Man Versus Bear
“Would you rather be stuck in the woods with a man or bear?”
If you’re an avid TikTok user like me, you’ve probably seen this question over the past few months. While I can’t find the exact origins of the trend, it has spread far and wide, and people all over the internet have been posting their answers and starting a conversation.
In a literal sense, the question poses two options: while alone in the woods, would you rather encounter a man or a bear? In my research, the vast majority of individuals who chose “the bear” were women, while individuals who chose “the man” were men who argued the general insanity of those who chose the bear.
If you were posed this question, you might immediately say man, a bear would obviously kill you. However, this question was intended to provoke a conversation far past the literal sense and relate it to humanity and the violence that occurs towards women and non-cisgendered males. Many people who are anti-bear argue that the people that are ‘pro bear’ are idiotic to think that they could survive a bear attack. I came across a response on one of those videos that said, “the worst thing a bear would do is kill me.” This conversation has never been about the fighting skills, woman vs bear, it was meant to open people’s eyes to the idea that we exist in a world where women are treated so inhumanely, whether it is sexual violence, harassment, or discrimination, and that many women would rather risk being mauled by a bear than encounter a man in the woods. The conscious and morals of humans is what separates us from animals, and this results in constant fear of intention and unpredictability.
Another powerful response I saw said, “A bear won’t stop when you say no. Neither will a man. The difference is that bears don’t understand what no means and a man does; man simply chooses to ignore it.” Aside from the fear of being alone and coming across an unknown entity, there exists a fear of being treated as less than human, a fear that your wants, needs, and rights may not be respected by someone who is making the conscious decision not to respect them. There is an inexcusable difference between an animal using its natural instincts to survive and a man using violence because he wants to. One may still make the argument that a bear attack could result in a more painful or gruesome experience; but the question of the ethics and morality of humanity still applies and can be argued that it is much, much worse. A third quote I found stated, “a bear will see me as a threat or food, a man will see me as an opportunity”, stressing the point that the bear does not have the malicious intent behind it that a human would. A bear relies on its natural instincts and needs to survive, fighting off threats and attacking for food. A human does not have survival needs that require violence or sexual mistreatment of another human, and by exhibiting those behaviors one becomes less than human.
There was a similar concept posed a while ago, “When I die, leave my body in the woods; the wolves (bear) will be gentler than any man.” There is a threat in humans composed of unpredictability, malicious intent, manipulation, and desired autonomy that makes wild animals more desirable; humanity has developed and created a high level of consciousness and has become, in many ways, far more dangerous and threatening than any natural predator.
The importance of this debate lies in the realization that we, as humans, have failed to create a safe society, and our greatest danger is our own kind. This question isn’t meant to target men as a whole, but rather, to point out the existence of a threat that is always present in a woman or non-cisgendered man’s mind, and the fear and unknown that exists within interactions with any man because of the centuries of mistreatment and subjugation. In an interview with USA Today, one woman said, 'You know, I would rather it be a bear because if the bear attacks me, and I make it out of the woods, everybody’s gonna believe me and have sympathy for me, but if a man attacks me and I make it out, I’m gonna spend my whole life trying to get people to believe me and have sympathy for me.” The comparison of a human and a wild animal in this debate point out the importance of intention and action and acknowledge the society we have created in response to how people are treated after sexual violence or harassment. Some would also argue that physical injuries can be healed far easier and better than the psychological damage that often occurs with sexual violence. Through this response it is evident that a large amount of the fear that is present with the ‘man’ option lies in the extreme uncertainty of the response after someone experiences trauma of this nature. I think this debate is powerful in the sense that it urges viewers to acknowledge the severity of violence as well as the shameful and disbelieving responses that many women and people in our society are faced with.
This question deals with the issue of humanity and the possibility of being treated as something less than human by another human, rather than being caught in a situation where you are seen as a threat by an animal. It is also acknowledging humanity in general as a threat to the world, nature, animals, and itself. It is not a true claim at all, in my opinion, that all men are bad. However, I think it is a powerful concept to bring attention to the fear that a mass number of women and people in the world live with every day.