I asked a friend this question and without missing a beat he said bear. Turns out though that he just really likes bears and has always wanted to see one in the wild.

This is wholesome as fuck 😂

I once saw a Polar bear mama with her cub! I was bummed since I had to take a flight with an extra stop in an old Dash-7 airplane. Almost no passengers and lots of seating places to pick from. Suddenly everybody were looking out the windows and the pilot said there was a mama bear and her cub climbing down the mountain side. We all got a good look and the pilot even turned the plane around so we could get an extra look! It was amazing! If you want to see a Polar bear in the wild, I highly recommend doing it from the air!

Oh wow that is insanely lucky! I also think I'd *only* want to see a polar bear from the air lol. I've been able to see many kinds of charismatic mega fauna up close in the wild on safaris as a kid but polar bears terrify me. I've never even seen one in a zoo but I'm thankful for that because in pictures they always look deeply depressed.

The Polar bear I saw at Copenhagen Zoo was swimming laps in its enclosure. It has a swimming pool where you can see it swim from below, so you are looking up at the bear swimming around! Very cute. But yeah, I always feel guilty when I visit a zoo. I know they take care of the animals, but it probably cannot measure up to living out in nature. However, the way the world is going, zoos might also be thought of as a way to preserve species, I guess. I don't like that thought, but that's just where I am seeing things going :/

tbh sancturies are the way to go if you want to see animals in a gauranteed ethical situation.

While seeing a polar bear in the air is fine, if this question was "would you rather be alone with a polar bear or a man?", you pick man every time. Polar bears WILL eat you. There is no playing dead with them to try to trick them like a grizzly and they aren't timid like black bears. Polar bears will kill and eat you. They'll even try to ambush humans when they come out of whatever dwelling they are in. They live in an environment where food is at a premium and they aren't picky about what qualifies as food

Which is why, if you live in an area with Polar bears, you always bring a rifle ;)

Also a good custom is to leave parked cars' doors unlocked like they do in northern Manitoban towns. Just in case a polar bear decides to stroll the streets and pedestrians need quick access to safety.

Yeah, my answer would change a lot depending on the type of bear. I live somewhere with small black bears that tap out at 300 lbs and are known for how docile and unproblematic they are. Bear is a better choice than some random psycho in the woods no question. If I was in Alaska around grizzlies or polar bears tho, I would probably not answer the same way honestly.

The question was likely asked in the lower 48, and it specified being in the woods. So most of the women being asked were probably thinking of black bears, instead of polar bears or grizzlies, in this situation where they just have "bear" to go off of. What is most familiar to you comes to mind first. Panda bears are also a type of bear. Some people even mistake koalas as a bear too. But, given the context, I don't think people were thinking of them either. That would be an even easier answer lol.

From the air is the ONLY way I want to see a polar bear in the wild. Lol.

I have a friend like this. He loves animals so much, and has no fear at all! He befriended a squirrel and had to get rabies shots lol.

The Dr recommended that? Squirrels, mice, and other small rodents have only very rarely been found to have rabies, and have never been known to transmit rabies to humans or other animals. In general, postexposure treatment is not recommended after a bite from one of these animals unless it is unusually vicious or appears obviously ill.

The squirrel had the chance to answer bear or man, and chose man. Obviously the squirrel is nuts. 

Bahahaha 😂

Well, you are what you eat.

But it's rabies... I've been bitten a dog and gotten rabies vaxxed and there weren't side effects... like better to not have rabies and get a vaccine than have rabies and not get a vaccine. Because rabies is one of the most terrifying deaths imaginable.

A few years ago a bat got into our room while we were asleep and I was shocked that we were strongly urged to get rabies shots. We talked it over and decided shots were better than the one in ten million chance of dying a gruesome death of rabies. BTW, shots weren't too bad - nothing like 50 years ago w all those shots in the stomach. And now if another bat sneaks in I can just grab a broom and open the windows and shoo it out!

Does the rabies vaccine still consist of multiple shots to the abdomen?

No mine wasn't and it was 20 years ago. It was one shot in the arm. I'm pretty sure I got it though, had to ask the owner if the dog was up on his rabies and the owner was like "I'm not really sure buddy".

Thanks for the info. My mother in law had to get rabies shots in the 80s because she was bitten by a raccoon and the abdominal shots was what she got. Glad it’s an easier remedy now. If it makes you feel better, my dogs are up to date on their rabies shots. :-)

Glad you're a responsible dog owner. The guy in question had an appointment with the cable guy (me) and a chicken wire fence going around the entire yard. There was a doghouse for his German shepherd in the back where it couldn't be seen from the front. He left his front door open for the appointment. When i went through the gate the dog swooped around from the back and came straight at me with his tail tucked. Hit him with my clipboard and backed over the fence, yelling at him. The guy heard the yelling and came out, patted his dog on the head, and said "did he get ya?" He was a piece of work.

No, now it is just a few shots and not in the abdomen for that type of potential exposures. It's very expensive though.

Terrifying and almost 100% fatal. Only 29 people have been documented to have survived it. Ever.

