kellogh, 18 days ago

@wagesj45 tbh i’ve only seen criticism of it. what even is it?

wagesj45, 17 days ago

@kellogh A question posed to women something like "Would you rather be in the woods with a bear or a strange man?"

Lots of women say the bear. Because men are so scary.

On one level, I understand the message. Women fear strange men. What gets my goat is when the whole thing is taken to its extreme.

"No really! All men are scary predators just waiting for a chance to pounce."

I don't like being painted with that brush. It's hurtful. And counterproductive.

kellogh, 17 days ago

@wagesj45 imo the right answer is “bear, because bears are more predictable”.

if you’re talking about a strange man, that means you don’t know them, so you have to assume the worst (at least that’s the smart move), and humans are far less predictable than bears. we know how a bear will respond, and how to stay safe around them, whereas strange people is a different story, anything could happen.

fwiw i say this as (a) a parent of girls and (b) a backpacker with 5-6 bear encounters

wagesj45, 17 days ago

@kellogh That's a technical answer if the question is man vs. "person". But it is glaringly obvious this is meant as a dig toward men specifically. Especially if you see any of the more militant responses.

We wouldn't accept something like this targeting women. Or black people. It's obvious likening a black person to a dangerous animal like this is wrong. It should be equally obvious how harmful and hurtful it is for men, too.

Vitriol isn't a means for positive social change.