Aja on 24/8/2008 at 03:14
Reverse chronological order works well for this story. Nicely done.
SubJeff on 24/8/2008 at 13:48
Quote Posted by WAREAGLE
what about the loch ness monster?
What Scots said. This stuff is all played out over here. I've just noticed that things like alien abductions/sitings, mythical beasts and so on seem to be fairly commonplace in the US media. And there are loads of modern US films that deal with modern myths.
quinch on 24/8/2008 at 14:03
Crop circles then.
Not really a monster though..:confused:
fett on 24/8/2008 at 17:31
Quote Posted by Subjective Effect
Americans seem to have a need to create/perpetuate myths. I think it's because of the lack of history. In the UK we really don't any more, not ones that are taken as seriously as this kind of thing is anyway.
Aren't you guys the ones with the big rocks that all the pagans go out and dance nude around for the winter solstice?
Also, what the fuck is this royal family thing all about anyway? IT'S OVER. LET IT GO MAN.
SubJeff on 24/8/2008 at 18:11
Your point? Really.
Stitch on 24/8/2008 at 18:44
I think the point is your basic assumption (1) greatly overestimates how serious America takes myths and (2) greatly underestimates the relationship the rest of the world has with their local myths.
Myths are pretty much a building block of any civilization, and most of these civilizations have reached a point where myths are taken with an affectionate grain of salt.
One could probably argue the States have a more sensational take on myths, but I wouldn't know. This bigfoot story was basically treated as a novelty here and nobody beyond the fringe actually thought it had any merit.
SubJeff on 24/8/2008 at 20:22
Oh, I don't think that the US necessarily takes myths seriously, just that they are more.. prevalent at the moment. Of course I'm only taking this from the US media, films, TV we get. Blair Witch, Mothman, Final Destination, Bigfoot, Amytiville (sp?) and so on. I just get the feeling that this sort of stuff arises to fill a vacuum. I may be wrong. Just a thought.
Muzman on 25/8/2008 at 00:51
I reckon there's something in that idea. Though it is, as others point out, a little hard to cut and dry cleanly.
Australians are somewhat over represented in the ghost hunting area and I've often thought that was from a sort of anglo diaspora (mostly because me and other nerds as kids used to regularly lament the lack of seriously old cool spooky shit and latch on to whatever there was around). Europe's so dense with it it's almost dizzying.
As for the yanks, harder to say. Europeans have been there for a while so I'd expect it's not such a problem. They've earned their spooky stuff. They did have to give the world (friggen) UFOs though, dammit (and by extention, vast government conspiracies). That's the home grown addition to mythology. Does it speak of some sort of lack? I couldn't really say. They probably all do to some extent.
Anyway, I love cryptozoology and cryptoarchaeology, dodgy footprints, giants, chupacabras, guys who analyse jpg artifacts on pictures of Mars and see glass worms and whole alien civilisations, and assorted bullshit. It's great.
This one here is hilarious. The standard of this stuff is slipping like crazy though. Once they used to at least get a real animal pelt for a hoax/con/honest mistake. I mean, really.
irving_forbush on 25/8/2008 at 00:58
Quote Posted by Subjective Effect
Americans seem to have a need to create/perpetuate myths. I think it's because of the lack of history. In the UK we really don't any more, not ones that are taken as seriously as this kind of thing is anyway.
Serious question: would you put stories of big cats roaming the British countryside in that category? I've seen shows I'd put in the genre of "Bigfoot Hunters" trying to find evidence of big cats...what's the attitude in the UK on this?