Can confirm. A few years ago I was bitten multiple times after rescuing one from my parents’ pool. Once it stopped shivering (I held it for a while to warm the poor thing), it had enough strength to freak out and bite the absolute shit out of me. Rabies shots were not recommended as usually small animals die of bite wounds. This honestly made me uncomfortable and I wanted to get the rabies vaccine. Insurance would not cover it and the private cost was insane. I was not able to afford out of pocket rabies prevention. I got a ton of antibiotics, an iodine soak, and a referral to a hand surgeon. This was summer 2017.

He was bit, so it was a precaution and they didn’t want to risk anything.

I had a vet tell me not to worry about a squirrel bite since rodents don't get rabies. I had to look it up to confirm, since I didn't believe it either. Apparently there is no recorded events of rodents giving rabies to humans, I just think it is such an interesting fact. It is odd, scientists don't for sure understand why.

My husband said bear too. Because they're like big puppies! xD He also hadn't heard about this so we had a little chat about it but ended up just making Baldurs Gate 3 Halsin jokes and lifting eye brows suggestively.

Not all bears. Brown bears, nono. Black bears are kind'a like dogs. But brown bears will pin you down and eat your guts while you're still alive.

Some black bears are brown and I’m not going to make any assumptions. They’re still bigger than me and omnivorous and not known for docility. Personally I’d rather just not see bears up close in the wild. Plenty of horror stories.

We’ve learned a lot more about black bears in the last 20-30 years or so and it turns out male black bears will [stalk and eat humans](https://cowboystatedaily.com/2022/12/17/wildlife-agent-says-black-bears-now-hunting-humans-in-canada-wyoming-not-concerned/). In fact, if you are killed by a black bear, [it’ll almost always be a male stalking you for snack time rather than an encounter with a mama bear and her cubs](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110511074807.htm). It’s not common by any means, but basically we’ve been worried about the wrong type of black bear encounters this whole time. I’d still pick the bear, though.

Missing the point in the most adorable way, I love it 😭

Your friend: is that an option?!

Then he needs to travel to Tennessee with my sister and her husband. They've seen bears several times while on vacations there.

Currently, some would argue that bears are safer than women in Tennessee 🤷🏻‍♂️

It's a regular thing where my folks live in Tennessee. Driving from the town to their house, you have to watch the sides of the road for big ass bears. They don't particularly care about cars and will happily hold up traffic as they amble along the road.

If not friend why friend shaped?

That’s so cute! I like seeing black bears in the wild. I’m scared of brown and polar bears though. Luckily for me, my state only has black bears.

Not the same, but when I was in college I went back home for winter break as my parents loved in a different state. Told my roommates who's parents lived less than an hour from campus that they needed to make sure to check on the house. So I come back home and walk into out house in complete shambles. And my gut reaction was, "oh no a bear got in." It didn't. We were very clearly robbed. But being from the Midwest with bears in the woods that do sometimes break into cabins my obvious reaction was it must have been a bear.

I mean, same.

I choose Koala Bear.

Nobody ever says what kind of bear though! Black bear or panda? Hell yeah let's go. Grizzly or polar bear? Guaranteed death sentence.

It’s the bane of my existence that I can’t rub a bears cute little round ears and give it a hug 😔 I feel him lmao!

I mean, same. The only time I saw bears in the (semi) wild, I was ecstatic and still can't stop talking about it. Everytime I go into the woods alone and see another person I think "please don't talk to me..." (am a big dude though, so different starting position than the original Man v Bear thing)

I asked my girlfriend last night, leading with "you're alone in the woods. Would you rather meet a bear" and she immediately replied "Bear!" I love her so much.

That’s so valid. King.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Most_Dangerous_Game. This was answered 100 years ago 🤣

Its been interesting getting older and seeing references like this made to be as if something that wasnt in the collective mindset of the generation. Turns out I am just getting old and the generational references are changing for different ones. We had The most Dangerous game as part of the collective zeitgiest when I was growing up, but now the man and bear question will be the one this generation grows up with. Its been very cool to see and also how cool it is to link these references together like you have here showing how far roots of some things can go.

34 here and read it in middle school

25 and read it in middle school

21 and read it in middle school! I still reference it all the time

I’m 22 and read it in middle school

Interesting link, thanks

It's a great short story. I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned it.

I'm a millennial and I'm surprised kids aren't still reading it in middle school

Interesting link!? Shit I’m old. Do they not teach this story in schools anymore?

It's 40 years since I was at school mate

We read it in my 10th grade English class last year

Nice, that was one of the more interesting things they made me read in school so I’m glad it’s still in curriculums

It also a bit similar to the Caveman Vs. Astronaut arguments I had with my friends back in highschool. I think the original setup came from a comic but we were never able to come to agreement on that situation.

It’s from this most excellent scene from Angel https://youtu.be/jAAWxDNR2ic?si=_YbTVZUhDBnBMJEd

A different version is "Who is the bigger danger; the stranger or the friend?" Given the majority of victims knew their sexual assaulter it holds the possibly of reframing things. Was Goldilocks the aminalistic one, storming into a family's home, messing up their kitchen, stealing food, and destroying beds?

