Cryptozoology forums > Blogs > mysticete's blog > view thread

Subject: Fair points, but..... From: Stu posted Sun, Feb 1 2009, 2:11pm  Interestingly presented & written blog, Myst. I agree with most of what you say, without wishing to go into detail here. Look forward to the next 2 or 3. Remember, though, that Arment also writes "a cryptid is an ethnozoological category, not a taxonomic category..." In other words, it's as much to do with people as it is with "animals". Stu Subject: Re: Fair points, but..... From: busterggi posted Sun, Feb 1 2009, 6:37pm  Besides, if we knew for certain what they were they wouldn't be cryptids, they'd just be animals. Subject: Re: Fair points, but..... From: mysticete posted Sun, Feb 1 2009, 7:41pm  as I will get into later, you can have have ethnoknown species which no one would dare hesitate to label as animals. The problem is that cryptozoology overly concerns itself with the fantastic (one reason that pseudoscience has become so much more prominent in the field) Subject: Re: Fair points, but..... From: lowredx posted Tue, Feb 3 2009, 11:28pm  Trust me mysticete, cryptozoology as long as I can remember has been happily married to pseudoscience. Back when cryptozoology researcher where actually cool, they would also have interests in things like ESP, UFO's and just about any other strange happenings that are part of popular culture. To this day I don't see a dollars difference between paranormal and cryptozoology research and enjoy both. Subject: Re: Fair points, but..... From: mysticete posted Tue, Feb 3 2009, 11:33pm  well, Heuvelmans, Richard Greenwell, Grover Krantz, and a few others I think did stay away from the paranormal aspect. Unfortunately, they and others have essentially died off :( Subject: Re: Fair points, but..... From: mysticete posted Sun, Feb 1 2009, 7:39pm  I agree with the ethnozoological category, however for these blogs I am focused more on actual new species. Whether or not cryptozoology would be of more value (as currently recognized) as a study of contemporary mythology would itself be a great blog entry, however I have enough on my plate for now. And at the very least, it was originally conceived to specifically apply to discovery of news species. Subject: Re: Fair points, but..... From: Stu posted Sun, Feb 1 2009, 7:46pm  I understand. How I see cz. is, indeed, mainly as contemporary folklore, but I still look forward more to the discovery of possible new species, as opposed to the mundanity of yet another lake monster or dogman yarn. Subject: Re: Fair points, but..... From: BillB posted Sun, Feb 1 2009, 11:06pm  I share your view of cryptozoology and have the same wonder at the newly found, but real animals as they are discovered. What so many people loose sight of is that "skeptics" in CZ.COM do enjoy the folklore part of the investigations. Getting to the source of the story is as important as finding the cryptid that the tale presents. Subject: Re: Fair points, but..... From: MJLehde posted Mon, Feb 2 2009, 3:48am  I'm inclined to agree with your statement regarding folklore. That goes a long way towards explaining how the likes of Mothman and Dogman, despite my fondness for the Dogman mythos, have become so much more pronounced in CZ circles recently. Those, and several others,,,the Jersy Devil comes to mind, would be as at home in an episode of Ghost Hunters as they would Monster Quest or Animal X. Sounds like a breakfast cereal doesn't it, "CZ, it's not just for Bigfoot and Nessie anymore". In fairness I should say that I do think that there are a number of things yet to be discovered on this old rock. If your talking about the deep ocean then I'm there with you pal, heck pass the cool aid! Now a nine foot tall, red eyed, howling mystery ape stomping around some of the most heavily populated regions of the country,,,ah sorry, there isn't enough cool aid in the pitcher to get me to go there. Subject: Re: Fair points, but..... From: Hawkwolf posted Mon, Feb 2 2009, 1:26am  Just one point I think I need to bring up about this entry, other than the fact that I'm also looking forward to the series. It concerns the photo and caption you used. Being in the same general area of North America as you are, I must point out that, especially at this time of year, the exact subject of your photo would indeed only be known by rumors, possible glimpses by lucky witnesses, and general wishful thinking. In short, such a sight could be classified as a cryptid. Where do I sign up for the field research? Subject: Re: Fair points, but..... From: mysticete posted Mon, Feb 2 2009, 2:14am  Hah...try the San Diego State University campus, all year round :P also, oddly enough that came from some blog about Heidi Klum being in a Discovery Channel shark week special :P Subject: Re: Fair points, but..... From: Hawkwolf posted Mon, Feb 2 2009, 7:15am  In all fairness to Wyoming and Montana, similar creatures can be found here year round also, However at this time of year, they seem to develop a protective camouflage that makes it harder to tell them from similar but less visually striking organisms. As I'm sure you're aware by now, we even have lovely beaches throughout the area, although admittedly the millions of years since their prime have not been kind to them. Subject: Re: Fair points, but..... From: Brent_A posted Sat, Feb 7 2009, 12:39am  I have to be honest. I opened the window for the blog, and immediately forgot how to read due to the photo on the left. Probably why I've never figured out a magic trick when the magician has an attractive assistant. Men are such simple, stupid creatures at times... Cheers, Brent

Close Window