Discussion
Has anyone mentioned the fact that the location and time (night and in the woods) is probably the reason that the answers are swayed to the bear.
What is a man doing alone in the woods at night? Burying someone? Being a predator? Doing something creepy? Other than Ray Mears, there is no real reason for a man to be alone in the woods at night. The question is almost loaded to give the answer they received.
Whereas a bear, well that is in its natural habitat and a normal behaviour for the bear.
They could have gone the whole way and asked them "if you were in a graveyard, In the middle of nowhere, on a night with no moonlight on Friday the 13th..." They would probably get an even better result then.
If the question was set in a quiet/ empty shopping mall at 12 midday, then I am sure the answer would be different.
What is a man doing alone in the woods at night? Burying someone? Being a predator? Doing something creepy? Other than Ray Mears, there is no real reason for a man to be alone in the woods at night. The question is almost loaded to give the answer they received.
Whereas a bear, well that is in its natural habitat and a normal behaviour for the bear.
They could have gone the whole way and asked them "if you were in a graveyard, In the middle of nowhere, on a night with no moonlight on Friday the 13th..." They would probably get an even better result then.
If the question was set in a quiet/ empty shopping mall at 12 midday, then I am sure the answer would be different.
GliderRider said:
JagLover said:
No it is the chance of being attacked by a random man you meet while out walking as opposed to being attacked by a bear you meet while out walking.
Now I am a keen walker, and men walking by themselves are not exactly unusual particularly with a dog they are walking, and the vast majority of them are not attacking anyone so far as I am aware.
The perception of risk for a woman must surely depend upon how obvious the man's reason for being in a particular place is. Now I am a keen walker, and men walking by themselves are not exactly unusual particularly with a dog they are walking, and the vast majority of them are not attacking anyone so far as I am aware.
Walking with a dog - Obvious
Walking in hiking boots, hiking gear and map - Obvious
Walking carrying shopping bags - Obvious
Walking with no obvious accoutrements or purpose - Suspicious
It's a stupid question and even more stupid without context, which is what most of the social media comments lack.
An interaction with a wild bear will never be a good thing, therefore it's safe to assume every bear is dangerous.
The assumption that every man is a danger simply isn't true and I'm pretty sure that most women would agree that most men aren't a danger, some are of course.
The reality is that women are taught to be cautious and that's not a bad thing. It's not based on the premise that the majority of men are a danger. It's based on the fact that men on average are physically much stronger than the average woman, so if they are the type to physically harm a woman there's little the woman can do to stop that. It's the same way as a man out on his own might be cautious of a group of 4-5 lads hanging out outside a shop, there's an element of caution despite the reality that nothing will likely happen.
I've seen the counter argument being, 'Men if you don't get it, you're part of the problem.' or 'if this angers you, you're one of those men'.
I suspect there's a hefty percentage of men who could identify a form of abuse from a female but because it doesn't take the form of anything physical there's isn't the same mindset the other way round. People in general can be awful to each other regardless of sex.
Females will always be the physically weaker sex (not sexist just on average true) so being mindful of someone who can physically harm you isn't a bad thing. It's what I'd teach my two daughters and I don't think men are all predators by any means.
I'd also teach them to avoid bears as 1 in 1 bears will want to eat them.
An interaction with a wild bear will never be a good thing, therefore it's safe to assume every bear is dangerous.
The assumption that every man is a danger simply isn't true and I'm pretty sure that most women would agree that most men aren't a danger, some are of course.
The reality is that women are taught to be cautious and that's not a bad thing. It's not based on the premise that the majority of men are a danger. It's based on the fact that men on average are physically much stronger than the average woman, so if they are the type to physically harm a woman there's little the woman can do to stop that. It's the same way as a man out on his own might be cautious of a group of 4-5 lads hanging out outside a shop, there's an element of caution despite the reality that nothing will likely happen.
I've seen the counter argument being, 'Men if you don't get it, you're part of the problem.' or 'if this angers you, you're one of those men'.
I suspect there's a hefty percentage of men who could identify a form of abuse from a female but because it doesn't take the form of anything physical there's isn't the same mindset the other way round. People in general can be awful to each other regardless of sex.
Females will always be the physically weaker sex (not sexist just on average true) so being mindful of someone who can physically harm you isn't a bad thing. It's what I'd teach my two daughters and I don't think men are all predators by any means.
I'd also teach them to avoid bears as 1 in 1 bears will want to eat them.
skinnyman said:
I spoke to my wife about this, more about her attitude towards men in general rather than the 'man or bear' question.
