I'm sure you've seen the “I choose the bear” memes that have been going around. If there has ever been anything that has SO proven the “men are from Mars, women are from Venus” viewpoint, this meme is it.
The premise is that women were asked a question to the effect of: If you were walking in the woods, which would you rather run into, a bear or a strange man?
And many women answered that they would choose the bear. This was apparently a stunning answer to many men, and the heated debate began!
No, this isn't something that's a result of “the feminist man-hating agenda.” Sadly, it shows how many women have been victimized by a man at some point in their life.
The number of men posting butt-hurt memes in response proves the point (“Women just love to hate men, and we can't get no love or respect. It's so hard to be a man these days.”).
The number of men reacting with, “But that's stupid! Bears are dangerous!” proves the point.
The number of men saying, “Women seem to think all bears are teddy bears” PARTICULARLY illustrates the problem. Do you seriously think this meme is about women been so stupid that they think real bears are cuddly? I don't know how many of us have managed to survive after we watched Grizzly Adams growing up and now we just want to pet every fuzzy animal we see in the woods.
Yes, real bears are dangerous. But here are some basic truths about the bear in the woods.
- I probably wouldn't see the bear to start with because the bear is generally going to try and avoid me and get away from me. In general, the bear is going to be more scared of me than I am of it. Not so much, with men.
- I am not the natural prey of a bear. And if you think that's hyperbole, think about the last time you heard a guy (or yourself) talking about heading out to the bar for a night when single (on the prowl, on the hunt, etc.)
- A bear, unless it is protecting its young, cornered, injured, etc., is generally going to turn tail if I act “big” or “aggressive.” Do you know what happens when a woman is approached by a man and she acts aggressive and dominant? She's a bitch or a c**t. Think about your male friends. I bet you know at least one who was rejected by a woman and as a result, he refers to her as “that stuck-up bitch” or “that c**t” just for turning him away.
Yes, bears are dangerous. And yet, their behavior, if I give them a wide berth and be wary, is often less unpredictable than the behavior of the human male.
And no, not all men. OF COURSE NOT ALL MEN! But I don't know if the particular male I've met up with in the woods is a “not all men” or a dangerous man, do I?
At around the same time the bear meme took off, Taylor Swift released a new album. It was met with a lot of hate. I'm a huge fan of Taylor Swift, but even I'm kind of “meh” about this album.
But one song . . . Oh. It's perfectly timely. “My boy breaks all his favorite toys.” Go listen to it. Go read the lyric sheet. It's a perfect complement to the bear meme.
And the takeaway from the bear meme should be: Women don't hate men. They've just learned that there are men who are no different than a dangerous dog: until it proves to you that it isn't going to bite, you exercise extreme caution around it. The best way to be safe is to not give it the chance to bite you.
I'll say it againg for those in the back: No not all men. But how many dogs have to bite you before you start being a little wary around them?
And how bad is the problem? Surely the meme is (and I am) overstating it, right?
Well, here's a question for you: do you know someone--a female friend, mother, sister, niece, daughter, cousin, etc.--that ever had to be walked to her car after work due to safety concerns? If your first reaction is to say no, no one I know has ever had that happen to them, I challenge you to ask some of the women in your life. I bet you do, and maybe they just haven't ever shared the story with you.
For those men who know a woman who has experienced this (needing to be walked to their car after work), here is a follow-up question:
Have YOU ever had to be walked to your car for your safety? How many of your MALE friends have ever had to be walked to their car for safety?
Time for a little reflection: If you dismissed any of the article above with the words feminist or man-hating, or you agreed with the prior paragraph that women just jump at shadows and a man doesn't need to be walked to the car because he would neutralize any threat . . . then you just might be a part of the reason women choose the bear.
Just sayin'....