Man or Bear, Woman or Tree

          Man or Bear, Woman or Tree

 

There is a pseudo-feminist meme, which asks “Which would you rather be in the woods with, a man or a bear?” Some women say ‘bear’. To them I offer this critique:

“Oh honeychile, you were in the woods with a MAYUN?! Your escutcheon is besmirched! Now what nobleman can credit your maidenly honour? Your value in the marriage market has collapsed! You’ll never betroth a man of good family; you’ll have to wed a mere tradesman; or worse a laborer; or even worse a male of INFERIOR RACE! ‘Tis a fate worse than Death! If only it had been a bear! Then your family could bury your gnawed bones under a tombstone with the inscription ‘PURE UNTO DEATH’!”

That’s not feminism. It’s the Feminine Mystique, which is the ideology of patriarchy.

Now consider this retort: “Which would you rather tell your feelings to, a woman or a tree? A tree won’t judge you, or mock you, or throw your confession in your face if it’s losing an argument, or tell the other trees.”

Is that unfair and sexist? I agree. And so is man-or-bear. When a man objects to man-or-bear, is that just an example of why some women choose bear? Be the kind of man that women prefer to bears! But by the same logic, when a woman objects to woman-or-tree, is that just an example of why some men choose tree? Be the kind of woman that men prefer to trees!

Women and men both deserve better than that. So reject sexist self-pity.

Oh by the way, I learned the woman-or-tree meme from a wise young woman.