Letters to the Editor

BIGFOOT EXPLOITATION

RE: “Discovering Bigfoot Is a Bigfoot Documentary Made by a Bigfoot Hoaxer” [Film, Oct 25, 2017], Senior Editor Ciara Dolan’s 10-month-old review of a film made by Todd Standing—a veritable lightning rod of controversy in the Bigfoot enthusiast community. “He’s a hoaxer!” accused Dolan, adding that much of Discovering Bigfoot consists of “watching Standing wander around the wilderness and yell into the darkness every night. Every so often, he’s joined by fellow Bigfoot experts—some, he emphasizes, have PhDs—who gasp at odd footprints in the mossy earth and stick apples on tree branches while yelling ‘GIFT!’” Dolan’s piece continues to get… fan mail? Sure. We’ll call it fan mail.

Thank you very much for writing “Discovering Bigfoot Is a Bigfoot Documentary Made by a Bigfoot Hoaxer.” Although I sympathize with folks who struggle with various forms of mental illness, I take a very firm exception to what Todd Standing is doing. Even if he does suffer from some sort of mental malady, he’s at the same time preying on those who do not have the common sense or education to research and figure things out for themselves. I am very opposed to a person doing such things for personal gain.

You’re a very good writer, by the way.

Peter Livernois

ICE, ICE BABY

Re: If Dems Want to Win Elections, They Should Talk About Ice, Not ICE” [Blogtown, July 6]. “‘Abolish ICE’ may be the kind of slogan that ramps up people with cardboard protest signs at the ready, but the more activists yell ‘Abolish ICE,’ the more Trump gloats,” opined Katie Herzog. “In this one case, Trump may be right. Abolishing ICE is not a winning agenda.” What could be a winning agenda, suggests Herzog, is climate change. “Because climate—weather—does impact people’s lives. They see it, they feel it, they have to pack up and move their families when the storms, fires, or floods come bearing down. So, Democrats, if you want people to rally around a message this election season, forget abolishing ICE, which will inspire only the hardcore left. Instead, talk about windstorms, wildfires, floods, droughts, landslides, and, yes, ice—but the polar ice that is rapidly melting and will eventually flood our coasts, not the ICE that rounds up and deports humans trying to make a new life. Both are bad, but only one impacts all of us, regardless of your stance on immigration.”

Well, so far, your average Trump supporter has been willing to put up with all manner of outrages—except the treatment of families at the border. These are people that are essentially unreachable on most matters of common decency, but they get outraged about people being mean to children. Some of them do, anyway.

But if you think they’re suddenly going to change their mind about climate change, fucking forget it. These are people who think Scott Pruitt should have been allowed to gut the EPA even further. I think your basic premise is a good one if you’re trying to get people who are already Democrats motivated. But Trump voters won’t hear it. They don’t even think catastrophic climate change is real.

rich bachelor

rich bachelor, you win the Mercury’s letter of the week—and two tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater, where you can enjoy the very finest in new movies, along with fresh popcorn and cold beer… until the entire world collapses into an environmental hellscape and life as we know it is annihilated by the excruciating death-throes of inescapable planet death. Enjoy the movie!