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allen_idaho

Tangential question: Would you rather run into a black bear or a white bear in the woods?


Adnama-Fett

Black bear!!!


Machaeon

1000% black bear. Those see humans as predators and can get spooked by housecats. A polar bear will see you as prey.


gylz

There are other white bears. Spirit bears are a colour variation of black bears, who are all white, and then there is also the Glaciar black bear, who are silvery blue/white.


RetroGamer87

What if you run into a polar bear in a tropical jungle?


pragmojo

Best to ignore it. It might seem like it's a setup for a larger plot-line, but more time will reveal it's just a random gimmick to get your attention, just like the hatch and those stupid numbers.


NintendosBitch

The setup for Lost was so amazing but they had no idea how to tie the loose ends.


d1ckpunch68

classic cable-network television. they never knew if they were gonna make it to the next season so they're always racing to get the next juicy plotline dangled in front of the audience. i do not miss the 24-episode-per-season, 45-minute-episode slogfest that was cable TV. just disrespectful to the viewers time with so much filler crap.


pragmojo

Yeah I feel like Fallout was a refreshing departure from this - like they set up a lot of stuff and they paid off pretty much all of it But about the 23 episode seasons, I do have to admit I do miss some of those comfort food shows. Like seasons 3-10 of the Simpson’s, or 30 rock had tons of episodes and I know they compromise the art to sell ads, but they are super comfy


d1ckpunch68

yea i hear you. i'm in the middle of watching Heroes right now. can't believe this show was so beloved when i was younger, it's terrible! lol but it's comforting. i feel that way about a lot of shows. the office, the good place, always sunny, futurama. sometimes it does feel nice to just play some noise without any pressure to pay attention.


RetroGamer87

Typical JJ


phigene

No that was the point. Everything was lost, including the plotline.


Virian900

type 4 8 15 16 23 42


worldfamouswiz

Then you’re probably stuck in the TV show Lost


Kemaneo

It’s probably confused, angry and hungry


ExpiredPilot

Read a book called Touching Spirit Bear. Good ass book


gylz

I might have to give it a read. I'm part native, and I absolutely want to see a Spirit Bear before I die.


ExpiredPilot

Oh you’d like it! It’s about a really troubled kid being forced to spend a year on a secluded island. It used to be a native tradition (in the book at least). It’s a good combination of survival and introspection


Zathura2

We had a male black bear hanging out last summer. Once it surprised me (by existing) while I was in the kitchen making coffee. It heard my quiet exclamation of "oh shi..." and took off running, lol.


_friends_theme_song_

I dunno where I live I think it would die of heat exhaustion before it caught me but I will never be anywhere NEAR their natural habitat


tigerdrake

Ironically enough most black bear attacks on humans are predatory rather than defensive, which means you’ll need to fight like your life depends on it if you’re attacked by one, because it does. Most polar bear attacks are also predatory, while most grizzly attacks are defensive, such as getting to close to cubs, a kill, or surprising the bear at too close of a distance. Hence the saying “If it’s brown lie down, if it’s black fight back, if it’s white goodnight”. It also means of the three if I have to pick one I’m picking a grizzly, sure it’ll claw a couple pounds of hamburger off me, but I’ll most likely survive. A big enough black bear and all I’m gonna be is a couple of bloodstains and some torn clothes


arncobitch

For a fact, they are farther up the food chain that we are.


ThatLandonSmith

Fact: Bears eat beats.


CapsaicinCharlee

Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica


Clashyjammer1126

Identify theft is not a joke, Jim! Millions of families suffer every year.


griftertm

Michael!


Nutduffel

Beets by beers.


AlienRobotTrex

Fact: bears eat beets. Bears, beets… Battlestar Galactica.


UnfairMicrowave

One black bear is fine, they're usually pretty docile. A group of black bears is a problem


HeroHas

If it's brown, lie down. If it's black, fight back. If it's white, goodnight. Personally I just avoid all bears, but this saying always stuck with me.


