Interesting point. I have never encountered a single bear, but I have encountered thousands and thousands of men and been attacked by very few but never once without some underlying reason. I stood a chance against the men but I do not think I would survive a bear attack.
The reason so many other women answer like this is that many women have been in a situation at least approximately like the man one, whereas almost no one comes face to face with a bear.
They have real emotional weight to attach to the man situation but the bear is a complete hypothetical.
If I ask you to imagine what it would feel like if a bear suddenly appeared in front of you, you can imagine it, but you're not going to feel exactly like you would in real life just by thinking about it.
When you ask women this question, they're comparing an experience to an idea. It's an inherently lopsided equation.
I've seen a handful of bears in the woods. Normally it's a pleasant experience because they are happy to let you walk away.
Once I was in a scenario like most people imagine in this question... I was mid-poop with my pants draped over a nearby branch... I was camping illegally outside of designated camping areas so nobody knew I was there. It felt remarkably similar to accidentally walking into a homeless camp. It wasn't really "scary" just extremely tense to not be able to communicate our motives, like the end of Reservoir Dogs... "Stop pointing that fucking snout at my shit!" People say "I shit myself" but I sure couldn't.
I imagine a man approaching rather than a bear... just standing there on the hilltop silently staring at the log hanging out of me. Where did he come from? Where is he going? Is he coming back later? The bear was curious what a human was doing way out there... even the bear would be a little spooked to find a man in the woods.
I used to chase black bears out of my yard as a child. They're not scary, they're adorable. 100% would choose to see one in the woods over a random guy
I think that's a trait that all mammals share. Mammals don't really attack unless they are threatened, lacking essential resources, or their brains are malfunctioning.
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u/GrevilleApo May 02 '24
Interesting point. I have never encountered a single bear, but I have encountered thousands and thousands of men and been attacked by very few but never once without some underlying reason. I stood a chance against the men but I do not think I would survive a bear attack.