Squatch, MAGA, and T-Shirts
Major Solomon Berg once stated that Squatch has no heroes. Regardless of whether either Berg or Squatch is real or a figure of myth and legend, it should be beyond dispute that the Hairy One cannot be limited by politics.
The same cannot be said of those who use the image of Sasquatch. It is an archetype in itself and it appears in any number of settings. How it is being used deserves at least some consideration.
With the election soon upon us, pollsters have yet to measure the effect of Bigfoot on the vote. Since a nationwide poll is beyond my means, I used a nonscientific survey to sample the T-shirts, phone cases, and grass roots signs advocating for a particular candidate. Trump is the runaway candidate of choice.
Indeed, as far as I can determine the “Bigfoot for Biden” movement is almost nonexistent, although Squatch was willing to help remove Trump from office and there are a few items for sale.
Bigfoot for Biden: Funniest Election Products / Amazon
Squatch Cleaning up the past tenant. OmneDesigns / Redbubble
This result is hardly surprising. QAnon and MAGA has influenced a number of fields of interest. “Pastel QAnon” came a define the intersection of wellness and new age beliefs with the right. Jason Colavito and others have documented the link between the right and believers of UFO or alien conspiracies.
When conspiracy becomes part of someone’s partisan identity, other ideas spread. In other words, those who start with the politics of conspiracy are more likely to believe in Bigfoot. From there, it is just one more step to use the imagery to display their affiliation.
John O’Connor (The Secret History of Bigfoot: Field Notes on a North American Monster, Sourcebooks, 2024) explores Bigfoot as a symbol that goes beyond the debate about its existence. He wrote that Bigfooters and Trumpers, overlap to include “extreme reactionary views, a tendency toward the sensationalistic, a fetishization of traditional masculinity, a hard-bitten mistrust of urban elites generally and the federal government and its scientific minions specifically, coupled with an inverse, reflexive flag waving and suspicion of ‘protestors’ and ‘kneelers.’ ”
There is a lot there. Perhaps more simply it can be said that a distrust of science, ignoring the standards of evidence, and the effect of one’s own fears or biases can lead to people to embrace any number of things.
If political T-shirt sales are any indication, O’Connor is right. This is not to say that most Squatch enthusiasts or researchers are Trump supporters. But those who use the swag to show their politics certainly are.
In many ways it is a strange phenomenon. Bigfoot is nonaligned. If Squatch has a message, it is to protect the wild and its mysteries. Trump is for development, advocates policies that will increase the rate of climate change, has reduced protected lands and has no interest in the outdoors if it cannot be used for a hotel or a golf course.
But Squatch is outside of society and civilization. It is not bound by our norms. If you want someone who will pee on Biden, Bigfoot is the guy. If you want to embrace a conspiracy, Bigfoot leads the way. Bigfoot does not bow to liberals (or anyone else). It is the perfect symbol for MAGA being American. And Bigfoot will not object to the way its image is used.