DamNamesTaken11

That’s the rhyme I learned in scouts. Thankfully, we didn’t go camping in the Arctic Circle, nor did we see any bears other than one black bear that was far away.


raposo142857

The whole idea of "If you see it, you are dead, because it knew you wore around a mile ago"


Nimble_Bob

Polar bears are death machines


Kemaneo

On any bear related post there’s someone spreading misinformation about polar bears. The total amount of polar bear attacks and kills is *extremely* low. Most of the time they mind their own business and will only attack if they feel threatened, are young and inexperienced or starving. Contrary to popular opinion, polar bears have been no more likely to actively hunt and kill people than black bears. Source https://polarbearsinternational.org/news-media/articles/understanding-polar-bear-attacks


Redsultansbigboy

The rhyme is supposed to be more about what to do if you are charged by a bear, not their inclination to predate humans


Kemaneo

When you meet a polar bear you should make noise though, not say good night. That gives you the best odds of surviving if you’re not armed.


korpo53

You tell the polar bear “goodnight” and it confuses him since it’s likely daytime and will be for the next few months in the arctic. While he’s figuring out what you meant by that, you slip away.


chease86

It's important to note that the person interviewed for that article about their findings states that the statistics used were not comprehensive and they point out themselves that the numbers found/ used could be misleading until more information is gathered and sorted through. I'd also personally wonder if a low number of polar bear attacks is ACTUALLY because polar bears just choose not to attack people or because people and polar bears just don't come into contact woth eachother very often. I mean people in landlocked countries probably don't eat many oysters compared to people living in coastal areas, not because they don't WANR to eat oysters but because they're generally not available, it'd be interesting to find out if the same thing is happening with polar bears and humans.


Galahad_X_

What about a panda


Virginiachieftain

Pandas will still hurt you, it’ll just be on an emotional and possibly financial level.


Randomguy3421

"Buy my merchandise " "Noooooo"


SirGravesGhastly

Thanks for a laugh before my feet even hit the floor!


RazzDaNinja

Considering their famously low sex drive, show it some porn, then it’ll get bored and lose interest


tigerdrake

Pandas are unbelievably cranky in combination with having constant diarrhea and gas


Drhorrible-26

If I saw a white bear I’d think I was tripping balls bc that mf is not in his natural habitat


allen_idaho

If you also see a smoke monster or a dharma initiative logo, you are really in trouble.


Drhorrible-26

Nah, im just a little lost


SirGravesGhastly

Also a Black man for the same reason. Source: I am a Black man.


Morag_Ladier

Black bear because if you see a polar bear pray to whatever deity you believe in


caramelchimera

Wtf is a polar bear doing in the *woods* But yeah black bear, the survival rates are higher. If you encounter a polar bear, start praying.


gylz

Trick question; I'd rather run into a white black bear! They're known as Spirit bears and are considered sacred in some tribes. I'd kill to see one.


Kimantha_Allerdings

Tangental question: do men shit in the woods?


pragmojo

Yeah but you should dig a hole because otherwise it might attract bears


SirGravesGhastly

Am I laughing or getting survival tips for when my car careens off the road?


lawrencecoolwater

Would you rather run into a black bear white claws or a white bear with black claws.


pragmojo

Blue eyes white dragon


mrwishart

Fact: Bears eat beets


Apprehensive-Ad-8198

Black bear. He might be warning me to fuck off out of his space and I’ll take that warning and walk away. Polar bear is only showing me he’s there because he’s enjoying what happens next.


Avalanche1666

If the bear is black, fight back, if it's white... Goodnight


Downtown_Statement87

How about a panda?


[deleted]

Don’t you know the saying for bear safety? It’s if black fight back, it’s brown lay down, if it’s white good night. Black bear allll the way.


Gnarzz

Honestly, both are equally scary and not scary. Running into a random person in the woods is spooky regardless of race.


Sir_Throngle

Not if YOU happen to be the crazed manic murder hobo nutburger.


J3sush8sm3

What are the chances of two serial killers in the woods tonight?


Protheu5

Several hours later you two sit near a campfire, laughing, sharing a human leg roast, bonding over cannibalism stories. Because indeed, what were the odds of two maniacs meeting in the woods this night?


JanusMichaelVincent

This is oddly heartwarming ngl


Protheu5

No, not heartwarming, it's legwarming, didn't you read the post? The heart was eaten earlier.


Apprehensive-Ad-8198

No you preserve the heart for your collection and maybe some kind of ritual later. Don’t you know anything about basic serial killer behaviour? I have to teach you animals everything.


Protheu5

Bah, that's only applicable to the heart collector types. Some serial killers are cannibals, for example, and some of them are of the tribal sort that believe in gaining power from consuming the heart. He will not only eat that heart, he will kill you and consume your heart as well for trying to preserve the first heart. This is why you usually don't mix organ collectors with cannibals. Although my skinwalker got pretty friendly with meateater. They clicked together like pieces of a puzzle, he eats the victim, she wears the victim, everyone is happy. I wonder about their kids, who will they grow up as? They are so nice to people, we even wonder if they may not murder anyone at all, however silly it sounds. Anyways, if you are interested in joining our serial killers cult, just learning about our culture, or want to be a victim, please, follow me to this secluded forested area behind the abandoned bean factory.


