A new Bigfoot documentary helps explain our conspiracy-minded era

Bigfoot, Cryptids, and the Film

• Several commenters say the Patterson–Gimlin film has long been effectively debunked as a man in a suit; stabilized versions are cited as making this obvious.
• Others note that many viewers of the same footage still conclude it’s genuine, illustrating how evidence is interpreted through prior beliefs.
• Bigfoot itself is framed variously as folklore, pseudoscience, or hoax; some note cryptozoology’s overlap with conspiracy culture and UFO beliefs (e.g., Bigfoot as an alien).
• A real Bigfoot trap in Oregon is mentioned mostly humorously, underscoring popular fascination.

Conspiracy Psychology and Internet Dynamics

• Participants discuss human pattern-seeking as a driver of conspiracy theories.
• Popularity is noted as a poor indicator of truth (argumentum ad populum).
• Emotional needs, identity, and “faith-based” reasoning are seen as key motivators, not just stupidity.
• The internet allows “lizardmen guy”–type figures to find communities and reinforcement, unlike the old “town square nutter” who was mostly ignored.

Censorship, Debate, and Vaccines

• One thread argues that censorship backfires: suppressing fringe views creates a real conspiracy (suppression) that conspiracy theorists can point to.
• Others counter with the Wakefield autism paper: it wasn’t censored but rigorously debunked; yet anti-vax sentiment persisted.
• Some describe anti-vaxxers as deeply read and capable of challenging non-expert doctors; others say they fixate on rare harms and ignore disease risks.
• Concerns are raised about short trial follow-up, lack of true placebos, confounding with many simultaneous vaccines, and liability shields for childhood vaccines.
• There is debate over mandatory vaccination vs. individual risk–benefit decisions.

Risk, Regulation, and Analogies

• Aviation is contrasted with vaccines: plane crashes are immediately obvious and economically catastrophic, creating strong safety incentives.
• Others note that greed still causes corner-cutting (e.g., stock market crashes, poor aviation safety in weakly regulated countries), so regulation and enforcement matter.

Real vs. Grand Conspiracies

• Commenters distinguish ordinary, plausible conspiracies (few actors, concrete incentives) from “grand” hidden plots.
• Examples of well-supported conspiracies: Epstein’s operations with powerful clients, systemic coverups of abuse, the Powell memorandum’s influence on politics, NSA surveillance revealed by Snowden.
• Some argue Epstein-type scandals and NSA spying show coverups are real and shift the Overton window on what’s considered plausible.

UFOs, QAnon, and Disinformation

• Claims that governments historically amplified UFO narratives to mask classified aircraft tests are referenced.
• Some view modern UFO and child-trafficking conspiracies (e.g., QAnon) as potential psyops to distract from genuine elite misconduct; others regard this as mostly baseless.
• NASA’s stance that most UAPs are misidentified mundane objects is cited.
• There’s disagreement over whether “most conspiracies” are partly true vs. many widely spread ones (Bigfoot, flat earth, pizzagate) having no evidential basis.

Bigfoot and Conspiracy Labeling

• One distinction: believing Bigfoot exists is not inherently conspiratorial; it becomes a conspiracy theory when coupled with a vast coverup claim.
• Several note that many now-accepted facts (e.g., NSA mass surveillance) were once dismissed as “conspiracy theories,” complicating the boundary.