The question, directed towards women, seems simple: Would you rather be alone in the woods with a man or a bear?
Many, many women have answered "Bear", which has a whole bunch of men, who don't pay attention to what women actually say (or want, or need, or deserve), blowing their collective gaskets.
People rankled by the number of women choosing to take their chances with a bear have called the question “misandrist” and said it’s an excuse to freely hate on men. Others, missing the point entirely, have taken the opportunity to mock and belittle women in response.
The answer "Bear" makes perfect sense to me and doesn't surprise me even a little. Even today, in the 21st century, it's a sad fact that in America (and most of the world) being a girl or woman is dangerous and terrifying, every single day. As a white man, I can move around most places without fear of either humiliation, abuse or violence. But women cannot. I can absolutely empathize with how incredibly difficult it is for women (as well as all minorities) to simply exist in a public space.
CNN has a pretty good article explaining the question and various perspectives on the responses. It's worth a read.
3 comments:
There have been a number of "this is why I pick the bear" responses, which have included:
* I pick the bear because if I'm attacked, people will believe me.
* I pick the bear because if I'm attacked, no one will ask what I was wearing.
* I pick the bear because if I'm attacked, I won't be forced to carry the bear's baby to term in 20+ states.
In truth, if you're a man, you either understand why women are picking the bear, or your the reason they're picking the bear.
Well said.
I too would pick bear. Plus, it takes great balls to fight a bear. Ask Arn Anderson and Bryan Danielson... they've fought bears and survived. Plus, if you know enough about nature and the attributes of a bear. You might become friends with it although I wouldn't up like that guy in that Werner Herzog doc.
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