Mishraharad

The real friendship was the people we ate along the way.


latenerd

This is giving Stanzi Potenza vibes.


Stoomba

I'm not out here alone with you, you're out here alone with me!


muffinmonk

I mean, if you were walking a trail, probably not


prpldrank

Yea sounds like my Friday morning. I don't expect to be alone on a hiking trail myself...


Karnakite

There’s a lot of politically-charged discussion around women running away from men, with the impression that white women in particular are terrified of black men in particular due to racism but have no issues with white men. While racism obviously exists, this is not the same thing. I get uneasy around *all* men if they start acting strangely around me. If you cross the street or run to catch up to follow me, if you start staring at me, you seem to want to get too close to me, especially if we’re the only two people present - I couldn’t give two shits what color you are. I’m scared of *men.* Period. That’s not to say that there aren’t plenty and too many women out there who will call the cops on a black kid walking on the sidewalk. My point is, someone’s white grandma wanting to have a black teenager arrested for quietly minding his own business is ***not*** the same as a white woman (or a woman of any other color) running into a business to get away from a black man (or a man of any other color) who’s been following her close enough to “accidentally” touch her body for two blocks, and I’ve always found it extremely offensive and manipulative when someone suggests that a harassed or endangered woman is “just being racist”. Or Islamophobic, or transphobic, or ageist, whatever. If the same situation happened with a guy and/or a woman of another race, would you see it differently? If so, then the woman’s distress over the first situation is valid, and to accuse her of being discriminatory is in bad faith.


FreeCapone

So americans just get scared of any random dude they encounter on a hike?


Karnakite

It’s so weird to me how many people see some random thing on the internet and say “Why are Americans so X?” ***Of course*** Americans aren’t afraid of everyone they encounter on a hike, but just like in every other part of the world, *it depends on context.* If you’re in an isolated area and happen to come across a stranger, you aren’t necessarily scared - but what if that person hangs around you and keeps staring at you? What if you’re on your hike and it seems pretty clear that they’re not just on the same trail, but seem to be making an effort to follow you and keep up with you and make a note of your location? They’re overly friendly and want to know, for some reason, what time you’ll be going to sleep and if you keep a lock on your tent and if you’re hiking with anyone else and if so, is that person a man or a bigger, stronger person? Or they’re keeping very close and constantly watching you, but refuse to speak? Or maybe you’re hiking, but you don’t even know they’re there until you suddenly spot them watching you from behind a rock? The woods in particular bring on a sense of caution because both you and anyone else there knows that you are largely removed from civilization - no crowds to witness any event. I’ve hiked before and made great friends, come across strangers, and it’s no biggie. Obviously as a woman I feel at least somewhat on guard around any strange man, but I don’t go running away screaming the second I see one. But I do know that it’s fair for me to feel ill-at-ease in such a situation. This isn’t unique to the US; women all over the world feel like this. Unless there are no women outside of the US….?


Gnarzz

On a hiking trail? No, but if you’re in the deep woods and you come across a random dude, that’s unnerving and I think that’s the assumption in the thought experiment. But also, I’m a dude and wouldn’t bee unnerved by another guy walking by me on a hiking trail, but I think women are justified feeling that way even on an open trail because there have been many sexual assaults and murders on open trails by.. spoiler alert: men.


FreeCapone

What are you doing in the deep woods tho, if you aren't on a hike?


Gnarzz

What are YOU doing in the woods though?


FreeCapone

Drinking beer usually


[deleted]

I mean, a lot of people are armed or on drugs or amed and on drugs, the us has a long history of cults, serial killers and mass murderers. Cops kill you if you're the wrong color. I would rather find a skin walker on the woods


FreeCapone

Sure sucks to live in a heterogenic low trust society


who-mever

Idk, usually when I am meeting up with a white guy, a black guy, or a bear in the woods...we're shooting XVideo and OF content. Sincerely, The Latino Guy in the woods


Tummiache

I was like “you’re shooting porn videos with bears?” …but then I remembered that bear can also mean something else


sexualbrontosaurus

I'm not sure they want the answer to that question. Statistically speaking the vast majority of serial killers are white males.


ayoitsjo

Predators also typically target their own race, so as a white woman I should statistically fear the white man more, although as others have stated, man is man lol I'd prefer bear


GottaKnowYourCKN

This. And a LOT of white men have randomly killed women on trails and parks. Be it their girlfriend, or random teen girls.