She says, as a smaller framed woman, she has to be weary of men when she's alone. Really the only time she's out walking alone is on the walk back to her car from work at night, but even then she's very vigilant. She says she's naturally suspicious of men's intentions in daily life, primarily due to a not overly pleasant partner from her past.
I'll be honest, it's never really occurred to me before, that alot of woman go through these thought processes daily. I also said that at 5ft9 and 10st I assumed no woman would ever see me as a 'threat', but apparently that's not the case. Now I think about it there could have been countless times where I've made random women feel awkward/weary/uncomfortable, without even realising I was doing anything.
Said this before on other threads but if you talk to women or read their accounts there's all kinds of stuff you wouldn't even think of.She says, as a smaller framed woman, she has to be weary of men when she's alone. Really the only time she's out walking alone is on the walk back to her car from work at night, but even then she's very vigilant. She says she's naturally suspicious of men's intentions in daily life, primarily due to a not overly pleasant partner from her past.
I'll be honest, it's never really occurred to me before, that alot of woman go through these thought processes daily. I also said that at 5ft9 and 10st I assumed no woman would ever see me as a 'threat', but apparently that's not the case. Now I think about it there could have been countless times where I've made random women feel awkward/weary/uncomfortable, without even realising I was doing anything.
Using a mobile phone to look busy or calling someone on the walk home simply so you can hopefully ask for help quickly if needed.
Carrying car keys just so you can potentially use them as a weapon.
Or my favourite in the grim little league table was wearing headphones on the commute to work just so random creeps wouldn't try to talk to you on the train or bus.
Stuff you or I probably never even think of.
thegreenhell said:
What kind of bear is it?
Female bear.The answer is given because people liek to give an extreme answer to something to create more drama.
If the the question had been you encounter a random man in the woods or the 1 in 50000 chance the woods you go into has a bear in it then it makes more sense.
NRG1976 said:
Love how all the blokes are telling us why women chose an answer. You know best lads, hey? 
Very well given the good example someone posted above about a male going to the shops with 5 shady youths hanging outside or a bear in a woods encounter I'd pick the shops every time. SpudLink said:
NRG1976 said:
Love how all the blokes are telling us why women chose an answer. You know best lads, hey?
Because the answer doesn’t make sense. But perhaps by understanding a women’s mindset we might understand the answer Ok so im not a female so aparantly have zero say in this situation.
Lets assume I do get a say in 3 woman situation,
My Granny
My Mum
My Sister
Would I want any of those woman who i love, to encounter a bear or a random man in the woods.
Random man every time.
Obviously woman are and have to be much more self aware when out and about in cities or nights out etc and i guess have to treat every man as a potential threat but statisticly that is pretty low... especially when you add the counter option which is a 100% bear encounter...
Alex_225 said:
I'd also teach them to avoid bears as 1 in 1 bears will want to eat them.
Most bears, most of the time, will go out of their way to avoid humans. Humans are not part of their normal diet. The only exception is polar bears, which will actively hunt and kill anything including humans, but they tend not to live in the woods.Most bear attacks, amongst a great many harmless bear encounters, happen when the bear feels threatened. Either you got too close to it or its young or its food source. Even if you were attacked and killed, it's unlikely the bear will eat you.
As a woman who has a home in the Rocky mountains - where black bears live - I feel I could sensibly answer this inane question. However, it completely depends on the form of the question. I've just googled it and seen two different versions, both of which I will answer honestly:
Would you rather be alone in the woods with a man or a bear? The man, on the basis that he might be someone I know.
Would you rather be trapped in the woods with a man or a bear? The bear. There are worse things that death and the question implies danger.
As for the question in the first post: Alone in the woods at night, would you encounter a completely randomly selected man or a bear? The man. I would take my chances with the man.
The real answer, as I have been in the mountains with bears, is to take my husband and a gun, and don't get into stupid situations in the first place. Bears can be docile and run away from people. But, if you catch them at the wrong time there is absolutely nothing you can do if they attack.
But, I get the point of the question that men can be dangerous (as can women), and I don't think it's doing either sex any good in perpetuating the perception that all men are potentially rapists/killers. We have to get past this cycle of idiocracy.
Would you rather be alone in the woods with a man or a bear? The man, on the basis that he might be someone I know.
Would you rather be trapped in the woods with a man or a bear? The bear. There are worse things that death and the question implies danger.
As for the question in the first post: Alone in the woods at night, would you encounter a completely randomly selected man or a bear? The man. I would take my chances with the man.
The real answer, as I have been in the mountains with bears, is to take my husband and a gun, and don't get into stupid situations in the first place. Bears can be docile and run away from people. But, if you catch them at the wrong time there is absolutely nothing you can do if they attack.