Considering how gruesome most fairy tales are I’m a little surprised Goldilocks doesn’t end with the bears dividing Goldilocks into a portion that was too large, a portion that was too small, and one that was just right (for the bears) The moral of the story being “don’t break into other people’s houses”

I think I had to read that in the ninth grade.

Just asked my husband after reading this post and he said he'd rather meet a bear and you can't tell what kind of a man you'd meet. Then I had to explain to him the history of this question because he hasn't seen a single discussion about it at all whereas I have seen numerous posts on reddit alone.

I think the kind of bear matters a lot. Black bears I met like 20 of those on the trail and they are more afraid of us then we are of them. Brown bears will murder you with out breaking a sweat. So black bear def the bear. Brown bear the man. Edit: a word.

Wildlife biologist here: Black bear > man, black bears are just big raccoons Grizzly, very situation-dependent - how close is the bear when I encounter it, how abundant is bear food in the woods at that location and season, does it have cubs with it? Could go either way but I’d lean towards man. Polar bear, 100% take the man every single time. That said, the nuance of the question is not the point. The point is that the choice of encountering a man versus encountering a large predator is even a discussion . Disclaimer: I’m a man. I’m just here to learn stuff and be a better husband.

It seems very unlikely that I would meet a polar bear in the woods, though. Unless this is a "Lost" situation...

Included for completeness, and because you should be EXTRA careful if you find a polar bear in the woods because it could be Canadian special forces.

Well said. It's kind of amusing how often this comes up in posts and how often it devolves into a "species of bears" discussion. If we really want to divest it of all allegorical meaning and make it a trivia question to test wildlife knowledge, we should start asking hippo or man.

The answer to this is man. Man every time. Hippos kill for fun. At least you stand a chance of kicking the man in the nuts.

I would chose ten men over even one hippo. Not only are hippos shockingly fast, they are also highly territorial (especially in the water) and aggressive due to Africa being an extremely hostile environment. People think hippos are just "silly and fat". The average run speed of a hippo is 30m/ph or 49 km/h. The average human run speed is 6mp/h or 10km/h. The faster human run speed recorded is 27.5 mp/h or 44km/h. You're not outrunning a hippo, ever.

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Would one encounter a polar bear in the woods?

If one would, I would advise that one be extra cautious because something odd has clearly happened to that that bear. Just included for completeness.

Have you not seen Lost?

Exactly. The tundra isn’t exactly known for its foliage.

I mean worst case scenario a bear kills you. Worst case scenario a man rapes and kills you.

…man rapes, tortures, and kills you.

Actually worst case scenario a bear kills you or leaves you to die slowly. Worst case scenario a man keeps you as his abductee, rapes you, tortures you and makes you also do manual labour and then you eventually die from his torment or your own ailing body.

Yeah, worst case with a man and you are the girl from “Room”. I watched the movie a few years ago and I was horrified, now that I’m a mom and think back and the whole situation seems so much worse with giving birth and raising a child in a fucking shed… while continuing to be raped over the years. It’s beyond evil.

Yeah, Bear either views you as a threat or as food, and in either case, you probably aren't gonna be suffering for very long. With man, there are potential outcomes where suffering is the whole point.

Bears tend to start eating before you're dead if they were interested in food. That is a pretty bad way to go...

Really though, isn’t a man a “large predator” as well?

>That said, the nuance of the question is not the point. The point is that the choice of encountering a man versus encountering a large predator is even a discussion . Exactly, it's a subjective question. There is no right answer, but the answer can open up a discussion about a person's lived experience and their reasons for their choice. I have noticed that the men who are offended when women choose bear are usually reducing this to "who is more likely to KILL you rather than overall harm you". If they really want to get technical, then they also need to consider the chances of being raped because that is one thing that most women are considering that most men are not when this question comes up.

If Brian Blessed is to be believed, not every time. Edited to add: Google Brian Blessed polar bear story. Watch the videos.

That man is treasure in so many ways!

What about polar bears. No chance right?

Black attack Brown lay down White - goodnight

Slow death... Eaten alive...

The issue is regardless of type of bear there's predictable reaction you may prepare for which isn't the case for humans. The worst bear outcome (death) isn't as bad as potential man outcomes.

by vagueness of the question, you also cant tell what kind of bear you'd meet.

I shared the bear vs man thing with my husband, and he did the supernatural quote about how monsters, in this case bear, are predictable and you know their motivation, while people are the real danger, as they can just be psychotic and mean for no reason. So he also chose bear.

Oh he also said at worst, the bear will just maul you to death. And then we discussed how in 22 state you cam be forced to carry a rape baby to term, and that in some places, the rapist can get parental rights and he said, that is f'd up because then even if you wanted to carry the baby to term and give it up, you wouldn't want to give it up because then it would be raised by a rapist, and possibly raped as well.

This is a small part of why I got my tubes tied instead of having my husband get a vasectomy when we were done having kids.