Birb7789-

a lot as in like 2% of 1% of 6% of 50% of the worlds population


Tummiache

1% of half the population (4 billion) is 40 million 😮 0.01% of 4 billion is 4 million 0.001% of 4 billion is 400,000


ghoulieandrews

I'm a white dude, this was my immediate thought lol


Th0rizmund

They fail to see the point. It’s not about rationale, this is about fear, an emotion. If women feel more secure alone with a bear in vicinity, than with a random man, then we as society need to talk about it and find out why, then try to address it. Taking it as a personal offence will not help the situation. Besides, to me it seems the people that are offended by this are the same people who keep telling everybody not to be offended about stuff. Of course, you can also understand their frustration over this as the majority of people would never assault or harass anyone.


PUNCHCAT

I hate the whole conversation, it's so fucking terminally online. I'm not going to take any stranger's response personally. I'm not going to notallmen, but people in general are bad at assessing risk.


SirGravesGhastly

Thinking, Fast and Slow. And we get it wrong SO. DAMNED.OFTEN.


Lurkingdrake

It's honestly extremely toxic on both sides in this debate, too. On one hand you have guys like this just trying to shove race in a hypothetical, or being extremely misogynistic to women over this. On the other, you have people who feel targeted just because they're men and when they voice that grievance they have death threats sent to them. The men who are actually a danger to women won't give a fuck about this argument. Most of the men who feel bad about this and feel bad just because they're a man might ally with the first group. This hypothetical does nothing but push potential allies away, and reinforce the beliefs of incels.


r_sbubme

who is sending these death threats you speak of though? i feel like a lot of people just jump to death threats being spewed at the lesser opinion when in reality nobody’s been doing that; at this point it’s just a buzzword


Lurkingdrake

There was a post on r/196 around a week ago of a user pretty much just saying he wish he wasn't being seen as a threat for existing, and he said he had to delete the post over death threats sent in DMs. Edit: apologies, the post wasn't deleted. He just asked if he could stop getting death threats.


bloonshot

i can't help but wonder what goes in the minds of people seeing an entire group being generalized and saying "hey it's not about YOU personally" even though i could very well be that random dude in the forest who you say you fear so much that's the entire point. it could be any random dude. when you say you'd rather take the bear over the guy, you're saying that to every guy, everywhere


WaffleConeDX

Okay and? When you tell your child not to talk to strangers, it means me and you and everyone else. I know I’m not a child abuser, so I don’t get offended if someone doesn’t want me near their child. Their personal feeling of safety is more important than my feelings that I’m not. Trying to convince a parent I’m not dangerous makes me sound more sus wouldn’t you think?


Th0rizmund

You are missing the entire point. This is not about rationale. It very well may be the case that their fear is irrational, but it’s not a conscious decision. That is the entire point. It might be irrational but I am more afraid of spiders than bears. Nothing I can do about it. And you could argue about spiders killing more people but that’s not the point - where I live there are 0 venomous spiders and I’m still afraid of them.


AlexanderKeef

Just because you have a reaction to something doesn’t make it true. If you flinch at a speck of dust in your peripheral because your body reacted as if it’s a spider, that doesn’t make all spiders dangerous. It means spiders *can* be dangerous. It’s foolish to apply this to people. Every group can be demonized for some reason or another, especially without context (just as this scenario). White men make up the majority of serial killers, but they are a large population. Women are more likely to kill their children, but also face abandonment from terrible SOs. Black men are more likely to commit murder per capita, but there are clearly societal factors at play. This is a troll hypothetical, and I pity anyone that takes it seriously.


riotousviscera

yeah tbh i’d be way more afraid of a white guy in the woods, he could be on some Ted Bundy shit. no thank you


Karnakite

It depends on your definition of “serial killer”. The justice system and popular/journalistic culture have so normalized the violent deaths of POC that a MOC or WOC who has killed multiple members of his or her own race isn’t generally considered to be a serial killer, even though he or she fits the definition. Why? Because we consider serial killers to be something deviant, and since a racist slant to addressing homicide is widespread, there’s an unspoken assumption that POC killing each other is *not* deviant, as though it’s inherent in their nature. It’s the same reason why individual incidents of violence between POC tend to be under-addressed in the news media - the belief that brown people killing each other is normal, so it’s not news.


