Spottings

Earlier this week, Magicians Penn & Teller turned their eyes towards cryptozoology on their Showtime TV Series Bullshit!.

It should come as no surprise that they think cryptozology is… well, bullshit.

We here at Spottings feel it is necessary to make some comments on the show.

For starters, Penn & Teller have done an amazing service for cryptozoologists everywhere. They used a cheesy bigfoot costume, created some fake footage, posted it on the internet and sat back and let the flies take the bait. Even we here at Spottings reported it.

I wish we’d quoted the BFRO‘s rather credulous statements of the footage’s authenticity more extensively, as the original article from their sight is now gone, because it demonstrates the pitfalls of just believing any old thing you see on the net. While this may be substantially embarrassing for places like the BFRO, it will hopefully lead to more critical evaluation of video and other evidence by everyone in the field.

That said, the journalistic standards on this episode of Bullshit! were not up to par either. The chosen interviewees were clearly picked for their absurdity, and while it’s completely true that no physical evidence exists, Penn & Teller failed to provide any actual argument. We all know that there are good reasons, both for and against the existence of sasquatch and that only further research will ultimately find the answer. Penn & Teller simply dismissed the possibility of sasquatch altogether.

The also looked into the Loch Ness monster, and while they still chose their cryptozoologists to make them look as bad as possible, in this case, they still spent time and effort to bring scientific evidence to light into he argument against Nessie. One wonders why they felt one needed more debunking than the other.

If nothing else comes from this episode, remember not to believe everything you see on the Internet. Meanwhile, we here at Spottings, will still strive to bring you the latest news on cryptids, the paranormal, UFOs and conspiracies, without the spin so that you can decide for yourself.

“Penn & Teller – Bullsh*t! – The First Season” (Showtime Entertainment)