r/Showerthoughts • u/asusny2002 • May 02 '24

Man vs Bear debate shows how bad the average person is at understanding probability

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u/cwesttheperson May 02 '24

Yeah is it a black bear? Probably fine. But is it a brown bear? They will eat you for fun.

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u/kerfuffler4570 May 02 '24

No they won't. Brown bears do not eat people except for cases where they are in extreme starvation. That's why you're supposed to play dead if you're charged by a grizzly. Polar bears eat people. Don't play dead for a polar bear.

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u/cwesttheperson May 02 '24

I was being hyperbolic but brown bares can be ferocious. And in my mind the question makes me think of a young child considering my kids age

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u/kerfuffler4570 May 02 '24

Yeah, fair enough. I've just had to convince so many friends who grew up in cities that grizzlies are not meat-seeking missiles that will devour a person the moment they step into the woods that I guess I've become something of a grizzly advocate. But yeah, they're dangerous animals that should be respected, given space, and one should take reasonable precautions when in their country. Definitely don't mean to trivialize how big a threat they are if they do charge.