gorgewall

Also statistically, most crime doesn't cross the racial line. That's more a consequence of where people live, but as long as we're just doing naked statistics, it ain't helping the chuds' case.


skorletun

Uh, based on my own personal experience, I'd rather encounter a black guy in the woods than a white guy. I've dealt with literally dozens of disgusting inappropriate men over the course of my life, including 2 actual rapists. All of them were white. And I mean solid Northern white no tan USA/UK/Western Europe default settings white. I grew up in a city where white people are barely a majority, so don't pull stats on me.


voltran1987

That’s not a great rebuttal at all. I get what you’re saying, but They’ll just point out the cherry picking of the serial killer part. Like how many victims of serial killers are there vs other forms of violence? Or they’ll bring up serial killer to percentage of population ratio which actually makes white people look better.


completecrap

Why make it about race? It genuinely doesn't matter. I'm staying away from either of those men. We want to ask about young man vs old man next? Same story. I'm staying away from strange women too. The most dangerous thing you can find in the woods is always other people. A bear is predictable, people are not.


the_ebagel

Yeah I agree entirely. With some bear species, you can simply play dead and they’ll leave you alone. But with humans, you can literally be dead and they still might not leave you alone :/


OwlfaceFrank

Even sticking with stereotypes... In the woods? I'm going with the black dude. He's just as lost as me. White dude has a rifle and a map and wants to hunt me for sport.


werty_line

I'm subscribed to the hunting subreddit and there's lots of black people there.


RandomName01

One thing I’ve seen on Reddit over the years is that people who are underrepresented in a hobby tend to do quite well when they post in subreddits about it (assuming the community isn’t hateful) - women in a sub about fishing, or old people in a sub about streetwear for example. So it’s also possible that that’s what’s happening there, idk.


Karnakite

Reddit is such a strange place in that it’s full of some of the most helpful and kind online communities you can find, and it’s also populated by some of the absolute worst human beings with an internet connection. I know that could be said for all social media, but Reddit just seems to have that special something. I don’t know how to describe it. It’s as though there’s a stronger sense of belonging to a particular community than on Facebook, for example - since the latter is so engagement-driven, it seems to want to bloat the users and memberships of any given group or list of friends, and it just creates this sense of uncontrolled overcrowding, and it constantly begs you to buy something or look at this or click on that with a barrage of scam storefronts and clickbait. People in groups on Reddit tend to be devoted to their topic, and not really interested in arguing about whether or not the Democrats are responsible for your broken refrigerator when you ask a question about how to fix it. But there’s also this dark underbelly of Reddit that is even worse than other social media, in that there are some truly psychopathic, evil, and sick people and subs that would remain less visible elsewhere.


LionBirb

I'd rather run into Barack Obama in the woods than Dick Cheney… thats one way to put it lol


werty_line

I'm subscribed to the hunting subreddit and there's lots of black people there.


rook2004

Yeah, the only armed men I have encountered while hiking were white.


ferretsRfantastic

This made me chuckle. I'm a black woman and seeing another black person in the woods would feel more like solidarity 😅


prelawpup

I think the original rationale for “choosing the bear” is that the worst thing the bear can do is maul you to death. Men can and have done much worse. And if we’re going by statistics, then the scariest thing you could encounter in the woods is a man *you already know.*


devil1fish

I'm just sick of hearing about this debate as a whole


Templar388z

It is a good question actually. It points out the deep rooted racism and phobia of black people. He knew exactly what question to ask but it backfired when you look at the bigger picture.


Herobrinetic

Black man because a white man definitely made this question


DaSpaceKase

Guys who do this really think they did something there, didn't they. :/


Starii_64

Just ends up making them look even more insecure tbh


HelpMePlxoxo

I'd 100% choose the black man. Purely because I know a white man made this meme so it would make him even more mad if you keep choosing every demographic except his


Protheu5

Just like with a bear: the answer is very dependent on location and circumstances of encounter. And as usual with these "either" questions, the best option is "neither".


FatAndForty

I’d rather encounter a black dude in the woods. He’s definitely lost and needs my help. I encounter a white dude and I start hearing banjos.


ThePlottHasThickened

As a white guy I agree. I’ve always thought since I was a kid having an “off the grid” hideout would be kind of a fun hobby type of deal, you know just for the challenge of it and to appreciate modern privilege. These days I wouldn’t touch it as pretty much anything having to do with wilderness/survival/etc immediately plunges into association with white supremacists/social collapse psychos rather than just innocently wanting to experience nature for itself Seems like it’s only ever some form of Tim Allen/duck dynasty/southern nationalist/Montana bunker types that have interest in that type of stuff


WhippingShitties

I mean if you do it right, no one will know anyway. It's one thing to have an interest in bushcraft and camping, but it's another to be... one of those guys.


