They Live
Well-known member
Not sure if I follow you there Sad Max. What exactly do you mean by the "horrible morass of old mythologies"?
El Chupacabra - shot and killed in Texas?
- Thread starter Barry_Green
- Start date
Not sure if I follow you there Sad Max. What exactly do you mean by the "horrible morass of old mythologies"?
Rick Meyer
Veteran
When people actually believe these myths to be true it is. But, in a fictional setting, no. That's storytelling.
Mythology covers one heck of a lot more ground than Vampire and Werewolf stories. But I agree with Rick that an otherwise-mentally-competent adult who thinks of Vampires, Werewolves, etc as anything more than fictional figures existing for the purpose of entertainment is displaying symptoms of a poisoned mind.
They Live
Well-known member
Agreed. But many mythologies originate from something real, and all I meant is I think it's interesting to see where these things intersect.
I also think that saying something like that is mind-poison dismisses the fact that in many cultures these myths are very powerful and effect people's reality in meaningful ways. Just because there isn't really a bloodsucking monster out there doesn't mean that certain people who believe in these concepts are stupid.
Regardless of the facts, these stories have a very powerful pull on our collective imagination and to me that means there's something important to look at there, and I don't write it off as simple ignorance.
They Live
Well-known member
No doubt, hence the reason I was asking for clarification Max.
Rick Meyer
Veteran
Yes. But that's in other cultures, not ours. If somebody believes in something that seems ridiculous to most of us, in this society, they generally will get an unfavorable label, unfortunately. Because, as a society, as a whole, we do not believe in gremlins, pixies, Yetis, Sasquatch, Banshee Women, etc. Considering that in our society we especially use the term mythological when referring to these creatures or phenomenon, should note that in general we collective don't believe they exist. And, we certainly don't allow these myths to truly effect our reality in meaningful ways. But, I don't think anyone is calling people in other cultures stupid for believing in this stuff.
We've all seen movies where the protagonist who is from Western Civilization winds up among a very primitive tribe and his only means of survival is to show them the magic he can do with whatever technology he finds in his pocket. I don't think anyone would call those tribesmen stupid. Not to their face anyway. :laugh: In this culture, we make sure our kids stop believing in Santa by 9 years old and from there on out, make-believe is clearly labeled. It's probably one of the reasons the movies became so popular in this culture. It's some great escapism. But believe in boogey men in this culture as an adult and you will be called stupid and/or batsh*t crazy.
But, it's a slippery slope. What's a myth that's worth fighting for? A very sane, logical and reasonable person could in one breath dismiss Bigfoot and the Loch Ness as pure nonsense and in the next give credence to ghosts and U.F.O.s. Go figure.
The real fun is observing the facility with which people easily dismiss other groups' beliefs as mythological etc, and how the same people fly into an aggrieved huff if anyone dares point out that their deeply cherished beliefs etc are mythological in precisely the same measure...
Not necessarily. That kind of belief - well, proclaiming one's devotion to it, provided that there are enough like-minded believers - can make you immensely wealthy and respected, and people will call you sir.
Mange is the best thing that's happened to the southwest in a very long time. I mean, is there anyone who doesn't instantly recognize that that's some half-breed coyote that's lost its fur? The media desperation on these stories is really beyond all reasonable belief. If you're the field news reporter, don't you at some point, given your years of journalism training, just say, "That looks nothing like a coyote to you? Really? Really?"
They Live
Well-known member
Good points all around. This is definitely something that could be debated endlessly.
Then I'd argue there's more stupid and/or batshit crazy people than not and I've met a lot of them. But I'm just being honest when I say I'd be hard pressed to label many of them as either of those things.
Very very true. And unless they're someone who's forms their beliefs purely on empirical, irrefutable facts, you're going to find the majority of people out there believe in some myth others think is silly, and vice versa.
They Live
Well-known member
Actually, mange isn't an explanation for a lot of these animals. It's some genetic mutation they haven't pin pointed. Many of the 'chupacabra' carcasses they've found have fur ONLY around the paws, which is usually the first fur to go in cases of mange because its so easy for the animal to access those areas with their mouth, etc. to scratch it all away.
I don't believe in magic or a lot of superstitious hocus-pocus. I'm talking about science - facts which can be substantiated - and all these news agencies are still talking about the boogie man. How much more DNA has to point to coyotes before people are going to stop?
Ever driven down the highway and seen a sasquatch or alien dead on the side of the road? I see raccoon and possum and deer a few times a week. I'm much more interested in what is at the bottom of the ocean - real monsters live there - than any of these walking-dead bio-hazard excuses for animals that keep coming up at the "top" of the Yahoo! News page.
Nothing short of a talking megalodon is going to impress me at this point.
Ever driven down the highway and seen a sasquatch or alien dead on the side of the road? I see raccoon and possum and deer a few times a week. I'm much more interested in what is at the bottom of the ocean - real monsters live there - than any of these walking-dead bio-hazard excuses for animals that keep coming up at the "top" of the Yahoo! News page.
Nothing short of a talking megalodon is going to impress me at this point.
Barry_Green
Moderator
How about a Mega Piranha?
Like the song says: A man sees what he wants to see, and disregards the rest.
They Live
Well-known member
Yeah, like I said, the real story(s) behind all this get buried in the news headlines.
Like, what might be happening in that eco-system that's causing this?
I'm more interested in that. Is it man made pollution that's causing these mutations that are being handed off to the animals' offspring? Or is it simply the fact that as humans continue to encroach on these natural habitats, coyotes and other wild canines are interbreeding with domesticated dogs, resulting in a bizarre hybridization. There are some real questions there, but they're overshadowed by the hokey news reports.
Like, what might be happening in that eco-system that's causing this?
I'm more interested in that. Is it man made pollution that's causing these mutations that are being handed off to the animals' offspring? Or is it simply the fact that as humans continue to encroach on these natural habitats, coyotes and other wild canines are interbreeding with domesticated dogs, resulting in a bizarre hybridization. There are some real questions there, but they're overshadowed by the hokey news reports.
Oh... I've seen some stuff. But this Montauk-monster-level nonsense isn't getting it done. Can! You! Wait! To! See! If! It's! Real!? First, a word from this Yahoo! sponsor.
Blue_Food
Well-known member
... To say nothing of the fact that you can also obtain tax-exemption for your business(es)...
Who's to say that chupacabras weren't mangy coyotes that the people of the time got hysterical over?
In that sense, these could well have been chupacabras.
In that sense, these could well have been chupacabras.