But, I get the point of the question that men can be dangerous (as can women), and I don't think it's doing either sex any good in perpetuating the perception that all men are potentially rapists/killers. We have to get past this cycle of idiocracy.
Alexandra said:
I don't think it's doing either sex any good in perpetuating the perception that all men are potentially rapists/killers. We have to get past this cycle of idiocracy.
Well said.As the father of a teenage son I am concerned about the potential damage the message that is currently being pushed by the media in Australia is doing, which is basically “All men are potential murderers / rapists / domestic abusers”.
It isn’t a great message to be giving teenage boys who are trying to navigate growing up.
thegreenhell said:
Most bears, most of the time, will go out of their way to avoid humans. Humans are not part of their normal diet. The only exception is polar bears, which will actively hunt and kill anything including humans, but they tend not to live in the woods.
Most bear attacks, amongst a great many harmless bear encounters, happen when the bear feels threatened. Either you got too close to it or its young or its food source. Even if you were attacked and killed, it's unlikely the bear will eat you.
Thanks Baloo. Most bear attacks, amongst a great many harmless bear encounters, happen when the bear feels threatened. Either you got too close to it or its young or its food source. Even if you were attacked and killed, it's unlikely the bear will eat you.
thegreenhell said:
Most bears, most of the time, will go out of their way to avoid humans. Humans are not part of their normal diet. The only exception is polar bears, which will actively hunt and kill anything including humans, but they tend not to live in the woods.
Most bear attacks, amongst a great many harmless bear encounters, happen when the bear feels threatened. Either you got too close to it or its young or its food source. Even if you were attacked and killed, it's unlikely the bear will eat you.
Hmmmm.Most bear attacks, amongst a great many harmless bear encounters, happen when the bear feels threatened. Either you got too close to it or its young or its food source. Even if you were attacked and killed, it's unlikely the bear will eat you.
Take yourself into the Carpathian mountains. Meet the bears. Unfortunately, tourists who don't know better have taken to feeding the cute bears from the safety of their cars. The bears are now quite happy to approach cars to see if anyone will feed them. They no longer actively avoid humans, in fact they're now quite happy to approach humans who aren't in cars - and I really wouldn't want to argue with one of them. They're small for bears, but they're still heavier, stronger, and faster than me - and they're armed with large teeth and claws.
I'd rather encounter a human, but I'm not 5'2", lightly built, and worried about being the next victim of someone like Wayne Cousins who actively goes out to harm people.
b
hstewie said:
hstewie said: I really do think some of you are taking this too literally.
There's also the simultaneously amusing and tiresome through-current of responses on the lines of "the silly women are being all emotional about this and not thinking it through...[pushes glasses up nose and gets out flipchart]...if we carry out a statistical analysis we can prove that bears are far more dangerous so really, ladies, I'm glad you came to us so we could reassure you that you're actually wrong".Which manages to rather simultaneously somewhat miss and emphasise the underlying point.
A point also made by one response to the question from a woman I saw which was "The bear. Because if I was mauled by a bear people would probably believe me."
bhstewie said:
hstewie said: Said this before on other threads but if you talk to women or read their accounts there's all kinds of stuff you wouldn't even think of.
Using a mobile phone to look busy or calling someone on the walk home simply so you can hopefully ask for help quickly if needed.
Carrying car keys just so you can potentially use them as a weapon.
Or my favourite in the grim little league table was wearing headphones on the commute to work just so random creeps wouldn't try to talk to you on the train or bus.
Stuff you or I probably never even think of.
I know a woman who used to answer the door while 'pretending' to be having a conversation on the phone.Using a mobile phone to look busy or calling someone on the walk home simply so you can hopefully ask for help quickly if needed.
Carrying car keys just so you can potentially use them as a weapon.
Or my favourite in the grim little league table was wearing headphones on the commute to work just so random creeps wouldn't try to talk to you on the train or bus.
Stuff you or I probably never even think of.
2xChevrons said:
bhstewie said:
hstewie said: I really do think some of you are taking this too literally.
There's also the simultaneously amusing and tiresome through-current of responses on the lines of "the silly women are being all emotional about this and not thinking it through...[pushes glasses up nose and gets out flipchart]...if we carry out a statistical analysis we can prove that bears are far more dangerous so really, ladies, I'm glad you came to us so we could reassure you that you're actually wrong".Which manages to rather simultaneously somewhat miss and emphasise the underlying point.
A point also made by one response to the question from a woman I saw which was "The bear. Because if I was mauled by a bear people would probably believe me."
If the bulk of women thought that they'd state it clearly. Or do you think women typically say one thing and mean another?
Edited by BikeBikeBIke on Friday 10th May 10:11
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