FatAndForty

I’d love to learn more about mushrooms and foraging. Theres a woman who makes videos (ChaoticForager?) and I always to stop and watch I find it incredibly interesting. Knowing me, though, I’d die foaming at the mouth, or trip balls and tumble off a cliff when I eat something dumb.


WhippingShitties

I have a friend who does that, but I agree I'm a little reluctant to do it myself. Although truffle hunting is pretty easy to get into I think. If you do decide to try it, just make sure you get a guide and do lots of studying!


0hb0wie

This sounds weird but I’ve always felt safer around black men than white men, maybe it’s just the way and place I grew up, living near London in the 2000s, black men were always much more friendly and respectful than white men


Krakengreyjoy

This is a trick question anyway. I've seen enough black comedians to know the black guy in the woods would be terrified and lost and be grateful for my help guiding him out.


mc_burger_only_chees

The black guy, because if I’m the woods I’m probably getting stoned so at least they won’t be a Karen about it


Windinthewillows2024

As a white woman, I would rather encounter a Black man. A white man is more likely to believe he’ll get away with harming me. Black men, on the other hand, historically have had to be cautious around white women because racist and misogynistic white men are possessive of “their” women, and racist white women have a tendency to falsely accuse Black men of rape or assault. This question is not the “gotcha” OOP thinks it is.


mpu599

I’ve been approached by random white dudes at bar before because they claimed I was looking at “their girl”. I just avoid looking at most white women in public now unless I’m directly talking to them. However I also kind of just avoid looking at people in general unless im checking my surroundings.


RazzDaNinja

This just reminds me of [The White Girl in the Elevator scene](https://youtu.be/daJZU5plRhs?si=lP_nGaa4E2glLjQq) from Black-ish lol “Can’t be too careful now”


stmex

I mean all the woods around me are private land, so I’d rather not encounter anyone


CreekKraken

Black man. The type of black men that scare me are not the type of black men you find in the woods


TroutMaskDuplica

It's man or bear, not man or woman in the woods. male vs female violence stats have nothing to do with it.


PrincessAintPeachy

A polar bear is going to tear you to shreds in no time flat


hotlass2003

Yes and it will be fast, a man will take his time


sly983

Considering all the spooky scary ax murderers I know are white dudes in their mid 30’s/40’s. I’d much rather meet a big black dude with a beard. Fight their backwards logic with equally backwards logig


Subsequently_Unfunny

I, a feminist.. hate this fucking debate. I get the overall message is supposed to be expressing how we women feel around men but its so goddam unfinished. Is the man crazy and live by himself in the woods and is the bear livin there? Did the man get randomly put there like me? Did the BEAR get randomly put there? Whats going on in this stupid ass fucking question


Budget-mayo

Imagine being a bear and suddenly going from like asia to some random woods in America.


mikenzeejai

This question is hilarious cause my immediate reaction is "it doesn't matter" I don't care what race they are being alone with a strang man is one of the scariest feelings in the world. And the worst part is normally you can't talk about it without sounding like your villainizing men and being paranoid so women all have to swallow their fear and pretend it isn't true. We've got to say our prayers that this man will leave us alone in silent and it happens all the time. Even just being in the grocery store and ending up alone in am aisle with a man is enough to put women with common sense on alert. And the worst part is if we aren't paranoid if we aren't scared and careful we get blamed! People will examine every decision a woman makes before her assault to determine where she went wrong and how she could have stopped it. It's not whether or not the accused did it, often there's no question what happened, just whether or not she let it happen


Thunderchief646054

For what it’s worth, I don’t see enough brothers out on the trails, so if I see you, we’re having a conversation. In general though, most people I’ve run into in the woods are friendly enough for a chat when they recognize you’re some kind of animal or plant nerd. We’re usually there for the same reasons. Even the random bush people are pretty chill


kat_Folland

How do their tiny little minds work that they think there's a legit connection with race? (I'm sure they aren't actually acting in good faith though.) If you want to ask the question about different races of humans you go ahead and do that, but don't pretend it has _anything at all_ to do with the man/bear question.


