Most women prefer to be stuck with a bear in a forest to the man

“Would you rather be stuck in a forest with a man or a bear?” 

This question was posed by the TikTok account ‘screenshothq’ and quickly went viral. Over 10,000 posts were made using the hashtags #manvsbear and #manorbear, while the related video garnered more than 17 million likes.

Six out of seven women who responded said they would choose the bear. And their explanations for this choice were telling. “You know what to expect from a bear, but not from a man.” “I’d choose a bear because if I’m attacked by a bear, people will believe me, and they will show empathy.” “The bear will just kill me; it won’t take me to 20 of its friends or tell them afterwards that I enjoyed it.” “No one will talk about the bear’s bright future in the event of a court case.” “The bear won’t videotape it and send it to its friends.” “The bear will see a threat, while a man will see an opportunity.” “No one will say that I liked being attacked by the bear or that I was flattered that it chose me.” “No one will ask what I was wearing.”

Of course, not all men are threatening or violent; in fact, the opposite is true. The majority of men are not abusive, vengeful, or dangerous. But those who are abusive, vengeful, and pose a threat make a negative difference.

The feeling of fear is something that most men cannot comprehend, not because they lack empathy, but because it is an emotion they rarely experience. They don’t hesitate to walk down a dark street alone. They don’t huddle in the corner of an elevator if they get in with a stranger, trying to go unnoticed. And when they leave a bar or anywhere they went to have fun, they don’t leave with their phone in their hand just in case something happens.

The fact is that women are afraid of men, and this is not a matter of debate or argument. This is what they experience and how they feel. The statistics seem to back this up. The chances of a person being injured by a bear are approximately one in 2.1 million. On the other hand, one in five women, as well as one in five men, falls victim to male violence.

And this probably explains why most women would choose the bear over the man.

It would be interesting, however, to ask a similar question to men. How many would choose the bear, and how many would choose another man?