Are women safer if they encounter a bear or a man in the woods?

[IcakethereforeIam]

This is an interesting thought experiment

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/relationships/article-13360727/man-bear-viral-question-domestic-violence-australia-dating.html

The DM nick enough off MN, so no apology for returning the favour.

Definitely team bear here.

There are links to articles regarding DV in Australia.

This is quite ridiculous. I am a solo woman country walker and have been for many years. iI is so unlikely to meet a man with bad intent whilst out country walking whereas a cow or herd of cows can pose genuine danger. The chances of meeting a bear are next to none of course. As for bad men, they’re more likely to hang out in the church opposite my home than hang about any open countryside and looking for a woman to abuse.

Have you read this whole thread - I hope not, or else you have had an empathy bypass. But have a slow hand clap for never having encountered a frightening, as in potentially deadly, man.

I've just asked my DH, he thought for a very long time (relatively) before saying Man. I then asked bear or woman and he almost immediately said woman. When I pointed out the time difference he immediately said 'I was trying to work out the man's intention's'

It was lost somewhat on teenage ds with autism who waffled on about not wanting to be in a wood with Liz Truss, but Bear Grylls might be ok.

Haven’t read the whole thread but wondering if anyone has seen the same TikTok video that I did, where a park ranger pointed out that female only hiking groups are highly unlikely to be attacked by a bear, whereas male or mixed sex groups are more likely - women apparently take more evasive action and have less threatening body language. Male groups or men within
a group are more likely (statistically) to antagonise the bear, so fatalities are more likely - in mixed sex groups women are more likely to be killed.

As a thought experiment it’s highlighted what a problem men are, and how so many are too stupid to understand the point.

That’s very interesting @BigRedCat

Those that choose "bear" are not doing so here because they hate men.

Just to be clear, one of my reasons for choosing team bear is because I dislike most men. Personal experience has taught me a lot.

Except women out walking encounter a LOT more men than they encounter bears.

What is interesting to me is not whether people chose man or bear (I'd probably choose man, btw) but the fact that 'woman or bear' is not even a question because the answer is so bloody obvious...

Completely agree with this @AnthuriumCrystallinum

@Topofthemountain I wouldn't especially want to be in the woods with Liz Truss but it wouldn't bother me too much. I would definitely prefer the lettuce though.

What is interesting to me is not whether people chose man or bear (I'd probably choose man, btw) but the fact that 'woman or bear' is not even a question because the answer is so bloody obvious...

Completely agree with this @AnthuriumCrystallinum

@Topofthemountain I wouldn't especially want to be in the woods with Liz Truss but it wouldn't bother me too much. I would definitely prefer the lettuce though.

This trend has now evolved on Tik Tok with women asking their partners

"Would you rather our daughter was in the woods with a bear or a man"

Almost all of them answered "bear" and the fear in their eyes gives them away. Men know.

The comments on those threads are heartbreaking too. Women saying

"At least if I said I was attacked by I bear, everyone would believe me"

"I wouldn't have to meet the bear in a family reunion every year".

No. Just being caught alone with a man I don't know well or one I already know to be a problem. As I believe most women do.

Bear.
I live next to a lovely wood, that I don’t walk in anymore alone because of the actions of several men.

Well done for managing to completely miss the point.

Your little rant has NOTHING to do with the question at hand.

The fact that i had to even think about the answer is alarming.

There's also the point that if you tell somebody there's a bear following you and you're scared, they won't tell you you're imagining it, the bear just wants to be friends with you, you should have stopped and talked to the bear because it was lonely or why did you go out in clothes that will obviously attract the Wrong Sort of Bear.

For the majority of us who don't have the need to go clumping through the forest making it clear you're coming along and giving bears a warning that you aren't going to surprise them creeping around a corner whilst armed with bear spray and a big fucking gun, and are instead trying to walk home from the train station without being followed, asked for your phone number/whether you're married/if you like to 'party'/do you like it up the arse/why are you such a snotty bitch that thinks she's too good to talk to somebody 'just being nice', day after day, night after night, you're relying on a man wild animal not being rapey, pissed off with you or just a bit mad.

Meh. Daily mail.

vm.tiktok.com/ZGexrvPhH/

Men’s reactions are real… telling tbh.

There’s one, posted a video ranting about how his mother was attacked by a bear, wrote a book about it and anyone answering best should feel privileged that they didn’t know the reality of a bear attack.

Turns out his mother did a Reddit AMA after the book, and she carries a gun, in case she meets dodgy men 😐

Random... 😵‍💫

It is interesting that the response from a lot of men has been to get angry rather than think oh my god, what the fuck has gone so badly wrong with men that women would rather take their chances with a bear

Or mansplain about how silly the women are for choosing the bear without listening at all to why women choose the bear. It goes completely over their heads but, instead of trying to look at it from women's POV, they immediately assume they know best and lecture us instead of thinking about how telling it is that so many women see men as so dangerous.

Completely nonsensical

Increasingly that is what some women are choosing to do.

A bear! I walk a lot around urban areas where I live with occasional parks. If I am alone and see someone coming toward me, I notice how I quickly try and work out if it’s another woman and breathe out in relief.

Some men are busy keeping fit but there are others where you very much get the vibe that they just had a row at home or something, they look angry and stare at me as I go by. Those are the ones that make me feel nervous.
I am in Australia and it doesn’t help that one of my DC’s friends was murdered by a man who just decided that he would kill a woman. Younger men in particular are quite radicalised by stuff they watch on the internet.

I have encountered several varieties of bears in the woods. Admittedly, all of them have been near human settlements or major camping areas so they have been bears who are used to seeing humans. They know we are the creatures who occasionally get sloppy and leave yummy food around. They aren’t just going to attack for fun, it will be because they feel threatened for some reason.

so definitely going to take my chance with the bear over a random man with no witnesses. I don’t even like being in an elevator alone with a man.