Loch Ness Monster: The World's Favorite Sea Creature

I am a huge fan of River Monsters and any sort of nature or wildlife special. Creatures in the water are fascinating to me because they seem to be lurking underneath the surface of the water just out of sight. One of the most famous “creatures of the deep” is the Loch Ness monster, affectionately known as Nessie.

Human kind has a long love affair with the Loch Ness monster. The Loch Ness monster is said to live in Loch Ness near Inverness, Scotland.^[1]This loch is massive with a depth of approximately 800 ft and a length of around 23 miles.^[1]Earliest records of Nessie sightings go back to 500 AD with local Pict carvings.^[1]Nessie gained modern recognition with the famous sighting on May 2, 1933.^[1]A local couple reported to the Inverness Courier“an enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface.” Since then, investigators and scientists have kept a constant interest in the lake trying to find the monster. In 1975, the Boston Academy of Applied Science used sonar and underwater photography to search below the surface of the loch.^[1]The expedition was repeated again in the 1980s and 1990s. In that time, there has never been scientific proof of Nessie. However, there is a famous photo taken in 1934 that seemed to substantiate the Loch Ness monster. This photo was found to be a hoax in 1994.

Despite the scientific evidence disproving the legend of Nessie, there were still eight reported sightings of Nessie is 2017.^[2] There have been several television specials on the History Channel, PBS, and BBC with scientists and key witnesses arguing for and against the legend. How can people still believe and insist on the Loch Ness monster as a reality even though there is no scientific proof and all of the supposed proof has been discarded as fake or explained as ripples caused by boats and wind across Loch Ness? 

It may seem like this is a trivial matter, however, this indicates a clear disregard for scientific fact in preference to personal opinion. The continued argument over the Loch Ness monster represents that the Science Wars are still alive and flourishing in society. Why is this important? It indicates what the public requires as an authority for legitimation in order to put believe into it. Essentially, the mob (public) tends to agree with anything easy, radical, or shocking. Whether or not the claims can be traced to substantiated and peer-reviewed scientific facts is immaterial. Even though I know the Loch Ness monster is not real, I kind of wish it was just because of the “coolness” and “shocking” factor it represents.

This enjoyment of the mob (public) for shocking, radical, and convenient information is starting to get uncontrollable as the major news outlets are becoming aware of it. To sell the most magazines or newspapers, to get the most views on a page, or to get the most views on television, journalists and thought-provokers are trying to sell people on the next big thing be in a current event, scientific study, or any other story. They blow current events into huge proportions often pointing fingers and reporting “facts” before there are any, bastardize scientific studies to produce “facts” like chocolate prevents cancer, and take “artistic license” to beef up stories. It really is no wonder that there are portions of the mob (public) that believe in the Loch Ness monster. Society is now convinced that there are multiple sides to every story even when it has been proven to be false via science or rigorous investigation. 

References

[1] History Chanel.com. Loch Ness Monster. https://www.history.com/topics/loch-ness-monster. 18 Apr 2018.

[2] BBC. 2017 has been a ‘record year’ for sightings of the Loch Ness monster. http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/41997932/2017-has-been-a-record-year-for-sightings-of-the-loch-ness-monster. 18 Apr 2018.