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There are some old tried and supposedly true axioms. One is that if you acknowledge you are crazy, you probably aren’t. Another is that by the time that you realize you are in the Illuminati, it’s too late.

But how about the one about cryptid sightings?

In a blog called “Why hasn’t anyone seen Bigfoot?”, the blogger Thudfactor writes:

Not that there aren’t any witnesses. It’s just none of them are credible. In his Darklore essay, Loren Coleman makes the point that part of the reason these witnesses aren’t credible is they claim to have seen Bigfoot. That’s what you would call something of a Catch-22.

“Catch-22″ is a term coined by Joseph Heller in his novel Catch-22, describing a paradox in which one is a victim regardless of the choice one makes. In probability theory, it refers to a situation similar to “Heads I win, tails you lose.” (Of course, for those who have recently seen No Country for Old Men, you might understand the outcome of not flipping the coin too!)

When you begin to think about it, the Catch-22 of seeing Bigfoot is rather incredible.

What kind of factors come into play when one joins the ranks of those who report they have seen a cryptid, a creature that is said to not be there by the majority of rational people?

Additionally important to consider is the “ridicule factor,” which I’ve dealt with in more detail in my Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and Sea Serpent books.

I’ve written:

If people are seeing Sea Serpents, but not reporting them, the ridicule factor is likely to blame. A witness’s reluctance to report a sighting, fearing fallout to one’s reputation or livelihood, has always been a problem, of course, but the power of ridicule may be even more pronounced these days with science having a greater say about what’s real in our world and what’s not than ever before. ~ The Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpent and Other Mystery Denizens of the Deep

Thudfactor, of course, points up the underlying quicksand of sightings too. Thudfactor concludes, after his blog’s metaphorical journey, with these words:

I’m not saying that Bigfoot exists. I’m not even saying that there’s necessarily an undiscovered great ape out there somewhere staying hidden, although there could be. What I am saying is that Skepticism Unchained causes us to discard evidence out of hand that might actually deserve a cursory look. It can even be discarded by the witness him or herself.

If Bigfoot exists, there have probably been thousands of sightings. But did those people know enough to know what they were looking for? And if they did, did they just get ridiculed by people who’s idea of fieldwork is raking the lawn? ~ Thudfactor, “Why hasn’t anyone seen Bigfoot?” February 5, 2008.

Being an eyewitness to a creature that is not suppose to exist is a difficult kind of existence. This is a point we shouldn’t forget when analyzing cases.