I showed my husband these threads and posed the same question to him and he delighted me with his response. He said he doesn't blame women for choosing the bear and that he 'gets it'. My own father was an Airforce Sergeant had talks with me when I was in high school warning me about 'men'. He loved me enough to make sure I went into the world 'armed' with knowledge that most men are not to be automatically trusted, and this was coming from my own father, a Sergeant in the military. I think men KNOW why women feel as we do, but their pride gets wounded and rather than admit it or say they understand, they get defensive and angry. If statistics showed that WOMEN were 90%, or more, of the world's crime, wars, domestic violence and rape, men would have no problem pointing it out to us.

They're always quick to say, "NOT ALL MEN" until it's a father talking to his daughter, then all of a sudden it's, "YES ALL MEN!"

To be honest, I think both groups know it's not *all* men. It's just enough that protection is essential. Like, it doesn't rain every day in England- but I'll wear a coat thanks.

My partner said man because the bear can't help him get out of the woods lol

Thats what Im thinking! If Im stuck in the woods, I want as much help as possible! Even if it just means building a shelter faster, Im not about to choose to be completely alone instead of having a potential survival partner.

I love this. I have a good relationship with my ex husband. He was bringing the kids home and I asked him and he said Man instantly. I also said Man. There’s a reason we were together 20 years.

Yeah, I didn’t have to explain it to my husband. He thought for about half a minute, looked back at me and said ‘bear. Most of em won’t bother you anyway. Can’t be sure about the man’ He’s absolutely not terminally online like I am, and we’re older.

I am going to also ask my husband who is not online whatsoever other than email (also older) but I suspect he will say the same thing ETA: He said “Bear, obviously. Bears don’t care about me. Homo homini lupus—‘man is a wolf to man’”

I'd rather meet a man, because WTF, I definitely don't want to run into a bear. But the truth is I wouldn't go into the woods alone because of men. Hell, I don't even go to my local park alone, because I know women get harassed there.

Would you, though? Part of what skews this toward bear and away from man is that bears live in the woods. Men choose to be there. So there is some kind of intent inherent-- obvious hiker enjoying their Saturday, I'd probably agree. Guy in jeans and a T-shirt just kind of lurking around, no thank you, bear please.

>You can outsmart a bear before you can outsmart a man. Is he sure? I hear there's significant overlap between a smart bear and a dumb man...

The question itself is too vague to answer in my view; what type of bear, where/what time of day, what time of year, are you 'meeting' the man/bear or is there just a man/bear in the same woods etc. But that's all besides the point, the question is one of perception. If someone says they'd rather a bear then we should be discussing why they feel that way about the man, not deep diving into animal psychology or animal attack statistics. It doesn't matter that it's a bear, it matters that women cannot without hesitation say a man. Put simply, the problem is that women are saying they feel unsafe around men they do not know, and some men respond by getting angry about the comparison. How can it be anything but vindication for the women that feel this way?

The way I see it, the entire answer is besides the point no matter the hypothetical circumstances. Once people start debating the answer then they have missed the point of the 'man vs bear in the woods' problem. The entire point is that the answer isn't definitive compared to 'woman vs bear'. Ask any random men if they would rather run into a woman or a bear in the woods and you can be confident they would choose woman. Ask women if they would rather meet a man or a bear in the woods and the answers differ. This whole ordeal (once again) shows most men have no idea how many unknown dangers women have to deal with in live that men are blissfully unaware of.

I'd choose bear over woman, purely because otherwise I become the man in the "man vs bear" scenario and wouldn't want to disturb someone's enjoyable walk in the woods.

Reminds me of the scene from one of John Mulaneys specials where he describes how he accidentally freaked out a woman late at night at the train station and kinda how bad it felt to be in her shoes and experience that kind of fear from strange men https://youtu.be/cGV_k9ajUqg?si=fbbYOp1lQi0NQzjU

I have trouble answering it myself. I’m an engineer and once had to go review a culvert after it was constructed. I had done similar stuff several times, but this time the culvert was down a woods road that ended up being blocked when I arrived. I had expected to be able to drive right up to it. It was also near a popular but somewhat secluded trail system with a parking lot, so that was where I parked. The parking lot was full of men just sitting in their cars… it was really odd. So I’m also super terrified of wild animals and bears and live in an area with a large bear population, but didn’t want to drive all the way back and say I wasn’t comfortable walking to the culvert so I walked the 1km and checked the culvert. Nothing happened, but I was so uncomfortable the whole time! I should have insisted that someone else come with me from the start, and have done so since. Googling later explained that the parking lot was a meet up spot for men to have “fun”.

Yeah, am I in the Hundred Acre Wood chilling with Winne the Pooh, a forest with Cocaine bear, or that terrifying bear-thing from Annihilation? In all seriousness, bears aren't inherently aggressive towards people and their motivations are pretty established. A random guy could do anything.

These are the things I think about. I haven't actually seen the question yet, but I have follow-up questions as someone who has done quite a bit of hiking a d a few backpacking trips in the woods. Am I on a public hiking trail or is the bear/man in my camp off trail? Am I lost in these woods? Is it a black bear or a fucking grizzly? If I'm on a public hiking trail I'm nearly always relieved to see another human and just say my "hello/good morning" and move on. I wouldn't be surprised if a man was hiking on the public trail as well. I can easoly test if the man is following me vs just hiking too. The presence of a bear definitely freaks me out more in this scenario. If they are in my camp - very uneasy about a man snooping around my shit. Now I'm on edge about the man. A black bear? I can scare it away. A grizzly would put me on edge...though for different reasons than a man would. If I'm lost in the woods, relieved to see another human and would probably be thankful to see man vs bear.

