Do you believe?

For half a century, Americans have been told many a tale about the legendary Bigfoot (aka Sasquatch). Most people pass off most of the stories as foolish and mythical. Some people, however, firmly believe in the existence of this unexplained creature. Thousands of sightings occur yearly, mostly in woodland areas, in which people walking on trails or hunting other prey unexpectedly come across a creature most often described as tall, humanlike, hairy, loud, and in some cases, shy.

How many of these cases are true? Can sources be trusted?

While many witnesses are definitely trying to only gain attention, some are very convincing. Those who prove to be most compelling are usually just ordinary people, who want to try and let others know about something they saw and are unable to explain. Most of the bigfoot “evidence” comes from individual stories, occasionally accompanied by photographs (see right) and sometimes video. Many witness experiences are still unexplained.

In order to determine for myself whether or not to believe in Bigfoot, I began to do a lot of research. Rather than looking for the most convincing stories, I read about the opinions of scientists who have studied the subject. Most experts say that the sheer amount of witness stories makes the notion of Bigfoot’s existence very likely, yet without further video evidence or a live subject caught, Bigfoot cannot yet be proved to exist.

In my research, I came across a study that concluded that Americans are just as likely to believe in Bigfoot as they are to agree with the Big Bang Theory. However, this was only from a sample of 2500 Americans from across the country.

I cannot yet say whether or not I believe Bigfoot is certainly real. However, many of the stories available online, in books, and even in TV shows are very persuasive, making the belief in Bigfoot not entirely unreasonable. I believe that the most firm believers have experienced a supposed encounter themselves.

Whether or not you believe in Bigfoot yourself, I ask you to do some more research on the subject to better develop your own opinion and be able to hold your ground when an inevitable Bigfoot conversation arises in your daily life. Even if every single Bigfoot sighting is 100% false, you will be left with having read a few good stories without a doubt; sometimes it is even entertaining enough to see what people have to say,  especially in America where some very wild opinions have become accepted by many.

Hopefully informing yourself about Bigfoot and the possibility of  its existence does not keep you from venturing the woods at night. Anyways, most Bigfoot stories tend to involve it running away upon sight. Few stories ever involve physical contact or enraged Sasquatch behavior. For the most part, Bigfoot, if real, appears to be a very docile creature simply living out its days in the forest while relying on a balanced diet. Regardless, Bigfoot is a phenomena that has captured American society like no other over the past fifty years and will continue to do so for many decades to come.