Good morning everyone.
Firstly, Id like to thank you for all the compliments I have been recieving about my part in the expedition for MonsterQuest. I had a great time out there with the crew and team, and learned a lot about being on film as well. (As some of you already know, this was my very first exposure on national television. )
The first thing I learned was that the camera really DOES add ten pounds, and wearing 30 pounds of cold weather and rain gear is NOT flattering to my hips and shoulders. It made me look like an offensive linebacker for the New York Jets! The Raven was not happy!
That being said......
Though I haven't read through all of my emails yet, I have seen several this morning that concerned me and I really would like to put my two cents in about the whole MonsterQuest/Gable controversy especially regarding my friend and one of my mentors in this field,Linda Godfrey.
While I understand the feelings of dissapointment of the truth being withheld for a period of time, I think we should take a serious look at the history behind all of this situation in its entirety, and realize that, while researchers and writers always want their public to know the TRUTH of the matters at hand, these things often take time to be brought to light a little at a time and with respect to ALL involved. And sometimes, our hands are just TIED. I give Linda a ton of credit for being able to delicately handle this situation and maintain silence about it until they felt it was the right time to bring it into the open. That doesn't mean LINDA was wanting to keep it away from you all for that long, it meant she was doing a professional job of keeping information "inside the circle" until they, again I stress THEY were ready to reveal it.
How many people do you know who can do that?
And to begin with, she didnt have any definitive proof she could just hand over to the public,anyway. She did the right thing in holding off and allowing things to unfold. She was put in a horrible position and did the best she could with it.
She is a professional in EVERY sense of the word. She has worked diligently to investigate, research, write, and most importantly,bring you all the truth of what is going on. And you couldnt know the frustration and heartache she probably felt having to keep this quiet for so long when she wanted so badly for you all to know the truth IMMEDIATELY.
Alot of people were kept silent, by the way. Not just Linda.
And just for the record, TV is TV, folks.
How it gets edited at the end of the day is completely out of the crew and team's hands. We had no more idea what was going to be the final product of the show than you did. We were all just out their doing the jobs we love to do and wanting the truth...just like YOU.
The fingers are definitely being pointed in the wrong direction on this one , folks!
Most importantly to remember here is the fact that MANY CREDIBLE WITNESSES have had experiences with creatures that defy orothodox science. One hoaxer's admission of a widespread prank does not devalue their accounts and frightening ordeals.
We are STILL on the hunt for the Beast, and each and every day we get closer to the answer of what is truly going on in our world.
Use discretion, analyze carefully, but remember too to keep an open mind.
I hope this helps clear up a few concerns.
Have a howling good day, haven fans!
Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Raven Moonshadow
Hi Raven, I enjoyed the program and thought you looked just fine! As to the Gable footage, well, the first part did always strike me as interesting, but a couple of things bothered me; like the random shots of people doing whatever and the "all of a sudden shot" -- seemed set-up, but then, didn't know of course. The second piece, with the cop and all, that was so silly in my opinion it screamed "hoax." Which of course doesn't prove anything about anything, only that that was a hoax! It doesn't matter at all, though, not in terms of the question of real anomalous creatures, etc as you pointed out.
ReplyDeleteI liked what both you and (John Warren?) said about respect while out there, inviting these energies or beings while talking about it, and so on.
"The hunt is on" -- yes!
Thanks for stopping by Regan!
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for the kind words.
John was great to work with, as was everyone else on the team and crew.
Yeah,this film footage has certainly run its course. Im dissapointed that it was a hoax,but sadly,not surprised.
Ive said it before and I'll say it again....
It makes our work as researchers SOOOOOOO much harder when people are out there playing pranks and hoaxing. But guess what...its not going to stop us from seeking answers and continuing to do this work we are so passionate about, it only makes us that much more determined to get answers. True experience comes from the dissapointments we encounter as well as the accomplishments in our field.
And furthermore, I think the public is owed a sincere heartfelt apology on this one.
Exactly. The sightings of the dogmen were around before the film, and they'll be around afterwards. One hoax doesn't discredit the whole phenomenon, something too many people don't realize.
ReplyDeleteThough I don't know how I feel about having my family associated with a hoax, however tangentially. ;)
How long ago did Linda find out about its being faked? I'm with you, I'm disappointed, but I honestly can't say I'm surprised. At any rate, I was never convinced it was a dogman, anyway, but I did think it was some sort of real animal.
Hi Raven, although the program has yet to air in the UK, I managed to watch it online. And having been involved with several Monster Quest episodes, and knowing others who have appeared on them, I know exactly where you are coming from.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the program and I have no problem with the hoax being a large part of the episode. After all, if it wasn't exposed we'd still have people believing it was a wolfman/gorilla/bigfoot etc, rather than a guy in a ghillie suit.
I do have one question for you regarding the part in the woods when you were playing recordings of wolf howls. I just wondered if it was a little reckless, seeing that if a pack of wolves were in the area, they may have construed the sounds as a rival pack, and may have attacked believing they were defending their territory.
Was this brought up at the time, and were measures taken to prevent this.
Thanks for the comments,guys.
ReplyDeleteAaron,if you look back in my archives on this blog, I did a post not all that long ago about the Ghillie suits and how I thought some sightings may be due to them. But in my heart ,I know there are creatures, phenomena, and anomalies out there we have yet to explain. This world is a very strange place. And hoaxers sure dont make it any easier for us to make sense of everything. But my understanding is that the Gable film was originally done in good fun and meant as a spoof type film, NOT a hoax.
Mike Argusa (the creator) is quite a likeable individual from what I have heard. No harm was ever meant. It just sort of spiraled into something entirely different from the original intent.
Thanks again for your comment. I hope you are well and enjoying this beautiful weather!
Good morning HT!
ReplyDeleteSorry for the delay in response. I was a little under the weather these past few days.
To answer your question, we were always under the watchful eye of a professional animal locator/tracker that we trust completely. There was of course an element of danger on the expedition, but never any reckless or irresponsible behavior toward human OR animal.
Thank you for your comment and question.
I hope you are enjoying your day! : )