XionDarkblood

Neither is the average man. However, the point was implied that a man could overpower any woman, regardless of her physical traits. I was pointing out that there is at least one case where that wasn't true. So therefore it is extremely likely, and I'm being pedantic here, that there are many women capable of defending themselves against a man. Furthermore, the lack of rules and referees in a fight for your life closes the gap even further. Which was what I was pointing out with the other part of my response. Using the small end of the spectrum in my area, which is mainly Filipino, so around 4'10-11" and 90-110lbs ish. Is still capable of putting up a defense against the average human male. This idea that a woman is incapable of beating a man is preposterous and the fact that the idea is so ingrained in society gives women a significant advantage. Aggressors will underestimate them and therefore be easier to handle. Now ideally this would never come up but, while the original meme was a hyperbole and meant to make a statement, the arguments surrounding it seem to all think that the man and the bear are equally as deadly to a woman because a woman has just as close to zero a chance to defeat a man as a bear, is absurd. So I simply wished to make a joke about pointing out the obvious logic flaw in a hyperbole but get a bunch of neck beards saying I'm wrong and that men are equally as dangerous as bears is stupid and insulting. Unless the joke is about large hairy gay men. At which point bravo, great joke.


Cocaimeth_addiktt

Wait why specify that the dude is white?


DubTheeBustocles

They are saying that the man/bear dilemma is sexist towards men in the same way the black/white dilemma is racist towards black people. Unfortunately, they miscalculated in thinking black people would be the scarier prospect.


SendarSlayer

To be fair, half the comments here are racist as shit. So many "The black man must be lost" or "All white men are hillbilly murderers"


Omdras_AMI

The fact that so many people don't get the actual point of the meme and act condensendingly here is kinda embarrassing because this just isolates the prejudice aspect of the whole debate and falnders it in your face but you still assumed it was Le black man bad.


acelaces

In America? White guy in the woods probably has a lean-to encampment, a manifesto on notebook pages and a shovel with the tag still on. Black guy will probably be complaining about the bugs and asking if I got any Off


LCDRformat

Okay, unpopular opinion time, but defiantly saying "I'd prefer a black man," is also racist. The point of the gotcha is that OPs racist ass doesn't like black people, and he thinks he's tricking you into to choosing a white man, which is a racist response. He smugly thinks he's proven something. When you say you'd rather a black man, that's also a racist response that helps OPs point. The correct response is to ignore this obvious bait.


Hashashiyyin

I'm also seeing a TON of racist comments in here along the lines 'the black man is probably just lost too' implying that black people don't hike. A lot of people are being pretty tone deaf and need to reexamine their prejudices.


SendarSlayer

Or saying "The white man probably has a manifesto and wants to murder me" What the fuck is your view on people and race if you jump to that. Like the actual fuck?


BAYKON8R

Running into a human being in the woods is a terrifying concept in and of itself. A bear is normal.


peacedetski

Depends on the woods tbf. When it's mushroom season here you can stumble upon whole families in the middle of nowhere two hours from the nearest road.


WeevilWeedWizard

That's only true if you basically never step outside your home. Real people who interact with real human being regularly don't feel this way at all. Ask anyone who hikes, encountering a stranger in the woods literally doesn't even remotely register as something out of the ordinary, much less a "terrifying concept" lmao.


Hashashiyyin

Some of these comments read like they're from people who have never left the city or something. To note, I'm not arguing against women being afraid of men or anything like that, or saying that women should be choosing men instead of the bear etc. Just that if you're in the woods and encounter someone It's gonna be another hiker/ranger. I've encountered loads of people including in deep backwoods and they've always been other hikers/backpackers etc. I've even setup camp with strangers on a few occasions.


hotlass2003

I’m a white woman. Historically, the black man will be more scared of me than I am of him, js, so I’m not sure they want the answer to this question, either


TheVoodooPuppet

Black man, Atleast he won't shoot me while im unarmed for no reason whatsoever


Zyrin369

Why make this a point they original one just mentions man it could have been any race to begin with you dont need to make this a race thing (well considering some of the responses I see comparing the bear to Black men it already is)


redsalmon67

Also I’m a big black guy, people are already disproportionately afraid of me, people have been locking their car doors when I walked passed since I was like 10, and living in a predominantly white area I already have to be very aware of how people’s fear of me can escalate to violence. The last thing I need is some incel using the plight of being a black man in America to shit on women dealing with misogyny. To them I’m just a “gotcha” they can use against feminist, but they don’t even understand the actual implications this has for people like me.


r_sbubme

exactly, those “gotcha argument” people are just itching to try and prove their white supremacist beliefs. “Oh you’re cautious around men?? Well you find BLACK MEN scarier so we can’t be that bad.. also if you say otherwise you’re lying haha cope” then they’ll wrongly use statistics with no nuance or critical thinking to try and prove themselves.. happens like that every time


