December 18, 2007
A word to the wise ain’t necessary – it’s the stupid ones that need the advice.~ Bill Cosby.
Needless to say, having written an entire book on the interaction between the media and copycat incidents, the following news item is the kind of thing I don’t like to see get sensationalized in the press or on the internet.
The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.~ Albert Einstein.
I find no great pressure to rush such items to this blog, because they tend to celebrate stupidity, initially. A few days later, upon reflection, of course, they can serve as a lesson in what not to do, and well, shine a thoughtful light on stupidity, if placed in the proper context.
It is stupidity rather than courage to refuse to recognize danger when it is close upon you.~ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
A prank almost resulted in tragedy for several Wiregrass [Alabama] young persons.
Authorities say they exploited fears of area residents concerning reports of Bigfoot being spotted near the Coffee/Geneva County Line.
A teenager wore an outfit depicting the mythical Bigfoot creature. He then carried a fellow young person on each shoulder.
Alarmed residents called the sheriff’s department and several others armed with shotguns headed to where the prank was taking place.
The young people, ranging in age from 18-to-23, were given a warning.
However, sheriff’s officials say those involved in any copycat incidents will face reckless endangerment charges.“Bigfoot Prank Almost Results in Tragedy, WTVY News4, Dothan, Alabama, December 12, 2007.
Someone in law enforcement or the media could have, furthermore, just as easily pointed out that anyone involved in any copycat incidents might end up dead.
There is nothing wrong with a little reality thrown into the equation.
BTW, for those unaware of another bit of news tied to the timing of this event: Tom Biscardi was in this same area in Alabama attempting to get media attention for his Bigfoot affairs. Local media said the California Bigfooter and former Las Vegas promoter was in Wiregrass: “Biscardi believes there was a pod of Bigfoot heading further south for warmer conditions.”
Okay.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
Filed under Bigfoot, Cryptotourism, CryptoZoo News, Cryptozoologists, Cryptozoology, Eyewitness Accounts, Folklore, Hoaxes, Media Appearances, Pop Culture, Sasquatch, Skunk Apes, Swamp Monsters