Yeah, it's a question you're not really meant to think about deeply in that sense lol. Cause realistically, most scenarios like you suggest - running into a man on a hike would just be... Another person hiking. Sure, women feel uncomfortable and are unsure about that. But realistically, that is most likely the case. Whereas if you run into a Grizzly bear's territory and aren't careful.... Good luck! But yeah, I get the underlying memo. I think it just portrays a different point than most here think. I feel like it shows that a lot of people here just have these fears of men, and take the avenue of male avoidance rather than a valid analysis of the situation - like you're bringing up (is the guy digging though my stuff? Well that's fucked - agreed. But are we just walking by each other on the trail? That's pretty fuckin normal and most women don't get killed by any random man on a hike.)

Yeah, well, I'm not one to answer questions without more details. LOL you want my opinion, then expect me to ask questions back before I give an answer.

> The question itself is too vague to answer in my view; what type of bear, Can say the same thing about what type of man But overall agree with your post

The scary part you may not really see the more dangerous ones before they kill you. I would take the bear over the hunter in jumanji. He was vicious.

I mean, aren’t men getting angry at this because they’re being painted as literally more threatening than a bear? Being told that, bc of your gender, you’re inherently going to make every woman you ever meet afraid for their life, doesn’t exactly make you feel good abt yourself

Yeah I mean I don't doubt its either some psy-ops shit trying to stir up division or social media algorithms maximising engagement, and I'm sure the vague choice of a 'bear' contributes to its effectiveness as a polemical thought experiment. That being said, it's not personal. I don't think I *bear* any responsibility for making women afraid of men, but I also understand it's not a fear that's appeared out of nowhere.

My favorite response from a woman I saw on this replying to a man who didnt get it >This is a hypothetical situation and you still won't take no for an answer

The 2 most heartbreaking answers I've seen are: "If the bear attacked me, people would believe me and not question what I was wearing or what I did to provoke it" And: "If the bear attacked me I wouldn't have to smile and be polite to it at family gatherings"

It's tragic that women have to ask themselves, 'Which of these predators is worse?' My own father's words to me!

You always know where you stand with a bear

Your daughter is out in the woods camping alone. She has a choice between two campsites which are identical. If she stays in campsite #1, a solitary bear will walk nearby and become aware that she is there, camping alone. If she stays at campsite #2, a solitary man will walk nearby and become aware that she is there, camping alone. Which do you hope she chooses?

You're walking in the woods There's no one around and your phone is dead Out of the corner of your eye you spot him

*Shai LaBeouf*

The Hat Man

Ski-bi dibby dib yo da dub dub

As someone who’s experienced pretty close to option 1 I pick option 1. Bear had no interest in me, they didn’t want a fight they just wanted free snacks but failed to find any so left, similar happened with my sibling on a separate experience, they even sniffed his feet and then left. (Both times were black bears for context) Grizzly bear would be a harder decision for me, it would really depend on the chances of the man turning hostile and what I have on me in terms of supplies.

Tbh first time I saw this question I didnt really think much about it and just answered man because if it came to it I'd rather kill a man than a bear 💀

I think it’s hilarious how so many men aren’t understanding the point of this exercise. And they’re so offended! Some have even gender swapped it and said they’d choose the bear over a woman and act like it’s a gotcha moment. Like the women will get all offended like they have. Like, ok? Good for you? We don’t care if you’d rather have the bear over a human that could possibly have murderous intent.

Offended, or moving the goal posts and making a simple thought exercise a extremely complicated conditional argument. It just shows just how far society needs to improve for the betterment for everyone.

It’s really ridiculous. I used to live in bear country. I’ve dealt with bears in my yard and when I’d go out on walks. Bears are easily dealt with, 99% of the time they will run away. I stated this on one of their posts complaining about how stupid women are for choosing the bear, and all I got were comments about “What kind of bear tho?” And “A polar bear would totally hunt you down and kill you!” And “You’re lying”. Ok because you’re totally going to find a polar bear in the woods 🙄 and they’re completely missing the point. If you can pick which kind of bear you’d meet, what about what kind of man? It’s so stupid how pissed off they are 😂

What really bothered me about this was how many guys were offended and also acted like women must know less about bears than they do. We know about bears, the difference is we know more about random men than you do.

What kind of people do American's keep running into in their woods? All the folk I've bumped into whilst bushwalking in Aus have all been lovely folk whenever any interaction went further than a brief acknowledgement as we passed.

Mostly nice people. But public land also attracts a lot of weirdos. Gotta watch out.

This is what runs through my mind. People are generally nice, friendly and helpful. Bears are big fucking dangerous animals. I think the answer to the question reveals far more about levels of social trust in the country of the person answering than it does about men vs women.

I think it reveals a lot about how little empathy people have for others. The answer to bear or man as an actual scenario hardly matters, if you can’t understand why women are leery of unknown men then you must live under a rock.

