@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