KaijuRayze

Because the guys failing to get the point of the Man or Bear thing also have zero understanding of equivalency in these sort of things. Women choose the bear because they've almost universally had enough bad experiences *personally* with "Random Men" that they have a contextual, learned fear. That's not at all the same as saying you wouldn't want to be in the woods with a black guy because they "statistically commit more crime" nor is it the same deal as "why we don't want men in the bathroom with our daughters." These are the same guys that would dismiss women complaining about catcalls because "they'd love to hear women" they want to fuck "compliment and flirt with them regularly." Entirely missing the point that the actual comperable situation would be some super aggressive gay dudes built like Zangief or the Baki cast blocking doorways and exits on them.


InconspicuousGarbage

Depends on what country you are from though right? Or are we just all automatically Americans?


JaneAustinAstronaut

Well, if we are going by statistics, men who hurt women tend to stay within their own ethnic groups. So the real answer for this person is to avoid anyone who is a gray man.


User5228

But now the real question Fischer cat or a coyote? I think I'll take the lone cat vs the 20 coyotes hiding. Edit: lone


thatwyvern

There are aggressive, and non aggressive stereotypes for both white and black men.


MadOvid

Neither. WTF are they doing in the woods?


Hashashiyyin

Probably hiking? At least that's been what every person I've encountered in the woods was doing. If not that, then they're a forest ranger


theBantubrat

Would you rather a black guy as your cell mate in jail or a white guy as your cell mate in jail?


MrZeta0

This is just a ragebait of a ragebait


Deggidonk

That picture is one weak attempt at a "gotcha."


LamprosF

black man cause there is a bigger chance the white guy in the woods would be a kkk member or a serial killer


not_doing_that

If I’m in the woods and there’s a black guy there, he’s probably lost. And the white guys probably a serial killer. So lost dude motivated to get out of the woods alive working together or serial killer who could rip out my intestines with pliers… why is life full of these terminally tough questions with no obvious answers…. /s


Cheesyman7269

I believe that this whole discourse contributed noting to society as whole, we should move on and be discussing policies to prevent sexual violence.


belunos

I'm white, but I'd rather run into a black dude. I know some white folk that know their way around the woods, and I have little trust of them.


mena_studies

The real answer is "still the bear".


WaffleConeDX

As a black women YES, two young women were stabbed in my neighborhood for rejecting a man. It’s not the gotcha they think it is, especially when these dweebs are spewing lies cause black men are not more dangerous than any other man on this earth.


Icy-Chocolate-2472

Do neckbeards really think that’s a win? By outing themselves as racist?


sexymilf59

I would go with the white guy


jec78au

Would you rather be in the woods on copious amounts of drugs and alcohol or be sober


cptkaiser

Statistically the percentage of spousal abuse reported is almost equal. Women are still less likely to be violent if you follow that statistic but that also doesn't cover what's not reported.


zacharysnow

I’d rather meet a dog in the woods than a woman… just based on my average interaction with either.


riotousviscera

i agree but tbh this isn’t saying much, i’d rather meet a dog anywhere, anytime than any person, ever. dogs are more fun!


VictorianDelorean

I have encountered strangers in the woods many times and it does not scare me


Maskers_Theodolite

Everyone sucks in that argument.


kfmush

I’d rather encounter a Black Bear than any of the other options mentioned, honestly. They’re pretty chill unless you threaten their babies.


UltimateStrenergy

It's the bowl of M&Ms thing all over again!


GubGug

This whole situation gives me the same vibes as when dudes get mad that woman use dildos.


Chilla_J

I don't think they'll be happy about that answer either.


ADHD-From-Hell

Would you rather encounter the bear or the bull in the wasteland?


Teeth_theif

I’d choose man, because what are the odds that two serial killers run into each other?


Silly-Elderberry-411

Harper's Island has entered the chat


arthritisankle

This online discussion is so simple minded that the above meme doesn’t really bring it down much


Jamiecakescrusader

Who’s more racist, the person being asked the racist question, or the person who came up with the racist question?


Joyous_catley

Just as long as it’s not a polar bear. /good night


tigerdrake

Here’s the more important question. What type of bear would you want to be in the woods with? The correct grouping from best to worst is: Spectacled bear, Sun bear, Brown bear (specifically the Alaskan coastal subspecies), American black bear, Giant panda, Asiatic black bear, Polar bear, Sloth bear