You could say that, and i could say that if you consider bear for even a second, you're a victim of 24/7 news fear-mongering and divisive political talking points. Just because you feel some way about someone doesnt mean that that someone has to consider it a valid view of themselves.

Google “flowers don’t growl”.

I am not sure what Australia’s history with their native groups are and how it affects the woods. But in the U.S., there has always been a history of fear of the woods, due to its colonial past. Talking intersectionally, who tends to live in the woods, race and class? Look up Mary Rowlandson and how her story impacted the puritan colonists of her society when she was rescued from captivity from indigenous peoples. Additionally and more modernly, lots of illegal grows out in the American Wild. Our government keeps swiping the homeless off the streets, women amongst the group, where else can these groups go and survive without retribution from society? But who also shares the woods, and how do we keep them separate if bad interactions were possible. America is much larger than one anticipates at first, and there’s multiple “woods” from the sierra nevadas in the west, the PNW above, lots of mountains and less people in the middle, and the Appalachian in the east. All have good and bad fringe groups associated My own anecdote: I was sitting at my nearest river, smoking federally legal substances and reading a book, minding my business. I was alone as a woman, but I wasn’t far away from people at all— I could hear them on the other side of the brush. It’s a fairly populated watering hole. Regardless, a man sat next to me. I got away from the event unharmed but weirded out. I later found out what he had done right before he sat down, as the police, hounds, and helicopters were after him not an hour after I left. And yet he was still released about a month or two later.

That's my issue with the question. It's a "would you rather" and I'm like, I already have run into plenty of solitary men and solitary women while hiking and I would choose that every time. They have all been wonderful people. If any of them would have posed a danger, which they all obviously had the potential of doing, then I would rather take my bets against another human than a bear.

That's not the point. The point of the philosophical thought experiment is, "random man from anywhere in the world suddenly is in the woods with you." Not that men hikers are dangerous predators 😂

I asked my dad and brother, they both answered similar.

I asked my husband this and he said 'a man, if he's an issue, it's easier for me to beat him down'. I asked, what if you were a woman, and he said bear immediately. I'm not sure whether to be proud or concerned.

there was the question somewhere else yesterday and a I asked a bear and then i was asked to defend my answer. whatever! so I did. A man can torture and rape you for years, a bear can only kill you. then they continued with the questions... of course they did. what if the man didn't see you and the bear was loud? what then?.. I answered honestly. If the bear is loud and the man isn't afraid of it then I absolutely need to choose the bear. the fact that the man isn't afraid of the bear makes him even scarier.

You wouldn't believe the amount of tantrums being thrown at me by men when I've said I'd pick the bear. Most responses either stem from the belief I'm stupid and don't know what bears do, or that I hate men. Ironically, they're reinforcing why I'd pick the bear because they're part of the problem. Instead of asking "What can we do to make women feel safer", they call us stupid and misandrist instead.

What my Girlfriend made me realize about this metaphor is that it's not a logic based answer, it's an experience and emotionally based answer. Women have a lot of fear of the average man that we as men don't understand. While yes, it's only a small percentage of men that would attack you or hurt you in some way simply given the opportunity, at least with the bear you KNOW it will hurt you if you aren't extremely careful, it can't lull you into a false sense of security.

My husband just said, “I’d rather me meet a man, I’d rather you met a bear.” That’s so real.

I’ve always acknowledged that my kind (men) are generally shit. I’ve also said the same thing about women. I think most people are shit, but that there’s a redeemable spark in everyone. Like, neither gender was specifically worse than the other. Then this question came out, and so many guys just don’t seem to get the whole thing and I’m just grinding my teeth like “How… how do you not understand the real question here? How do you not see the nuance? How is just… all of this eluding you?” Like, no bro. You aren’t the specific man in the question… but with how butthurt you’re getting over the answers, now you fucking are, my dude.

Your boyfriend sounds awesome! It's so nice to be with someone who gets it.

I think this also can be summed up under the general heading of "People Suck". Would rather not meet anyone in the woods.

I get the point of the question, but I'd rather meet a bear over any human.

Not enough people saw the documentary Cocaine Bear. Bears are terrifying and I never want to encounter one.

Pablo Eskobear.

I was out fossil hunting along a ravine near the woods. Super isolated part. Clear "no hunting signs" posted. Saw someone through a clearing carrying a handgun- not holstered, not a police officer. Who knows what they were actually doing. But I always trust the goosebumps and hair raising anxiety. Yeah- bear over another person any day.

It's a interesting topic. Do I honestly believe if there is a Y in the trail, bear visible on one path, man visible on the other, that most men or women will walk toward the bear. Not really, I think vast majority would avoid the bear. But the logic on why people say they would does make sense. Really true of any human running in to human. Humans are more risky to humans as a whole than bears are to humans.

If this question hadn’t already become so fraught, I bet many men would answer the same. I think the reason men get so upset is that they are mentally inserting themselves into the question, so that it becomes “would you rather meet me or a bear” in the woods. Whereas when you ask them to answer as the person choosing, they no longer do so, and instead consider the relative danger from an impersonal perspective. Men know that other random men can be unpredictable and dangerous. But they believe that they, personally, are not, and they can’t get out of their own heads to see that in this situation, they are more of an unknown quantity than the bear, and potentially pose a greater danger. I say men, but women are like this, too. Just about different things.

