early age and simply do not hear the approaching vehicle. Again it boils down to the unknown motivations of a being we know very little about. Randy Edited January 10, 2014 by SWWASASQUATCHPROJECT
Guest DWA Posted January 10, 2014 Posted January 10, 2014 Some have suggested that some road crossing sightings are intentional. I have often wondered when I am out doing field work and you can hear a vehicle coming miles away on a logging road, why would any reclusive creature, step out in front a the vehicle when they could just wait a minute or two and let it pass? ...Perhaps the road crossing thing is some sort of dare act. Or perhaps some BF are deaf due to middle ear infections at early age and simply do not hear the approaching vehicle. Again it boils down to the unknown motivations of a being we know very little about. Randy Well, one could say the same thing about deer, an animal whose astronomical numbers are practically the only reason any of us ever see one. I've seen deer run along the road next to me THEN decide to cross. I doubt they were daring me. Again, imputing intelligence and imputing motive are two different things. I just don't feel comfortable with doing that with species other than ours, which the evidence tells me these are.
Guest LarryP Posted January 10, 2014 Posted January 10, 2014 Again, imputing intelligence and imputing motive are two different things. I just don't feel comfortable with doing that with species other than ours, which the evidence tells me these are. I've had cats and dogs that loved playing tricks on me and other family members. So I don't know why you feel this is a stretch at all for a BF.
Guest DWA Posted January 10, 2014 Posted January 10, 2014 I just don't think it's a conclusion we can draw based on evidence, any more than we can say what exactly the cats and dogs were doing and why. Not saying they're incapable; "instinct" to me is a rubbish concept. Just saying that they can't communicate to us what's up nor can we say for certain.
Guest JiggyPotamus Posted January 10, 2014 Posted January 10, 2014 I believe humans want to attribute certain human behaviours to non human species. We see this all the time with dogs & cats not to mention all the Disney cartoons. Unless we assume that bigfoot is human I would think humorous/joking behaviour is only a coincidence. This concept is also why I discount so many eye witness reports. I definitely agree with the point that humans like to interpret the actions of non-human animals in a human-like manner, but I do not agree that this will dramatically affect what an eyewitness saw, and therefore I do not believe that ignoring reports for this reason to be justifiable. I also agree with the joking behavior being coincidental, as that makes the most sense, although it is possible that sasquatch have more human mannerisms than any other animal on earth. If they are more closely related to us than any other living animal, then this would make sense, although I too would be weary of how one interprets an event. I also agree with DWA, who made the point that focusing on what the witness saw, as opposed to how they interpreted what they saw, is the best avenue of approach. Interpretations are variable, and will change with each witness, even if they witnessed the same event. We know that two witnesses can vary in their descriptions of the same event, but in my opinion this only happens with the lesser details. I firmly believe that witnesses are more likely to get the macroscopic elements of what they've seen correct when describing their encounter, while the more microscopic details are easier to overlook. For instance, two witnesses who see the same thing may disagree on almost every point, agreeing only on the fact that their brief encounter involved a very tall, hair-covered, bipedal figure. I find that significant, and do not believe the contradictions on the other details warrant throwing the entire report out. Obviously they saw something, and I have always believed that most people will never confuse another animal for a sasquatch, considering that they got a decent look at the animal, instead of just seeing something hairy through the trees. And if you look at the reports in the BFRO database, I would estimate that a large percentage of the Class A sightings are genuine, with the witnesses seeing a bigfoot. Many of the lower classed sightings could be misidentifications, as sound and other things are not as definitive as a visual encounter. Anyway, I am getting WAY off topic I suppose, and I apologize. To reiterate regarding whether sasquatch play jokes on humans, I would say in most instances "no." However, I do find it plausible that some sasquatch, especially juveniles, who like other young animals like to play, could see a human as an easy mark for some fooling around. I think that first we would need to know just how intelligent sasquatch are, as this is a characteristic that must be present, at least imo, for a sasquatch to jokingly interact with a human. Think about the non-intelligent animals out there who will play with others of their own species. You will rarely find such a wild animal who is willing to playfully interact with a human. Why is this? Because these animals are running on instinct, and their instincts tell them to stay away from us. But a sasquatch has the ability, again in my own opinion, to override an instinctual drive to avoid humans with its intelligence. Intelligence would allow them to survey a situation, take in all the details, and form a plan. If they can do this, then it seems more likely to me that they could possibly take a chance and "play" with a human, IF they have surveyed the situation and have concluded that the reward outweighs the risk. While I doubt that such behavior would be seen very often, I do think it could happen, based on the reasons I've outlined above. But with that said, I definitely do not think this should be the first or the "go to" explanation for a certain encounter between human and bigfoot. I would look for more plausible explanations first, and if nothing else makes sense, then maybe they were playing with a human. This reminds me of my own encounter a bit, simply because I attempted to interpret how and why I saw the animal. I concluded that it watched us walk into the area, and was then leaving as we reached the spot we were going to camp. Right after we stopped I began walking around, and went off a little was, and happened on the animal leaving the area. Now, do I know for sure that he was checking us out? Not at all. It very well could have been sitting there minding its own business, heard us approaching, and then fled. That makes just as much sense. So why did I conclude the former? Based on what I believe I know of sasquatch, I didn't think it likely that the animal would have allowed us to get so close to it before fleeing, if fleeing was its only goal. I think it would have heard us coming much sooner, and then vacated the area. Therefore I concluded that, since it was so close to us, that it knew we were there, and therefore must have been watching us. Not the only explanation, but what I think happened. Now, even if I am wrong, does an incorrect interpretation on my part affect what I saw? Not at all. Something I just thought of is this: what if there was a person who knew next to nothing about sasquatch, and never thought much about them at all. This person has a sighting in the woods. Since the person knows nothing about sasquatch, would they still interpret sasquatch behaviors in a human manner? Knowing what the animal is is one thing, but if they were afraid of the sasquatch, since they don't know what they're looking at, will this affect how the interpret the animal's actions? I don't really know, and I am posing this more as a question to others than offering my opinion on the matter. Maybe having no prior knowledge of the animal they were seeing wouldn't have any affect on how the interpreted the animal's actions. But maybe a person would be less likely to attribute human-like behaviors to such a "monster," for the simple reason that they think they are looking at a mythological monster or something. But if they were thinking of how humanlike it was, maybe they would think that its actions would be humanlike. I don't know, lol. Just typing the thoughts as they come...
