I have had a hectic week so I haven't managed to listen to the whole show yet, but from the little I have heard, it is easy to see why people have such as positive reaction to Mr Schneider.
He comes across very well and is obviously knowledgeable and well read.
I am sorry if what I was trying to say didn't come across the way I intended it.
When I was talking about the dark side of Cryptozoology I was referring to it in the way that I would interpret the "Word/Meaning". I should have been far more specific about the aspects that I thought should be of concern. For instance If you want to know what is possible in terms of Genetic manipulation you will have to investigate the History of it, and its application, which is not easy material because it is horrific in the extreme, and all the more so because it is not fiction but actual historical fact. Or if for example you wanted to explore the "Native American" understanding of Bigfoot you would have to investigate the History of the "New World" which is just as troubling.
Maybe its about a scientific level of detachment that I lack, but I tend to think about things as if they had happened to me personally, so I am always cautious about what I expose myself to, and during my time looking into Cryptids I have read some truly awful things because I believe that in order to investigate Cryptids or the Paranormal you must at least to try and understand "Man". And the History of Man is not for examination without a solid grounding a good awareness of who you are, because it is indescribably violent and barbaric.
In other words, I said my words of caution, not because I underestimated Mr Schneider, but because I took him seriously and told the truth as I saw it.
I stand by the fact that Cryptozoology has many "Dark" aspects but I do concede that this is due to my understanding of the term.
In my defense I would say that if Bigfoot is a Primate he would be covered by "Zoology" whether he likes to hide or not. So I don't believe that "Cryptozoology" has been Hijacked I think it is a bad label in the first place and an attempt to make things like Unicorns and Nessi seem "worthy of study" but you will never find a Nessi in the Zoo. Which brings me to another "danger" as I see it:
Unfortunately "Cryptozoolgy" is employed by "creationists" who as ironic as it sounds have "evolved" their arguments against "Darwin" from "Dinosaur bones being planted by the Devil to trick us" to "Man walked with the dinosaurs". (See the creationist Museum displays). There are lots of actors with agendas with a whole gamut of motives, from money and fame to religion and everything in between.
Thankfully it is clear that Mr Schneider is talking to sensible and responsible people like Nick Redfern and Loren Coleman.
One thing that occurred to me was when he mentioned that he attended a "technical" college was that it maybe possible for him to enlist the help of fellow students in examining exactly what happens during an event, and I don't just mean a Paranormal one, I mean to examine the Human perception of any event (Sound, Vision, Smell etc) with an emphasis on the fallibilities of the senses (i.e. slight of hand magic tricks, Stereography (3D imagery), CGI, Film or Documentary Soundtracks (and the way they use sound to elicit responses from the viewer), Defensive or combative smells i.e Skunks or "Stink Bombs" (not toy ones but crowd control versions etc etc also Theology, Sociology and behavioural sciences and their effect on our "experience" and perception.
From the little I understand about theses things, it is clear to me that we are only just at the beginning of understanding how Human perception works, but we have however been able to manipulate it since time immemorial.
You don't necessarily have to be able to read music, to play it. (or to experience it).
I wish Mr Schneider all the best in his endevours and I would like to hear him on the Paracast again to see how his views have changed over time.
I will write more when I have listened to the rest of the show, but before I forget the issue of casting footprints came up, and casting using plaster is something I have some experience of so I could be able to offer some useful advice regarding materials and techniques. It also occurs that this is something he could possibly investigate at his technical college, because many factors dictate what materials should be used to attain the best Cast (for example the type of ground Bigfoot trod on). It may also be of use to investigate what techniques are available to paleontologists (especially in Paleoichnology and Neoichnology) because I understand that some species have been accepted on the basis of "trace Fossils" alone.......... `
