Against my better judgement, I watched MonsterQuest's latest entry into the absurd…Mothman.  Hmmm…haven't we said all that there is to say about this topic…apparently not…

The reason behind the beating of this dead horse, supposedly some people are seeing a "Mothman-type creature" in Wisconsin now.  Nothing like a rash of new sightings to drum up a little interest in a dead topic.  There were many aspects to the show that raised my eyebrow, but I'll only discuss two.

The first aspect…a possible location for it's lair, or home, or condo, or whatever it lives in.  They chose a tiny island in the middle of a lake or river.  It also had a "mountain"…which looked more like a hill to me, but what do I know? 

Anyway, the two men, one being a cryptozoologist, made mention of many key attributes that this island had the could possibly lend themselves to the conclusion that this is where the Mothman lived (quick note…not sure what the plural of Mothman is.  Perhaps it's like the word "moose" and it doesn't have one.  I mean, "Mothmen" sounds odd, doesn't it?  Anyway…).  Things like wide open spaces to "take off" from and to land, dead trees in order to perch, etc.

I am quite uncertain of the validity of anything that they said or proposed.  I could claim that the pond that I live by is perfect for Mermaids.  The pH of the water is just how they like it, it's the perfect depth, and it also has a few rocks in it so the Mermaids can sun bathe.  So, you know…it's a perfect location for Mermaids.  This is exactly what the two guys on the show did.  They simply went to a location and started to spout off possibilities without a shred of evidence to the existence of said creature much less any attributes that it would have or need in choosing a location. 

On the surface, it makes for some good TV.  When you stop and think about it…it's ridiculous.

The other aspect that jumped out at me was the use of a criminal sketch artist to finally draw up a composite sketch of the creature.  Shockingly, amazingly, and unbelievably…all the witnesses came up with essentially the same description.  This was supposed to give some credence to the exercise.  Really?  Does it?

It's really amazing, especially when one considers all the movies, TV shows, books and articles written on the subject.  I mean, where in the world could those eye witnesses ever get a shared idea of what the creature should look like?  Oh…wait…it's all those movies, TV shows, books and articles written on the subject.

I mean, case in point…Mickey Mouse.  "Um…yeah…he had big round ears.  No, bigger.  And rounder.  And he had red shorts.  And a tail.  Did I mention he was hanging with a large dog in a hat and a very cantankerous duck?"  All of us have a concept of who Mickey Mouse is and we can describe him.  It doesn't make him real.  Same as aliens.  "Yeah, he had a big head.  No, bigger.  Big eyes.  No, way bigger  And cold hands."  We can all describe "the greys" as well.  Doesn't make them real either.

I wonder if they asked the eye witnesses if they had see "Mothman" the movie starring Richard Gere.  Actually, I liked the movie.  It was definitely a couple of steps above the normal trash featuring monsters.  But really, if you watch the movie, you can pretty much describe the creature without ever having an "eye witness" account.  I'm not saying the new eye witness accounts match the movie exactly…but, um…yeah, they pretty much did.  So…maybe no need for a criminal sketch artist.

And before I leave, a quick note on Paranormal State and their version of all this.  Yes, it's true.  Some time back, they took a swing at Mothman too.  Basically, it was a bunch of nothing accented by the kids scaring themselves out in the forest.  "What was that?  What was THAT?"  What was that?  Idiotic kids filming a bunch of nonsense while passing around a bottle of peppermint schnapps.  I swear I heard "You kids get off my lawn." a couple of times.  Maybe it was just me…

BD50 said: "DANG IT Rev!!
Had to teach a class last night and had to record it.
Now you've ruined the ending for me."

Well, with all MonsterQuest episodes, the fun is the journey and not the destination.  And when I say "fun" I mean "an escape from reality, common sense, and science."  And when I say "destination" I mean "a conclusion wrought with ambiguity, conjecture, and weirdness."  So with that said…I don't believe that I ruined anything for you.  As I said, I only discussed two small aspects.  There is a wealth of other nonsense to behold, cherish, and raise an eyebrow at…

Patrick said: "…if you have Big Joe, then it is worth watching."

Agreed.  I am always amazed when MQ has Joltin' Joe Nickell swingin' the Bat of Skepticism (it has a +2 Logic and a +5% Defense Against Shadows and Pseudo-Science.).

For those that didn't see the show, he did a piece on how people judge size and distance of an unknown object (namely a cut-out of an owl).  It was pretty interesting.

I live just outside of Denver…plenty of wildlife around here.  A white owl occasionally swoops by late at night and when I see it I'm always reminded of Mothman and the eye witness accounts.  It kind of saddens me in a way.  Every time I see it, I always think "Cool, an owl."  I never think "OMG!  MOTHMAN!"  Owls can be very cool to see at night.  They have a huge wingspan and fly silently…I can see how someone can jump a bit if only seeing one from the corner of their eye.  Yet…you know…Mothman?  Yeah…not sure how one gets that from an owl.  Hmmm…maybe it's like fishing.  You know, you catch a ten inch Wide-Mouth Bass and when you're done with the story…it's closer to Blue Whale.

 Patrick also said: "Now, why were these guys looking for Mothman on a lake island?  I don't know.  I always thought people said Mothman was basically a harbinger of death or misfortune, making him some kind of mythic being.  Not something that lived in a cave and ate chipmunks."

Well, first off…chipmunks are good eatin'. 

And, I could be wrong on this…but I don't remember them even finding a cave.  At least that would have made a bit of sense.  But really, beyond that…I can find no logical way to explain why they chose that specific location.  There were no prints or any evidence at all at the scene.  If one buys into Mothman, then…well, why would he/she/it/they need to be close to the sightings?  I mean, they DO fly…so…you know, there's that.  Also, if you buy into the mythical, magical, alternate dimensional beings theory…then why would they need a lair at all?  Just show up, crank call Richard Gere, and *poof* back to the 5th Dimension.  I just didn't see a point in anything those two guys did…