Guest Darrell Posted January 10, 2014 Posted January 10, 2014 I just don't think it's a conclusion we can draw based on evidence, any more than we can say what exactly the cats and dogs were doing and why. Not saying they're incapable; "instinct" to me is a rubbish concept. Just saying that they can't communicate to us what's up nor can we say for certain. I do agree with you. Based on alleged sighting reports one can speculate on appearance and some physical caracteristics, but really everything else is a swag. Im also very skepical of habituation situations. A dog may seem to playing a trick or joke on you but does a dog experience humor or is it just the dog being a dog. Bears dont destroy a cabin or trailer because they are mischievous, they destroy it because they are looking for food. If they leave a can of something left on the shelf its just because they did, not because they were being silly. If a wolf or mountain lion stalks you its not because its being menacing or evil, its because it sees you as prey. It really can be that simple. Now if you want to make bigfoot a super human with all those traits and more then thats your choice, but it doesnt mean its based in any kind of reality.
MIB Posted January 10, 2014 Moderator Posted January 10, 2014 I *think* that they do, but proof is non-existent. It's interpretation. I can't even say if you like to play tricks on me. Seem to. But that's interpretation. The only thing I can say with certainty is I do like to play tricks on you. It's even funnier when you don't understand the joke. Even when we talk about it and use the same words, we can't be sure they mean the same thing to each of us. So ... who knows. Sapience is a truly lonely place. MIB 1
georgerm Posted January 10, 2014 Author Posted January 10, 2014 I tend to agree with the investigator that this was more probably a chorus of owls....although the emphasis on the volume aspect gives me pause. I've heard a single barred owl go all psycho and I can tell you it gives you a very creepy feeling. But, do they? Any mammal has a playful side, or what appears to us to be playful. Hard to attribute objective reasons for subjective motives, of course. How big a leap is it for a sentient creature who can grasp and throw a rock to anticipate and relish the results? Not big. Please read the whole report. A few minutes later, the subjects saw their bigfoot while driving up the forested driveway. The noise was coming from BFs, and it must have been much louder than any owl. A BFs volume is tremendous. I believe humans want to attribute certain human behaviours to non human species. We see this all the time with dogs & cats not to mention all the Disney cartoons. Unless we assume that bigfoot is human I would think humorous/joking behaviour is only a coincidence. This concept is also why I discount so many eye witness reports. We don't need to assume bigfoot is fully human as implied, but much closer to a human than chimp. Are chimps tricksters? After reading many reports this 'trickster' or passive aggressive humor comes through at times. Maybe the term joke is not the correct word. Maybe an implied threat in a joking manner is closer. During this encounter, the bigfoots are bugging the humans by being loud and obnoxious. Instead of infrasound, this was a new tactic of extreme sound to disable, bug, and confuse the humans. Another example, my friend was camping out with his family in a remote area, and during the night a bigfoot came up and rubbed his face all over with both hands, then was heard crashing off through the brush. This behavior says, "ha.... ha.... I'm one step ahead of you........leave or I'll do something else." Another case that involved the Sierra Sounds people demonstrates BF, the trickster. During the night a bigfoot lifted their horse into a fenced area where is was wedged. The horse did not act alone was their conclusion. The bigfoots were saying through tricks, look how strong we are...........better leave soon. My opinion is bigfoots are more human like with a great deal of common sense, curosity, and stealth comprehension. They understand the use of tricks either for humor or a warning. They keep us guessing. Can you find a report showing this trickster behavior?
georgerm Posted January 10, 2014 Author Posted January 10, 2014 I do agree with you. Based on alleged sighting reports one can speculate on appearance and some physical caracteristics, but really everything else is a swag. ......................... Good analogy with the bear tearing away at the cabin. It's no joke, or trick but simple hunger. If a wolf comes up growling and showing its teeth, we know what it has in mind and it's no joke. We know much more than physical appearance since we know what it's thinking. Humans and bigfoots can act this way also, and we know aggressive behavior well. What about higher level actions such as tricking or playing mind games? If we are not careful behaviors can be misinterpreted so when a BF slaps the side of a house, does that mean come out and play? Is it saying you humans bug me by living in our forest? Can bigfoot be mischevious in this manner? What does bigfoot mean when it throws pebbles or pinecones that are not intended to harm. It's a game, just like juvenile humans playing. If bigfoot comes up and slaps your house once a week, do we know what it's thinking?
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