Men, Women, Science, Sex and Bigfoot.
Today I read a very interesting article on Cryptomundo by Loren Coleman. I sat back in my seat and thought..... Huh?
In THIS article by Mr. Coleman he discusses women who have made it in a "mans world".. He specifically discusses women of the Indy Circuit. I actually grew up and lived just mere miles from the town where Danica Patrick was raised (Roscoe/Rockton, Illinois) so I know, and can say without hesitation - when Danica made it in Indy, women all across the area where I lived were jumping up and down with joy - then, her photos came out, it was the pause that was heard to the Canadian Border.
Was she wrong?
I have seen some racy photos of men who are very popular in sports, and they sell like mad, and no one says a word - other than "Wow, he really is in shape" or "I wanna drive the car he is selling". Danica did that - and all hell broke loose.
Lets not beat around the bush here - sex has been selling everything from cars to food over the years (or at least since the invention of advertising). Now, Mr. Coleman brings up an interesting point, and one I had to sit and think about for a few hours before deciding how to respond to this.
I see the point he is making - its all about marketing, putting a face to the research and getting your research funded But, question - would it work for us? I really don't think so, and is it worth it to lose the respect of your fellow researchers? I say no. If I thought a sexy shot of myself would help get this animal protected, I would follow in the shoes of Danica Patrick, but its not the same thing. Sports and other reasons for this, are accepted in mainstream society - what we do is not, and would only further the firestorm of "are these people crazy?" In my opinion that type of move would be seen by the general public and skeptics as a push for money only, and the reason behind needing the money would be lost. We are trying to solve a mystery, not fund a car going around in circles (for the record I'm a Nascar fan).
While I understand the point Mr. Coleman is making, I just do not think its a viable option. I do think the younger generation (if interested) will seek us out, and thats what we need - people and scientists interested for the right reasons.
Mr. Coleman brings up some good points in this article, but I can't say I see any good coming from a move like that. Hey, I could be wrong though, and I wouldn't think any less of a man or woman who decided to market themselves..
But, just remember - what you do, reflects on us all whether you think so or not.
In THIS article by Mr. Coleman he discusses women who have made it in a "mans world".. He specifically discusses women of the Indy Circuit. I actually grew up and lived just mere miles from the town where Danica Patrick was raised (Roscoe/Rockton, Illinois) so I know, and can say without hesitation - when Danica made it in Indy, women all across the area where I lived were jumping up and down with joy - then, her photos came out, it was the pause that was heard to the Canadian Border.
Was she wrong?
I have seen some racy photos of men who are very popular in sports, and they sell like mad, and no one says a word - other than "Wow, he really is in shape" or "I wanna drive the car he is selling". Danica did that - and all hell broke loose.
Lets not beat around the bush here - sex has been selling everything from cars to food over the years (or at least since the invention of advertising). Now, Mr. Coleman brings up an interesting point, and one I had to sit and think about for a few hours before deciding how to respond to this.
I see the point he is making - its all about marketing, putting a face to the research and getting your research funded But, question - would it work for us? I really don't think so, and is it worth it to lose the respect of your fellow researchers? I say no. If I thought a sexy shot of myself would help get this animal protected, I would follow in the shoes of Danica Patrick, but its not the same thing. Sports and other reasons for this, are accepted in mainstream society - what we do is not, and would only further the firestorm of "are these people crazy?" In my opinion that type of move would be seen by the general public and skeptics as a push for money only, and the reason behind needing the money would be lost. We are trying to solve a mystery, not fund a car going around in circles (for the record I'm a Nascar fan).
While I understand the point Mr. Coleman is making, I just do not think its a viable option. I do think the younger generation (if interested) will seek us out, and thats what we need - people and scientists interested for the right reasons.
Mr. Coleman brings up some good points in this article, but I can't say I see any good coming from a move like that. Hey, I could be wrong though, and I wouldn't think any less of a man or woman who decided to market themselves..
But, just remember - what you do, reflects on us all whether you think so or not.
posted by Melissa Hovey @ 5:06 PM
2 Comments:
At 9:48 PM,
Sean "The Forkchop" Forker said…
Great Response to Coleman's article. On the show tonight, I addressed the fact that I thought Loren was misinterpreted. I stand by that. However, the second part of todays article, I think he might have fell into the deep end of the pool.
You make extremely valid points Melissa, and kudos for continuing to stand up for the women in this field.
My Best,
Sean Forker
At 11:54 PM,
Loren Coleman said…
It is great to read your blog here, Melissa. I wanted to hear from women in Bigfoot research, as I see the changing demographics of the field. Indeed, women more than any males should be talking about these issues.
As for me, there is no way I am advocating women in the Bigfoot field wearing swimsuits to raise money for research. I wished to point out that a certain amount of "attractiveness" (whether of intelligence, skills, or appearance) has been used for promotion, in conjunction with the entry of women into everything from car racing to primatology.
In my blog, I specifically ask the two following questions because I am not saying that the same route should be taken in cryptozoology, as it has in the racing world:
+++++
Are there things we [all Bigfooters] don't want to transfer from one to the other?
Are there things women wish to learn and reject from the marketing of these women Indy 500 racers?
+++++
Good blog you've written.
Loren Coleman
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