Editing 2387: Blair Witch
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete|Created by an INFANT BLAIR WITCH. Needs general cleanup/expansion..? Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | |
− | The | + | ''{{w|The Blair Witch Project}}'' is a {{w|found footage}} horror film released in 1999. For the marketing campaign of the film, the producers created the legend of the Blair Witch, a supernatural being whose legend originates in {{w|Burkittsville}}, MD. As was common in Protestant societies at the time, a woman was ostracized from the community on account of {{w|witchcraft}}. This woman, who tends to conflict in name with various versions of the lore, would supposedly attempt to inflict revenge upon the community that exiled her, and these fearful people fled from the town. |
− | + | The comic takes a humorous turn on the legend, suggesting that, while the film was confirmed as 'faked/misrepresented footage', the Blair Witch is instead a separate species that is being tracked by the {{w|IUCN Red List}}. With the rise of camera-phones in the modern age, sightings of {{w|List of cryptids|beings that are most likely fictitious}} (such as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster) are becoming rarer over time, due to [[1235: Settled|lack of credibility of a reported sighting without visual evidence]]. A species which has not been notably documented for a long time would indeed be moved to the "possibly {{w|extinct in the wild}}" category, as [[Megan]] notes. | |
− | + | In attempting to understand this in a way that does not involve refuting the existence of the Blair Witch, Megan cites {{w|habitat loss}} as the reason why encountering a Blair Witch might be more difficult. Habitat loss is in fact one of the most prominent and concerning reasons for extinction in recent years. Megan claims that suburban projects have fragmented the witch's "spooky forest" ecosystem, a reference to the many species that are dying off due to encroachment, logging, and similar human activities. Migration due to {{w|climate change}} is also an observable phenomenon in animal populations (and some plant populations, depending on their mode of travel while in seeds; those that rely on animals to germinate will migrate as well). | |
− | + | Megan then proposes a plan to catch and breed Blair Witches in an attempt to resurrect the species. This final panel is more obviously humorous, as even if the Blair Witch ''did'' exist separate from humans, there is only one, and thus any attempt to breed and repopulate would be futile. It may be possible that {{w|Parthenogenesis|this is not a problem}}, but if it is, it could also raise the objection that any pair of Blair Witch may both be female, and thus unable to reproduce. This could be resolved by (a) assuming that Witches can ({{w|Sequential hermaphroditism|sometimes?}}) be male as well, or (b) assuming that, much like Tremblay's salamander, where females can reproduce with a male of a related species (most likely human, in which case this project would definitely '''not''' meet APA standards of ethicality!). The phrase "Blair Witch Reintroduction Project" is a reference to ''The Blair Witch Project''. | |
− | + | The title-text suggests that the comic is a lecture, as Megan's whiteboard and baton/pointer/whatever would suggest. A (presumed) student asks whether Megan is concerned that witches won't breed in captivity (a serious real-world concern to the IUCN). If this is a press conference, the question would be asked by a reporter instead. Megan replies that they are worried that there ''will'' be breeding, but biologists are unsure how the breeding occurs, calling it "harrowing" (presumably because they have captured the Blair Witch and it has set a curse on their laboratory as she supposedly did in Burkittsville). | |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
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:Megan: The IUCN redlist says the witch is "possibly extinct in the wild." | :Megan: The IUCN redlist says the witch is "possibly extinct in the wild." | ||
− | :[A close-up of Megan's face. The screen now shows a habitat map, with four separate shaded areas enclosed in a dotted line. The dotted line and one of the areas goes to the upper edge | + | :[A close-up of Megan's face. The screen now shows a habitat map, with four separate shaded areas enclosed in a dotted line. The dotted line and one of the areas goes to the upper edge op the screen indicating they continue beyond the shown area. Beneath the dotted line and to the right there are three small squares, one of them clearly shaded the same way as the areas above. Next to each there is an unreadable label.] |
:Megan: Development in the Maryland suburbs has fragmented the spooky forest habitat. | :Megan: Development in the Maryland suburbs has fragmented the spooky forest habitat. | ||
:Megan: Climate change will push any remnant populations north. | :Megan: Climate change will push any remnant populations north. |