The man vs bear meme

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The man vs bear is just another stupid way to make men feel bad for having XY chromosomes.

Yes it does look a bit stupid. I looked it up and found one response that suggested it was offensive to give a woman a pamphlet containing self-defense tips (in case of attack by a man). I suppose it depends how effective the tips are, but that wasn't mentioned.

It's not stupid. The point of it is to demonstrate that women have reason to be afraid of men, because if you are woman, a man you don't know, and sometimes one that you do, can physically assault you. Everyone understands that there is reason to be afraid of a bear, but most men don't understand that women have reason to be afraid of a man.

That some men attack and rape women is a fact. If it makes you feel bad, then act on it by helping to educate men and helping to hold those who rape accountable. There is still a huge gap in accountability of men who commit sexual assaults.

The pamphlet that gives women tips on how to stay safe is objectionable because it assumes it's women's responsibility to protect themselves against aggressive men rather than society's responsibility to protect women against these men, and that ultimately the responsible party is the man who commits a rape. The woman who is his victim is never the responsible party.

As an older man, I too am afraid of aggressive men, but I'd welcome a good pamphlet explaining my self-defense options. I agree society should make the world safe for the vulnerable to walk about in, but it's been a problem for thousands of years, and I don't think it's going to change. In the UK we're not even allowed to carry pepper sprays or tasers. Personally I'd feel safer if I was allowed to do that. I sympathise with the resentment that we're still living in a dangerous society, and daren't walk alone in safety, but I don't think the meme is helpful because it insinuates the blame onto all men, and the dangerous ones won't take a blind bit of notice. But they would take notice of a facefull of pepper spray.

Not all men are rapists, of course, but potentially any man could be a rapist. That is the point of the meme. That is why women have reason to be afraid of a random man just like everyone has reason to be afraid of a bear. (No one argues that hey, some bears won't attack you. In fact, most of the time a bear won't attack you. That doesn't make it safe to be around a bear.)

And while anyone can be mugged, attacked, or beaten, sexual assault against women is particularly common, and it often is not prosecuted and when it is there is often no conviction or only a minor penalty. This is because of a historical attitude of entitlement among some men and the embedded societal belief that women matter less. That's why it's a serious societal problem that is everyone's problem and needs to be everyone's concern.