The man vs bear meme

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No. Again, you are not engaging with what I am saying. There is nothing wrong with the meme. There isn't a better meme that would have been more productive. Women have been saying for years and decades that they are worried about sexual assault and that it is a serious societal issue, in large part because it is not taken seriously by society and by many men. The engaging part about this particular meme is that it drives the point home of how terrifying sexual assault is: it's scarier than a bear! That's why it resonated. That it also brought up all this negativity is intrinsic to the topic of sexual violence against women, itself. The topic always generates this response.

A milder-worded meme would just have been more ignored, not produced better awareness or any other positive result. Again, we already know this because it has never happened. There's never been a way of raising awareness that has been well taken.

I have a question. Is there one "the meme" that we're talking about, or is it "all the man/bear memes" ?

I ask because even though it's an extremely important topic and it gets people talking, the memes I've seen seem to be making fun of women for being irrational.

Maybe I've seen the wrong one(s)?

I’ve seen lots of memes that are not about making women look irrational. Here are a few:







My favorites:

Thanks.
I won't post the ones I saw because they were misogynist.
One is already in this thread with the man hugging a bear.
I didn't know if I'd missed the "main" or first meme, or if it was about all of them combined.

I'm new to this phenomenon of memes.
I always saw them as random jokes in the past.
I didn't know they were such a widespread, directed, and intentional social medium.

It was originally a short TikTok video which I read about but didn’t watch.

Ah, OK.

I don't have Tic Toc, or know how to use it.

Of the women i've actually asked that I'm close too, none of them have heard of the meme, they all pick the man and one thought it was a rhetorical question. None of them viewed it from the perspective of sexual assault, rather they don't want to get eaten by bears.

Who would have guessed that the world doesn't revolve around the Internet and other actual women are entitled to an optinion that differs or, heaven forbid.....a man. The horror.

Women in this thread have given different responses. We understand and respect the views of other women. Saying what they “should” pick is something else. Since this question is centered around violence against women, it’s a bit tone-deaf for men (or anyone for that matter) to tell women which they should pick and what they should think.

I was leaning towards men, but given the insensitivity that’s been displayed in this thread, I’m thinking about reconsidering my initial stance.

I choose men too, but my point is that everyone's choice should be respected without judging women.
It doesn't mean I feel completely comfortable with all men either.
It would depend on variables beyond the scope of the meme.

I still support the aims of the meme for bringing awareness, even if I don't love the methodology.

I thought you weren't gonna respond anymore? That didn't last long.

So you found women who hadn't even heard of the meme, and then asked them about the literal premise of the meme, w/o giving the context and intent of the meme? Sounds like a fair shake to me

Also, it's very nice of you to selectively value the opinions of women when they confirm your opinion, but not when they disagree, for someone who makes a big bluster about all opinions, and the right to disagree.

It's also funny how when you go cherry-pick women that agree with you, you feel extra validated, but when a guy spontaneously agrees with the ladies here, it doesn't mean a thing, and there's a thousand excuses for why it doesn't count.

The issue isn't merely "different opinions". It's a refusal to look at an uncomfortable truth, and a dismissal of a greater problem. Women have been saying "I am worried about being the victim of a sexual assault" for over half a century. Guys didn't care, wouldn't listen, dismissed the message, and blamed the victims. "Look how she was dressed". Guys are still obviously overtly dismissive of the matter. "Well, maybe you're just bad at picking men..." as though that justifies getting assaulted.

"Everyone's opinion is valid!" LOL no the hell it isn't. Everyone gets to HAVE an opinion, but not all opinions are equal, and not everyone's opinion gets to carry the same weight. or would you suggest we allow sexual predators to chime in and make a case in favor of sexual assault - in the name of fairness and being open to all sides and allowing all viewpoints, of course... (hint: that would be absurd to do).

The kum-bay-yah "all opinions are equal for everyone" song and dance may be great for allowing crap ideas to flourish unopposed, and "keeping the peace" is a great excuse to forbid criticism - but criticism isn't inherently a bad thing in and of itself, and sometimes "bickering" is necessary to get dense people to get a clue when they're not listening, or don't want to listen. People always say "you didn't have to shout!" after you already asked them nicely 500 times.

!

Cornflake wrote:

Well, I think we're done here. The snark is getting a little too hot and going round in circles is dizzying. With the point of the meme detailed and explained several times yet still missed by some, it's an illustration of how the valid fears of women and sexual assault as a serious societal issue are not taken seriously enough. From one of the other memes posted - Hey guys. Women KNOW that bears can be dangerous. They still prefer the bear. Take all the time you need with that information. Locked