Bigfoot P-OT Analysis

Link to article: https://www.bfro.net/GDB/show_report.asp?id=9312

Term:	Definition:	Quote(s):	Explanation:
Facts/truths - observed	Agreed upon reality. Concrete data.	“It was on two legs and stooped over. It was grayish and had a manlike face, but its nose was flatter than a human nose. Its face had no hair. It was about 5 ft tall and was covered with gray hair.” “The deputy told me that he was called to the witnesses’ house at approximately 2300 hours (11:00 PM), the night of 31 August 2004.”	The witness gives really specific details that they personally observed, and the follow up report gives specific concrete data about things like the deputy arriving. When the witness says what they saw as if it were fact, they want to make you believe it. The other really specific details given also make it seem more “real.”
Presumptions	Admitted as assumptions.	“I could not see anything because it was so dark. That's when I decided that it must be someone over there because it sounded like a heavy person had stepped on the tin.”	Witness admits that she just assumes it was Bigfoot because she couldn’t actually see it at this point.
Presence - space	Drawing attention to the premises. Making it feel close.	“The area lies on the outskirts of El Campo, a small town southwest of Houston, in the coastal plains with a population of 10,945. There is a creek that runs directly through the witnesses’ property. The creek runs for miles until it eventually runs into the Colorado River bottoms.”	They give really specific information about the area where the sighting occurred. This makes the story feel closer and more real (especially for me, since this is in my hometown).
Interpretation - interpretive schemes	Make the data relevant. Limit the context of interpretation to gain clarity.	“I always thought things like this weren't real but now I know different. They are very real. After we saw what we saw, the El Campo newspaper had an article about a similar animal about 30 miles away in Matagorda County.”	They’re limiting the context they can interpret this story. They saw a similar story in the newspaper, so suddenly they feel like it must be Bigfoot instead of something else.
Metaphor	Analogy where theme and phoros are condensed into a phrase.	“I asked the witnesses if the creature ran similar to the way a soldier in combat would run and the witnesses responded with a resounding, ‘Yes! That’s a perfect way to describe it!’”	This person makes a metaphor comparing this Bigfoot creature the witnesses saw and a soldier running in combat. This just feels really fake to me.
Illustration - clarity	Event strengthens adherence to a rule. Event makes rule clearer.	“One of the sons of the witnesses has heard ... some strange moaning howls in the early morning hours when sitting out with his girlfriend and others. I was able to talk to the girlfriend who actually tried to replicate the sounds for me. Her rendition sounded like a mournful howl and growl.”	They make this woman illustrate these sounds she heard to clarify what it was that they heard.