Full episode available on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/SilentGeneration The field of cryptozoology emerged in the mid-20th century as people began to investigate sightings of mysterious creatures like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster using pseudoscientific methods. On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Joseph and Nathan begin by theorizing that cryptozoology emerged as a way for the United States and other Anglosphere countries to generate their own folklore. They delineate why it is a primarily American phenomenon, pointing to the country's huge swaths of undeveloped land. They then discuss several famous cryptids such as Bigfoot, Mothman, the Michigan Dogman, the Flatwoods Monster, the Loch Ness Monster, and Thunderbirds. They conclude with a discussion of how paranormal media “slopified” cable television in the early 2010s, and how the rise of AI has made photo and video evidence of cryptids even less believable.    Links:What is a cryptid?CryptomundoThe Cryptid Zoo: Satyrs (or Fauns) in CryptozoologyOn the Track of Unknown Animals by Bernard Heuvelmans The Discovery of the Okapi, Part 1Backwoods HorrorThe Maryland Snallygaster: Devil of Racist Politics by Jake SeboeThe racist roots of Maryland’s mythical Snallygaster monster by Julie Scharper Patterson-Gimlin Film HD 60fpsThe Mothman Prophecies by John A. Keel The Mothman Revisited - Unsolved MysteriesEpisode 14: Chicago Tales - Otherworld podcastEp. 113: The Michigan Dogman Pt. 1 - Otherworld podcastEp. 114: The Michigan Dogman Pt. 2 - Otherworld podcast#70: Flatwoods Monster - Cryptonauts podcastFlatwoods Monster - Cryptid WikiThe Flatwoods MonsterThe Cryptid Collector’s TrioScooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster (2004)Thunderbird - Cryptid WikiMonsterQuest (2007-2010)Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real (2004)The Truth is out there” the Alan Champagne Morro Bay Disappearance by Katya Cengel   Artwork:unknown   Recorded on 10/29/2025