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PaperclipPerfector  2mo ago (text post)   25167 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of April 29, 2024

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A "man" obviously parses to anti-feminism. A "bear" can be anything, because it doesn't exist. That's the context in which the poll exists and is shared. You can't interpret the question facially, because it was linked to you (and you, and you, and you) as a referendum on feminism. Look, men are dangerous and bad, here's proof! Nobody voting has met a bear. Nobody in this discussion has met a bear. (I challenge anybody reading to name an occasion on which they met a bear they weren't actively going out of their way to meet. Zoos and national parks don't count! I'm sure there's somebody here, and I bet it makes for an interesting story.)

This comment is not intended as bear slander. They are fun creatures, and a few of them even parse as something magnificent. They can be dangerous, but they're really not a good avatar for the abstract platonified category of dangerous things. I've met bears, what do you want? They're not especially interested in us. They like food and protecting their children. Actually, it could be fun to meet a strange bear. I'm not especially sure I want to meet a strange man, and all the social entanglements that come with returning to baseline.

How many people will give an obviously ridiculous answer to a question when they have no skin in the game? Looks like at least 85%.

People in some areas of the US have regular encounters with black bears, who are in fact pretty harmless.

Have you?

Yep. Literally in my yard in fact.

I've met bears on a number of occasions while hiking, hunting, or berry picking in places like Tahoe, Colorado, and Minnesota. In my mind, meeting bears is a normal thing that happens from time to time, but I suppose that just shows how out of touch I am with normal peoples' lives. I think you're right that the bear is not "real" in the minds of most people answering the question.

I challenge anybody reading to name an occasion on which they met a bear they weren't actively going out of their way to meet.

My grandmother had a local bear who liked to sit in her peach tree and eat the fruit. Occasionally would wander up onto her porch. She was more concerned with the deer, since they ate more of her vegetables (up until the bear broke half the peach tree by being too large for the branches. She wasnt pleased by that).

ATVing in wisconsin north woods. Turned a corner and there was what looked like a large black dog in the trail. It was sitting oddly, like a human would. Then it got up and lumbered off. "Oh, that was a black bear. Cool."

I challenge anybody reading to name an occasion on which they met a bear they weren't actively going out of their way to meet.

Salmon fishing in Alaska as a kid. A couple of times, we had to quickly pack up and make a quiet retreat thanks to a bear coming down the other side of the river, while Dad had his rifle at the ready should it start charging our way (that's why we always brought a gun or two with us when fishing).

I once lived in a place where bears occasionally appeared on our driveway. Pretty awkward.

Framing the man and bear as "strange" unfairly slants the question. A strange bear is perhaps slightly more likely to attack you, while a strange man is much more likely to attack you. A typical bear has a good chance of attacking you and a typical man does not.

"Strange" can also mean "unknown," as in "stranger." In context, I think that's the meaning of the word as SlowBoy's using it. I don't think he's saying the man and bear are weird.

That's fair.

I challenge anybody reading to name an occasion on which they met a bear they weren't actively going out of their way to meet. Zoos and national parks don't count! I'm sure there's somebody here, and I bet it makes for an interesting story.

It’s not terribly interesting. The fact that it was a black bear sans cubs and not too close in distance took away a good amount of the excitement. After I kept yelling “Go away, bear!” it ran back off, and I was surprised by just how fast that thing was; it felt like a marvel of biomechanics. Anyway, now I tell people “I got into a fight with a bear and won”, refraining from elaborating (until pressed) that the fight didn’t go beyond a shouting match, and I was the only one participating.

Regarding the actual thrust of your comment, I couldn’t be more in agreement. The point of the poll isn’t actually to rationally dissect the probability of bear attack versus assault by a human male; it’s to create the very soundbite “Women prefer to be alone in the wild with a bear than a man” being discussed by this comment chain in the first place.

After I kept yelling “Go away, bear!” it ran back off, and I was surprised by just how fast that thing was; it felt like a marvel of biomechanics.

Also effective: "I need you to go now. I hope you enjoyed my yard." and "PERKELE!!!1!"

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