Hello and welcome back to Life’s Biggest Questions, I’m Ron McKenzie-Lefurgey.
The Skinwalkers are mysterious malign creatures of legend, popular among numerous indigenous
tribes in North America, most famously the Navajo.
They are believed to be high-level witches with the ability to transform into any animal,
after breaking a powerful taboo.
But what if these evil beings actually existed, and were found around the world?
Let’s explore.
If you want more What If videos, check out our “Biggest What Ifs” playlist on the
channel.
Now get ready, it’s time to ask the question: What if Skinwalkers were Real?
As I said, Skinwalkers are said to have the ability to turn into any animal.
Skinwalkers were generally depicted as a coyote, wolf, fox, or crow, but they are said to be
able to take the form of any animal that suits their needs.
I touched on the implications of this a bit in my video on What if the Aswang were real,
hopefully that’s pronounced slightly better this time.
But in this case there is a good deal to expand upon, since the animal transformations would
be much more relevant in this case.
It should be noted that they can do more than shapeshift; they also have a number of other
supernatural powers, able to negatively affect people with a variety of magic spells, using
a number of techniques.
Of course, if these creatures existed, many would want to hunt them down, since they’re
known to commit foul deeds.
Since skinwalkers tend to be all white while in animal form, albino animals would likely
be hunted down.
However, legend tells that to kill a skinwalker, you need to use white ash, often claiming
that you must shoot a skinwalker in the neck with a bullet covered in white ash to kill
it for good.
It would also be important to watch what you say when in unsecured locations, since there’s
a chance that there would be a skinwalker listening, in the form of a small animal,
even an insect.
Of course, given the privacy concerns currently, with laptops and smart phones listening to
us so much, we’re already becoming more used to the idea that someone could be listening.
But with skinwalkers, the information wouldn’t be used to try to sell us things; it could
be used to blackmail us, or to destroy our lives.
Which would be significantly more worrisome.
Sadly, as was the case in the Aswang video, the allure of being able to transform into
other animals would be great.
There’s a good chance that many people would want to become a skinwalker; as a big fan
of the Animorphs books when I was a kid, it would be extremely tempting to me.
However, the only way to turn into a skinwalker is to break a strong cultural taboo, generally
through the murder of one’s own family.
And as annoying as it is when my dad eats peanuts, it isn’t quite cause for execution.
However, there are a number of people who would go through with this.
Heck, sometimes people kill their family even without the reward of supernatural powers.
This could have significant effects on the family, since people might be more hesitant
to discipline their kids, or argue with siblings.
Of course, most people wouldn’t worry about this, assuming it to be something that happens
to other people; but some disturbed people would definitely be tempted.
There’s even a chance that monstrous people, without other family members, would have a
child just so they could become a skinwalker.
But let’s not think about that; it’s far too depressing.
This would become even more of an issue in teenagers, who would likely be taken in by
charismatic Skinwalker leaders, and convinced to kill a family member in order to join their
ranks.
This would definitely cause some tension and paranoia in the general population, and could
result in parents being overly cautious about their children’s friends.
While parents are often overly protective when it comes to their children joining groups
like goths or punks, it would be far more understandable if their lives were on the
line.
As time went on, secret skinwalker societies would spring up, likely hiding outside of
civilization, creating their own stories and culture.
But this brings up another factor that would be involved here.
If Skinwalkers had a child, would it, too, be a skinwalker?
It seems likely.
And as numbers grew, it’s possible that these skinwalkers would no longer be able
to hide in the shadows, but might have to join society.
This would be especially prevalent as generations went on.
While the first generation skinwalkers chose to lead a life in exile, their children would
not have made such a choice.
Of course, due to their genetics and environment, there’s a good chance that the offspring
would have similarly brutal personalities.
But there’s a good chance that some amount of rebellion would be seen, with the young
wanting to join the humans.
We see this in other cults like Scientology, with many members, including family members
of the current leader, David Miscavage, escaping the church to pursue normal lives.
This would likely be common in future generations of skinwalkers, who wanted the benefits of
being part of society.
If a portion of the skinwalkers joined the human population, it would be difficult for
both groups.
Normal people would be afraid of the skinwalkers, knowing the actions they or their ancestors
had taken to become that way.
Even the most open-minded people would know that these people could be dangerous.
They would, of course, deserve a chance, since many did not choose the life they were born
into, but they would still be very dangerous.
At the same time, it wouldn’t be a party for the skinwalkers.
There would be huge culture shock, moving from a group of outsiders to the general population,
plus the stigma of their heritage would follow them everywhere they went.
However, as they began joining society, and proving themselves to be useful, it’s likely
that they would become more accepted.
Unfortunately, this acceptance might come at a price.
Since their powers would make them so dangerous, the government might wish to be able to keep
tabs on the skinwalker populace.
This is something that is seen in a good deal of fiction with regards to super powers.
Whether it’s mutant registration seen in the X-Men, or the more general superhuman
registration act, people might be inclined to know who these skinwalkers were.
This might be deemed a necessary evil, but would be seen as distasteful by many.
There’s also a good chance that there would be significant restrictions on when and where
these people can shapeshift.
Of course, in certain circumstances, it would be hugely beneficial to change into an animal.
Having a team of gorillas as construction workers would be very useful, and the bird
form would be perfect for security, thanks to their keen eyesight.
But the government would be hesitant to allow people to change whenever they want, in the
interest of national security.
This would, of course, be difficult to police, but it would help to prevent some skinwalkers
from using their powers for person gain.
But let’s be real; many probably still would.
And now we return to our question: What if Skinwalkers were Real?
Well, as more and more people transitioned, and began having kids, they might have to
eventually rejoin society.
They would probably be ostracized for some time, but could eventually become productive
citizens, particularly if they put their powers to good use, rather than for evil.
However, their abilities would likely be monitored, with their location known and powers restricted
in most cases.
Thank you for watching Life’s Biggest Questions, I hope this was interesting and informative,
and maybe even inspired you to look into it further on your own.
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While you’re down there, let me know if there’s anything you would add to this hypothetical
scenario, or suggest your own!
Until next time, I’m Ron McKenzie-Lefurgey with Life’s Biggest Questions, wishing you
the best of luck, on your quest for answers.