Last week a press conference was held to announce to the world that there is finally proof of the existence of Bigfoot. There were close to a hundred representatives from the media in attendance to witness the unveiling of this new and exciting evidence.
What was the earth shaking proof that this creature really does stalk the wilderness of North America? Well it turns out to be two blurry photographs and some rather dubious genetic tests.

Now the particulars of this bullshit really are irrelevant, what I would like to say a bit about is just how all of this was received, not just by the press, but by the public as well.

The overwhelming sense in the room after the presentation was one of complete skepticism. From where I'm sitting this came as an immense shock, and a very pleasant shock at that. Especially due to the reaction of the press when similar claims are made. Typically the media does some fluff piece giving far to much support to the cranks and oddballs making such bizarre claims ranging from alien abduction to haunted houses. It was a breath of fresh air to see news stories reporting this for what it was, a hoax, and a rather unconvincing one at that.

The public as well was extremely doubtful as to the claims made last week. The responses, to paraphrase, stated that if you expect us to believe that you've really found a Bigfoot, you have to produce far better evidence than this! It seems that Carl Sagan's axiom, "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence", is finally starting to take root.

All that being said, it's understandable that people are more willing to be skeptical of Bigfoot than other things. The non existence of Bigfoot really doesn't challenge many peoples world views in the ways that giving up a belief in religion and alternative medicine would do. For many people in order to be skeptical about those things require a huge shift in beliefs, lifestyle or both. Something that makes a lot of folks uncomfortable.

The backbone of a skeptical outlook is the ability to think critically, something that anyone can learn to do. And this latest Bigfoot announcement has shown that many are starting to do just that.