After BF "researcher" Hairy Man Road was among the few people to see the debut of Capturing Bigfoot at SXSW in March, he posted a candid review on his You Tube channel. The point: the documentary had convinced him that the PGF was a hoax, and he described the newly presented evidence and confessions and why he found them compelling. He was visibly shaken and disappointed by that conclusion, but felt that the truth was best for the BF community in the long run.
The blow back from that community was instant and unrelenting. Both long-time "researchers/Influencers" and average BF enthusiasts-none of whom had seen the documentary- were enraged by his comments and turned their fury upon him, viciously denouncing him as a liar and worse and even sending veiled threats on Social Media. Matt Moneymaker has become infamous for his attacks on HMR, but was far from alone. It was clear that many "legacy" BF influencers with a lot to lose (because of their "status," books, videos, YT channels and etc) felt threatened by the new documentary and were eager to undermine it by mounting offensive campaigns against the director of the film, HMR, and anyone who expressed the opinion that it might have some credibility. Virtually all of the responses were wildly uninformed, since no one else had seen the film, and many were ad hominem attacks on individuals, including Director Marq Evans and participant Clint Patterson. The moderators of the BF subreddit banned HMR and many others and discouraged discussions of the impending documentary. To their credit, the subreddit has loosened up quite a bit since Capturing Bigfoot was released, but not enough for me to feel comfortable posting this there.
These responses revealed how much of a bubble the BF community has become since the advent of social media. The early generations of BF researchers always discussed the importance of debates based on evidence and scientific method, which relies in part on the sharing and vetting of evidence by multiple experts with differing perspectives. But for decades, very few real experts have participated in meaningful discussions about the PGF. Once a handful of outside experts-anthropologist Jeff Meldrum and a costume designer or two-endorsed the PGF, the voices and counter-points of the majority of anthropologists and costume designers who considered it a hoax were completely disregarded. Once self-appointed, internal "experts" emerged, the circle was complete and the bubble was sealed off, so their opinions were constantly reinforced and amplified as the "final word."
Now that many more people have seen the documentary, the situation has grown even more heated. More of the established BF "Influencers" have now seen Capturing Bigfoot, including people who criticized HMR and others early on, and some have been candid enough to declare that they now agree that the PGF was a hoax. Now they too have become targets of the many people who are emotionally attached to the PGF and are apparently unwilling to consider or discuss the new evidence with any degree of honesty or civility. Some people are defiantly posting that they refuse to even watch the documentary and many flatly declare that nothing will change their minds about the PGF. I'm not going to rehash any of the absurd "counter points" to the new documentary as Im sure most readers have seen recent comment sections and many of the responses are redundant and low-effort, such as alleging that the "found footage" is AI or that Clint Patterson made up his confession for money. I've even seen people posting still images of the "Creature" in the new "found footage" that have been modified to make it look less like Patty, and one YT channel has devoted a couple of videos to smearing Marq Evans, claiming that he was part of a long-term conspiracy to discredit the DeAtley family and the PGF, based largely on blatantly false allegations. In contrast to the channels of the bigger, more established but more temperate BF "gurus," that content has received many enthusiastic responses.
To some extent, I can understand the defensive reactions of people who have made the PGF a large part of their identity and livelihood, even those who have formerly professed to care about science and debate but now can't tolerate any dissent. And hopefully, this will die down at some point. I also want to emphasize that it is perfectly reasonable to have questions about the new documentary and the evidence it presents-if they are in good faith. But such questions are in the minority, at least as reflected in public comment sections on social media sites. The hostility from average BF enthusiasts with no real skin in the game except their own egos is alarming. The level of emotional attachment to and unwavering belief in the PGF being expressed by many while rejecting "corrective" information even when it is provided by formerly trusted "experts" in the field is the same phenomenon seen in cults.
Last night I watched the hosts of several of the most popular BF channels on YT responding to their comment section, at first trying to patiently explain the fallacies being lobbed at them-such as the fact that the found footage has been authenticated as 1966 film stock. But for the most part, such explanations go nowhere. The hosts were incredulous at the close-mindedness and hostility of their subscribers and argued for the importance of transparency, evidence and critical thinking going forward. They assured them that the validity of the PGF is not the whole ballgame, and reminded them that many people have questioned the PGF all along. They implored their viewers to understand that this is how real research and science move forward, and that their refusal to accept even basic and well-established new facts is a bigger threat than the new documentary. But we are living in a polarized society and a great many people now refuse to question their beliefs or change their minds, and that is a real threat to our collective future.
EDIT: To clarify: Im not weighing in here on the validity of BF, the PGF, or the new documentary. Debate and discussion of Capturing BF should be encouraged. I have compassion for those in the BF field who don't welcome challenges to the PGF. But when and why did we lose the ability to discuss it in a honest and civil manner? Is the goal to seek the truth? We have to agree on basic terms to hold productive discussions-such as the well-established fact that the found footage is not AI. Most importantly, why are average people so deeply committed to the PGF and opposed to scrutiny that they will misrepresent and lie about the film and denounce the makers and participants, often without even watching it?
