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Cannibals In USA National Parks

GNC

King-Sized Canary
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Aug 25, 2001
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Social media strikes again, I don't know if this is still a "thing" but (as reported in FT 415) last year there was a trend to explain away disappearances in America's National Parks as the result of people who have gone feral and started hunting and eating hikers and tourists.

Here's a rundown of the theory:
Article

It points out that while there are probably people living off grid in America's parks, they do so because of poverty and are not flesh-eating murderers. Also, Bigfoot is not involved, nor is the Wendigo.

I've not seen it mentioned anywhere else, but this sounds like the horror film franchise Wrong Turn, which apparently is so convincing some folks are taking it as fact.
 
Honestly, David Paulides tapped a gold mine by making a big deal about people missing in US parks.
It's Bigfoot. No, Wendigoes (never knew this was plural). No, feral human cannibals. No, aliens. No, supernatural portals! Hell, take your pick. Anything but people getting lost, falling, being attacked by animals, or otherwise becoming ill because that is just too boring.
 
Honestly, David Paulides tapped a gold mine by making a big deal about people missing in US parks.
It's Bigfoot. No, Wendigoes (never knew this was plural). No, feral human cannibals. No, aliens. No, supernatural portals! Hell, take your pick. Anything but people getting lost, falling, being attacked by animals, or otherwise becoming ill because that is just too boring.

There does seem to be an anti-Occam's Razor thing going on throughout the internet where the most outlandish explanation is the preferred one. I know life can be more interesting if there's weirdness in it, but it doesn't have to be THAT interesting.
 
I think our lives (at least in the US) are mundane enough that the need for wonder must by default be filled by stories set in places like national parks. It's the only sort of space outside what we consider "normal" anymore. That and the sea-- and that's how you get stuff like the Bermuda triangle still getting traction.
 
…while there are probably people living off grid in America's parks, they do so because of poverty…

l’d suggest that it’s more of a conscious lifestyle choice, e.g. the “trapline men” back from the Vietnam war, or Ted Kaczynski the Unabomber.

maximus otter
 
There does seem to be an anti-Occam's Razor thing going on throughout the internet where the most outlandish explanation is the preferred one. I know life can be more interesting if there's weirdness in it, but it doesn't have to be THAT interesting.
Ah, you will be thinking of Occam's beard wax. Instead of being shaved away to the minimum, the beard is trimmed to whatever shape suits the wearer then all the separate strands are artificially bonded together with a bit of a glossy effect. See also Occam's hair dye ("Darling, you look so much better with just a touch of plausibility") and Occam's comb-over, in which a few strands of fact are pulled unconvincingly over a large bald patch that everyone else can see.
 
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