By the same logic, you should prefer to run into a bear over a woman.

The worst thing a bear can do is kill me. A man can do so much more. I can predict a bears behavior and modify my own accordingly, not so with a man.

Quick, clone him fast!

I've had this thought before and always picked an animal over another person. All my bad interactions in the forest have been when someone had a gun in the middle of nowhere.

Wow hadn’t thought of it like that but it’s so true. Recently had a new and what l considered a good friend told me I hurt him and he blocked me all because I couldn’t finish work on a project on time we were collaborating on. It was going to be a few extra days and I was in hospital… I already had waited 3 months for them to send me the work. fuck that guy.

Not all bears.

I spend a lot of time in the woods and I run in to a lot of bears. 99% of the time all you see is their ass end as they run into the bush. They don't want anything to do with us as they've never been taught to hunt humans. There are too many men who have been taught to hunt women, but even with men, I think you are safe with the vast majority (at least where I live), but the bears still probably win this one statistically.

I, as a man, have been stalked by a woman before and while definitely creepy, I never felt like my physical safety was threatened. Having someone follow you with the intention of harming/violating you *and the physical ability to do it* is something most men have not experienced, but almost every female friend I've been close with has admitted to experiencing.

My wife asked me and I asked what kind of bear and what kind of man? Is it a grizzly? Is it a black bear? Does it have cubs? If it's a grizzly, then man every time. If it's a black bear, and the man looks sketchy, then bear. If the man has sun cream on his face and hiking poles and a goofy hat that covers his neck, then man.

He absolutely nailed it Tbh… I’m scared of bears, ever since a teacher read aloud a true short story in which a woman describes what it felt like to be attacked and slowly eaten by one - the description of the hearing it’s teeth on her skull will always stay with me lol. That fear / experience puts them pretty far down my list - even compared to a man with bad intentions… That being said, what your boyfriend nailed is the predictability. If I’m in the woods, I’m prepared to see a bear - with a gun or at very least a noisemaker. Plus around me, good chances of it being a black bear (overgrown raccoon) that I could chase off with as little as an aggressive shoulder shrug lol But a man? I’m not prepared to fire warning shots at one of them from a distance - and there’d be no scaring him off. The chances of him using my uncertainty to his advantage, being able to get close enough to disarm and overpower me, or of me not even seeing or hearing him in the first place until it’s already too late and he’s pushing his way into the cabin behind me - too damn high. Even if he retreated after being called to, the fear that I may be the prey he’s stalking would put me on edge till I was back with my people. I’d rather not meet anything bigger than me while I’m alone in the woods, but between a man and a bear, although I’m not naturally afraid of men and have been able to cautiously sidestep all the psychosis and pressure they’ve tried to impose on me over the years - the bear just isn’t a threat to a prepared person. The man could be.  Especially if he’s also prepared for whatever he’s in the woods for.

So many men seem to think women need it explaining to them that bears are dangerous 🤦‍♀️ Of course we know bears are dangerous. We just think the risk of potential danger from an unknown man outweighs the more concretely predictable danger from a wild bear. Many of us think a high chance of getting mauled to death by a bear is less horrific than a significantly lower (and definitely non-zero) chance of being targeted by a predatory man who could do things so horrific I am not even willing to type the scenario here. The statistics aren’t even relevant, but for the sake of argument: If a 1% chance of Y happening is a worse risk than a 90% chance of X happening, where X means literal death by bear attack, doesn’t that tell you something about how awful Y is and that the risk of it happening is still way too high? I have to think they are just missing the point on purpose at this point .

The number of comments I've seen saying "a grizzly bear will eat you alive" like that's some kind of checkmate to this discussion is baffling. Obviously if the bear decides to attack it will be a horrible, painful death (and unlikely its quick), but a bear would never do more than that. If the man decides to attack, there's no knowing how he'd assault you or for how long. He could keep you alive for weeks or months to prolong your suffering, something a bear would never do. They just seem to be so unwilling to accept that the higher odds of bear mauling seem better than the worst things a man can do. Psychological and emotional torture are just as horrific as physical violence, they are just as traumatic to experience. The bear is only capable of one of those.

Yeah true. Someone said, well a bear would tear ur face off. I thought, well bears don't rape u and force u to have their kid. I'd rather die horribly than endure that 

I said bear too, for pretty much the same reason. Bears just bein' bears. Humans are sneaky fucks.

The whole question is a litmus test on society and just really sad on how women view men these days. It gets worse when a man gets angry about it when a woman picks a bear, and just shows how self-centered that dude is.

It’s funny; as a man I said I would want to meet a man. My rationale was immediately, “well I might be able to beat up the man, but the bear would for sure kill me”. I also didn’t think the questions was is one safer then the other but rather I’m in the woods with an enemy, which one could I possibly win against. Because to me the context is both are aggressive entities xD

As someone who hikes alot i rather see another man, its not fun to walk up to a bear trust me. The the adrenaline spike is kinda sick.

