It’s Not About the Bear
It’s not about the bear.
I see a lot of men upset about the man vs bear question on social media.
It’s not about the bear.
It’s about you. And me. And the choice and freedom of women.
It’s about the lack of choice women have in interaction with men. It’s about women being unable to cross a parking lot at night without fear. It’s about losing their right to their body.
If you hear this and think “they’re just living in fear” you’re ignoring — willfully — the very real changes that have happened and are being pushed for by extremist elements.
It’s about the known vs the unpredictable.
One who encounters a bear knows there are two possible outcomes:
- The bear attacks.
- The bear runs away.
A woman encountering a male is subject to a variety of possible outcomes, all of which are predicated on the desire of the man, or her response to him or her ability to manage the direction he wants the interaction to go.
“This is internalized misogyny!” I’ve been told.
No, this is recognition of long standing power dynamics.
If this metaphor drives you to rage, you are the problem.
