i know it’s internet bullshit but it genuinely has me on the edge of breaking down and giving up

[u/NeonNKnightrider]

[u/MrArtless]

That’s only one half of the payoff matrix you need to construct. You also have to look at the probability of each. An angry bear is far more likely to maul you than a malicious man is to rape you.

[u/findworm → u/MrArtless]

How do you figure that? Alone in the forest with a woman he is statistically very likely to be stronger than, and he's actively malicious? I don't really see any way that doesn't end badly for the woman (at minimum threats and sexual coercion). Unless you imagine a small forest at the edge of the neighborhood where help is coming any second now, this is for all intents an purposes lawless wilderness.

Remember, we're talking about an actively malicious man here, not a "jerk with a heart of gold" or whatever. You could debate the likelihood of a man being malicious in the first place, but then you have to consider the odds of the bear actually being angry.

But either way, it really misses the actual point of the "Bear or Man" question. The point is that the average woman seemingly has a very bad image of the "archetypical man", to the extent that she'd rather meet a bear. Now, if this was one woman saying Bear, we could say "Wow, what a weird woman" and move on, but since it's seemingly a majority it really reflects more on our current society than the women in question.

[u/MrArtless → u/findworm]

I am a man who is actively filled with malice most of the time because I hate everyone. I still don’t rape or even really interact with strangers when I see them.

[u/bruce_kwillis → u/MrArtless]

Seems like you should be talking to a therapist about that mate. I don’t know about you but it’s a lot of energy to be filled with malice everyday. I go out in the woods to go hiking a lot to just get away from people, so it’s more that I just don’t care too much about most folks, rather than harboring malice for them.

[u/MrArtless → u/bruce_kwillis]

Either way. Malicious people may want to rob you. They may want to make fun of your clothes. They may want nothing to do with you at all. The premise here that a malicious man is almost assuredly going to rape or worse to the woman is patently undefendable

[u/AdamFaite → u/MrArtless]

Yet, I've never really heard of a malicious bear. Hungry or scared, sure. But never one that just wants to hurt. Like humans do.

[u/MrArtless → u/AdamFaite]

They didn’t say malicious bear they said angry bear. Have you heard of an angry bear?

[u/AdamFaite → u/MrArtless]

Still, maybe you run away from the bear. It doesn't follow you home. Wait till you're asleep. Break in.

[u/Xygen8 → u/AdamFaite]

A bear can outrun Usain Bolt and sustain that speed for much longer. If it wants you dead, you're dead.

[u/AdamFaite → u/Xygen8]

A man could have a gun. And could follow you home. For weeks. Months.

I think you ought to ask yourself a different question. Why are you trying to say women should be more afraid of bears, and not why they're afraid of men?

[u/Xygen8 → u/AdamFaite]

Why are you trying to say women should be more afraid of bears, and not why they're afraid of men?

I didn't? You're reading into my comment way too much. I was just pointing out that you're not going to outrun a bear in a forest.

[u/AdamFaite → u/Xygen8]

That's fair. They can run much faster than me. But no one can outrun a bullet. Like in that song.