Bear Vs. Man Debate: I Finally Joined the Conversation

I finally joined the bear vs. man debate. Honestly, I’m a bit late to the party, but hey, at least I showed up. This whole debate bubbled up while I unplugged from social media, so I didn’t dive in too deeply. I caught just enough to realize that this conversation appeared everywhere.

Then, just a few minutes ago, I watched a comedian talk about it. He admitted that he also arrived late to the party, so at least I’m not the only one straggling in at the end.

Now that I’ve finally caught up, I must admit—the bear vs. man debate fascinates me. Everyone seems to have an opinion. In particular, most women seem to believe that they’d feel safer with a bear than with a man. At first, I didn’t understand it, though to be fair, I didn’t spend much time thinking about it either. However, the argument goes like this: A bear will either attack you or leave you alone. Pretty straightforward, right? Moreover, in many cases, you can survive a bear attack.

But men? Men are a whole different story.

A man might attack you—not to kill you—but to attack you again later. Or perhaps, he’ll quietly stalk you through the woods, keeping you on edge. The underlying theme is power. And of course, sex. Don’t those two go hand in hand?

In our society, men receive power simply because they’re born with a penis. Women, on the other hand, must fight for every ounce of power we get. Every single one of us. So, it’s easy to imagine how a dangerous power dynamic could develop over time when you’re lost in the woods with a man instead of a bear.

Additionally, let’s not forget the woods themselves—something about being isolated in nature can mess with your mind. It might even drive you a little crazy, pushing you to do things you wouldn’t normally consider.

Recently, I heard a song that perfectly captures this debate. Although I’m not sure of the title, the best line goes, “It’s not all men, but it’s all women.” The idea is that at some point, every woman has feared being attacked by a man. Maybe it was that time you wrapped your coat around you a little tighter and pretended to be on the phone. Or perhaps that time you walked alone and picked up your pace because you felt someone watching, even following you.

Listening to this song made me realize just how common these protective measures are. And not just for random women—this happens to me too. In fact, I constantly think about how to protect myself when I’m out alone. Honestly, even when I’m home in Oceanside, that need to protect myself lingers in the back of my mind.

Now, my daughter says I watch too many documentaries. Admittedly, she’s not wrong—I do love a well-produced documentary. Here’s the sentence rewritten in active voice:

If a documentary is well-made, it will easily capture my interest, no matter the subject. I obsess over humanity and how we all function in similar yet wildly different ways. However, my documentary choices tend to lean toward the harrowing side of life—stories about what happens when things go horribly wrong. In fact, I like to think of these shows as studies in humanity. There’s always something to learn from each story.

For me, watching these documentaries isn’t just entertainment—it’s education. Indeed, they make me more aware of the world around me. In addition, they teach me what to look for, how to recognize danger, and how to trust my feminine intuition—which hasn’t failed me yet!

Of course, I know that not all men are dangerous. For example, I’d trust my husband with anyone.

But here’s the thing: While it’s not all men, it is all women. Some women—probably very religious ones—might argue against that. However, I think they’d be lying to themselves. As women, we were born as the weaker sex. That’s what Christianity taught me, at least.

We were meant to fill certain roles for each other, but apparently, sin got in the way. Consequently, we face a pretty messed-up system—one that neither God nor you or I can fix.

So, what’s left for us to do?

We listen to our intuition, we play dead when we need to, and when the time comes, we run like hell.