A Summery? In the Summer-y?

 This week we read some quirky and interesting articles while we practice the art of summarization. I found today's article to be fun and a good launching point for discussing many different sides and topics. We read "Why Wikipedia is so Tough on Bigfoot" by Stephen Harrison, which is an informative and witty piece.

 In this article, Harrison dives into the conflicting sides of cryptozoology; a legitimate study of science or purely a fantastical pseudoscience. Harrison discusses the type of language that is used (and occasionally enforced) by the moderators of Wikipedia regarding articles on cryptids and the objections bigfoot believers make about the dismissive and often patronizing tone that is used on the popular information site. He shares the perspective of the Wiki moderators, defenders of misinformation, and how they're working to maintain a source that can be trusted.  "We do not allow Young Earthers or Flat Earthers to dictate our geology coverage." says a moderator, while also acknowledging that the supply of reputable folklorists is not as prominent as it could be, for giving these tales a more secure foothold in the world of information. Harrison suggests that "The two sides of Wikipedia’s Never-Ending Cryptozoological War could both stand to make some concessions.". Therefore Harrison's main argument is that while there's a lot of misinformation on the internet, as long as topics are being sorted into their correct categories, fact or fiction, they should be treated with equal amounts of kindness and respect.


Also! I learned today there's a theory that bigfoot is an interdimensional being or a GHOST and I'm honestly shocked I've never heard that theory before, with the amount of cryptids and paranormal content I've consumed. What do you think of bigfoot and what's your favorite theory or favorite cryptid? 


Comments

  1. Prof.LizzyJune 17, 2023 at 10:58 AM

    Hi Rhanna,

    This is a great summary of the article from class. What I find most effective about it is how you establish the context of the situation. Since writing is telepathy, we (the writers) must ensure that we are transmitting the right information to our receivers (the readers) so that they understand what it is we are trying to communicate. You do that well here by first establishing the context: "conflicting sides of cryptozoology", providing a brief definition of what the heck cryptozoology is anyway. On second read, consider putting in an additional sentence in between the first and the second to help bridge the gap between the situations. How might you help your readers connect the dots between the conflicting sides of cryptozoology and the language used on a Wikipedia page?

    Great work!
    -Lizzy

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fatima 💖June 20, 2023 at 2:49 PM

    Hi! Personally I think bigfoot is real but he chooses not to show himself because of how badly humans have treated the earth. I personally have this theory that Bigfoot is a close cousin of the Yeti :)

    ReplyDelete

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