Ah, the Huffington Post! It’s one of the most-visited news sites on the Internet, but it also has the unfortunate habit of being fertile territory for non-critical articles on all sorts of woo. There’s a reason Skeptoid named it one of the Top 10 Worst Anti-Science Websites.
Yesterday, that reason was on full display as the stalwart bastion of journalistic truth published “Bigfoot Video, DNA Tests Raise Hopes For Believers In The Legendary Beast.” It was written by “paranormal expert” Lee Spiegel, whose HuffPo credits include everything from UFOs to Exorcisms to George Noory.
Some of the things apparently giving true believers hope in 2013 I’ve already covered here in the Skeptoid blog, including the alleged Bigfoot DNA sequencing. According to Spiegel, “Skeptics and believers are holding their collective breath waiting for the results of a peer-reviewed, five-year study conducted by Texas veterinarian Melba S. Ketchum.” Which is odd, since every skeptic I’ve read on this story has already found reasons to dismiss it.
Spiegel also points to the Find Bigfoot Facebook page, which he calls “one group of Bigfoot researchers,” as opposed to a bunch of people who’ve Liked a Facebook page; and he praises the “impressive number of videos” that the FBFB has gathered. These videos are all presented uncritically on the FBFB’s video page. It’s “impressive,” I suppose, if “impressive” means still touting the Patterson-Gimlin film. Not only are these people still holding it up as evidence, but check out this obsessively detailed digital overanalysis of the film. Wow!
Spiegel then offers this classic bit of Either-Or fallicious thinking:
Whether or not you believe Bigfoot exists, the FBFB video collection spans 45 years between 1967 and 2012 and begs the question: From a statistical point of view, is it reasonable to assume that every person who has taken and submitted these visual accounts is either confused or deliberately perpetrating a hoax? Or is it possible that even a small percentage of these eyewitnesses might have, in fact, honestly captured something unusual — and similar — on film or video and simply want to share it?
When you put it that way, of COURSE it seems unreasonable; that’s why it’s a fallacy. But even accepting that a “small percentage” of videos have been “honestly captured” doesn’t do a thing to prove the existence of Bigfoot. It just proves that someone has captured something not immediately identifiable on camera, and that someone else — in this case the FBFB and the broader Bigfoot community — has gathered these unidentifiable anomalies together and labeled them as evidence for something that they have no better evidence for.
So, with suspect DNA study, a collection of bad videos, and the forthcoming “Bigfoot Blimp,” do believers have reason to hope in 2013? I suppose. After all, shoddy evidence didn’t stop them from hoping in 2012, or in 2011, or in 2010. And regardless of what pans out in 2013, I’m sure bloggers like Spiegel and sites like HuffPo will be there to report it to us in the most uncritical, link-generating ways possible.
Why not submit this post as a Letter to the Editor/editorial to the Huffington Post (and other offenders)? Who knows, they might print it!
Wordwizard, the HuffPo (from my experience) has a very limited view that is propagated by eds to their reporters. As far as taking criticism on board, I believe the HuffPo is not in the business of verifying anything when asked. Maybe I am wrong and a monster site “Oops, we goofed these at HuffPo” exists and the above Article would be quoted.
As to DNA studies of Big Feet…What the hell is a bigfoot DNA reference material? Surely we are looking at DNA traceable lineages that would be demanding a great paper in Nature or Science…5-10 years ago.
Who knows, maybe there are some plug ugly eds at HuffPo trying to steal some light from Homo floriensiensis back to their own capabilities.
It would take a tool use specialist to confirm that.
There is an interview with Melba S. Ketchum.
Odd, I can’t figure out why you would write such an article. This article offers no science that one can grab onto nor does offer tantalizing ‘evidence’ to support a theory, any theory. Are you disappointed or elated? You point out flaws in the argument offered by mr. Spiegal but I think you missed the point entirely. He is not offering a scientific paper for peer review (as far as I can tell) merely pointing out there are videos, pictures etc. that don’t have a one size fits all explanation. A skeptic offers a counter argument based on available data and not supposed or imagined intent. I personally think the idea of an 8′ tall hominid living in North America is very strange but it doesn’t scare me. If people want to offer up ‘evidence’ encourage it just in case it is real.
This sounds like concern trolling. He wrote the article to point out the flaward thinking in the original piece — that EITHER everyone is mistaken OR there’s something real there. It’s a fallacy Mr. Dunning has discussed on the program, and so it’s relevant.
Sorry, how is it a fallacious argument to suggest it is either real or it isn’t?
And if you would, what is ‘concern trolling’?
I enjoy Bigfoot discussion for the responses it evokes in people. VERY VERY few can actually objectively look at the question of its existence rationally and without fear of the real answer. It either is or it isn’t but the only way one will know for sure is to get out there. So on and on it goes: people like Dr. Todd Disotell say things like my friends don’t think it is real there fore it is not (he did say that by the by) and people like Bobo Fey (sp) think every noise in the woods is Bigfoot. ? So again what is the point of mr. Hudson’s post; is it concern trolling?
Sorry if this is a duplicate post. It looks like my first attempt to reply was omitted for some reason. To recap. Why is it a fallacious argument to suggest that something exists or it doesn’t. I don’t know what ‘concern trolling’ means, would you explain?
People live in fear of the real answer to the Bigfoot question. Both sides seem unable to handle the potential answer of its existence (or non existence). Very few can look t the question objectively. Dr. Todd Disotell says his friends don’t talk about it there fore it is not real (I am paraphrasing) so he comes off as a well educated fool. Bobo Fey? Thinks every sound in the woods is a’squatch’. Also very foolish.
Bigfoot is interesting to me for the emotions it illicites and how objective science just goes out the window.
“When Police experience a Bigfoot”: