Finding yourself face to face with a man or a bear? The debate that shakes up social networks

You are a woman in a forest. Who would you rather end up with: a man or a bear? The question went viral on social media, sparking heated debates about women's perception of danger and their relationship with men.

Less anecdotal than it seems, the affair seems to have started in April from a TikTok video. Of the eight women interviewed, seven said they would choose the bear, despite the portly, clawed mammal's reputation for ferocity.

On Instagram and X too, in the United States as in France and elsewhere, the question has spread like wildfire in recent weeks.

Taking the issue not literally but as a mirror to societal debates about gender relations, many women explained why they preferred the bear. Sometimes with humor, often in a very dark tone.

“A bear is not going to rape me before killing me,” writes an Internet user on X. “No one will pity the bear because killing me risks destroying his career,” she adds. Sharing a screenshot of a testimony about marital rape, another commented: “This is why women choose the bear.”

"I understand. We know what to expect from a bear,” reacted a user on TikTok. But for other men, it is incomprehension. “It’s crazy (crazy, editor’s note) this vision of men…” says one of them about X.

While waiting for the debate to one day be settled - or not - the media outlet Fox News, in the United States, has chosen to publish a detailed list of tips for saving your life in the event of an impromptu encounter with a bear while hiking. .