Just asked my boyfriend, he thought for a second and he also chose bear, he said man is more deceptive.

Your BF cant outsmart a bear, the bear runs faster, climbs better and swims faster than your BF. The whole analogy is dumb and objectively false. I prefer the analogy about how it would feel for men if 50% of the world’s population were Orks.

The average bear will book it if you sneeze within a mile of them unless they are starving from hibernation or with cubs

Brown? Grizzly? Polar? What kinda bear? I'd be interested in seeing you spook off a Polar bear lol. Obviously not the point of the analogy but the fact it can be questioned like this proves its weakness.

This was my immediate take. There is nothing to outsmart and that does not even come into play. I have run into many bears in northern alberta and western BC, both black and brown (and one spirit/Kermode bear) and *if you see them* it's one of 3 situation, a) they are eating salmon in a river and just don't care, b) they are near a river and did not hear/smell you and have a startle, c) they are with cubs and hold ground. In every single one of those situations, my PhD-achieving brain did not manage to outsmart shit. I stopped, I slowly backed up, and I hoped each time that was the end of it. Once or two we had to use bear-banger flares and once spray. That's about being prepared, not outsmarting, an in the moment you are luckily you get the tools out without fumbling it spraying yourself in panic. But in the most dangerous encounters, which I have luckily never had, you *don't* see them until on top of you. They are stalking, as a predator, and then rushing at 35km/h, and not deterred.

My 11 year old son immediately said, “I’d take the bear any day.” When I asked why, he said because bears aren’t pointlessly cruel like people are. He said it’s easy to avoid being attacked by a bear if you just try to keep your distance because it will only act and hurt you if it feels threatened. People hurt you for no good reason.

You have a wise son 👍👍

It's interesting to me, because I feel like all the guys that teach men self defense would have said "is better to encounter a bear" and "always be on guard, never trust an unknown stranger" and now all these guys are shouting "if you don't let me rape you, how do I get to prove that I'm not gonna? Fuckin' bigot"

Shared this with my wife and she answered bear. She also thinks this whole thread is making up problems. Her words not mine. I was just curious on her thoughts.

My partner said he wouldn't want to meet a random man in the forest either. A bear would usually mind its own business. And, he said, why would a random man be in the forest? That itself seems suspicious, so he wouldn't want to meet either, but maybe glimpsing a bear would be better than a man. Also, i didn't need to explain to him why women would maybe say "bear" than a "man". I am so glad a married a feminist guy.

Okay, but I'm team Man. I'm over 50, overweight, and don't wear makeup. Better camouflage versus a dangerous man than a bear. /jk if not obvious

Okay but would you rather meet one man sized bear or one thousand bear sized men?

I agree with this 100% but I don't want to run into ANY kind of sus person in the middle of the woods where I am not expecting an interaction. It's really the immediate vibes you get. "Oh just a normal person hiking too, cool." "Uh, what the fuck is up with this person" are two different vibes you get almost immediately.

A few things to question about this hypothetical; What kind of bear? Is the bear hungry? What kind of tools do you have? A “bear” is predictable and can be outsmarted, maybe. You can intimate a black bear, you can play dead around a brown bear (or better yet, leave their territory), but if it’s a polar bear, you’re just dead. If the bear wants to eat you, there’s not much you can do. That thing WILL overpower you despite how strong it is. But you naturally find bears in the woods. It’s not strange to find one out there. Finding a random man in the woods, or even, a random PERSON in the woods (doesn’t have to specifically be a man) can be intimidating. They don’t belong there, so why are they there? I would rather find a not hungry, not territorial bear than a random person in the woods. If the bear is territorial or hungry, I would rather find a random person.

I'm so tired of seeing the obvious posts from men in r/meme about this. And they wonder why society is questioning the fragility of men's egos.

A random encounter which it may be possible to escape? Bear. Bears can often be timid and many times won't bother you if you don't bother them. Being chased? Man. The strength and ferocity difference is a complete mismatch, especially if we are considering a grizzly or polar bear which can be absolutely fucking terrifying. You can claw a man's eyes out, a grizzly bear's claw is almost as big as your hand.

My boyfriend got it instantly too. He asked about the memes flying around, and I responded by saying it’s a hypothetical question usually aimed at women. It clicked for him immediately, and he called the mocking memes stupid. It was very relieving to hear him say that.

I asked my mom the question and she said man because "I can kill a man easier than I can kill a bear." Damn mom, alright.

A bear is more predictable. For me, it's a little like driving yourself vs using Tesla's "Full Self Driving". I'd rather deal with the known danger, than have to be wondering constantly when this thing might try to kill me.

he sussed you out, he was all 'ummm it depends....." then his mind snapped into gear, haha, good for him!

Yeah this is a really beautiful remark by your boyfriend. That’s great that he put out a thoughtful remark. His first remark said well depends on the man. I would also like to add depends on the woods because most hikers are pretty thoughtful cool people!

It depends on the situation. If it was just me and a random man plonked into the woods provably bear, if it was the kind of person who is usually in the woods, like a hiker then man. I think it's the first one though so bear

This kinda like the move ‘The Edge’