The AP & Dr. Hawks Respond
Posted by: Loren Coleman on June 28th, 2007
In the wake of “Krantz Is Dead: Comment to Anthropologist Hawks,” a couple updates are worthy of passing along.
The Associated Press dispatches on the Michigan search for Bigfoot, being published since yesterday afternoon, have been revised to note that Krantz is no longer living. The media mentions the “late Grover Krantz, a Washington State University professor who specialized in cryptozoology, the study of creatures that have not been proven to exist…”
Wikipedia’s definition of “Cryptozoology,” which is fully available to the AP, has a more developed examination of the word. Saying Krantz “specialized” in cryptozoology is overstating the realities. He cared less about general cryptozoology, and more about Sasquatch studies and hominology.
Additionally, I received this reply from John Hawks:
Hi, Loren — well, I can sympathize, but whenever I discuss a quote from a newspaper article I am always careful to indicate that it may be a misquote, since I have seen many in my time. On the other hand, sometimes the *reporter* is correct, and the source really did have foot-in-mouth disease. So I’m always noncommittal. This one was a howler.
As to whether they are serious; well, there’s no doubting that, but I don’t think that seriousness deserves respect. If I thought otherwise then I would have to treat the cranks who send me anti-evolution screeds more generously.–John [Hawks, Ph. D., University of Wisconsin-Madison]
I am assuming the “they” he mentions is the BFRO, and not the media.
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Loren Coleman no longer writes for Cryptomundo. His archived posts remain here at Cryptomundo.
John Hawks is typical of the play it safe, go along, get along, get yer tenure crowd. Sure, an education can help you aquire knowledge, but only God-and life-can impart wisdom. In short: the halls of academia are quite often patrolled by educated fools.
There’s a poll on AOL.
As of the time I checked in:
Do you think the [BFRO] team may find something? Yes, there is a chance – 52%
Do you think Bigfoot exists, or ever existed? Yes – 65%
The results of the first question may be lower because of a continuing misperception that the critter is unique to the Pacific Northwest, of course. But more than half.
Over 31,000 responded to each question. And I think it’s quite a stretch, given the nature of the numbers, to say that only cryptonuts vote on stuff like this. I’ve voted on more than one of these when the topic wasn’t really something I cared that much about.
This is why I think it’s a legitimate question, despite the naysay braying that goes on in much of the mainstream press: does a majority of the American public, in fact, think the animal may be real?
I’ve never held more hope for the so-called wisdom of the electorate.
Apparently Hawks isn’t a very decent person, and wants people to know that. OK, now they do. Hopefully, he won’t be working for a land-grant university from now on, as he doesn’t intend to meet the requirements for those organizations in the Northwest Ordinance.
Am I reading this right? Did he actually compare cryptozoology to creationism? If so, what an idiot!!!