Okay, I'll admit it was an overly broad generalization, and I shouldn't have called you a dumbass. So I'm sorry for that. I was a bit heated because the other commenter had me riled up.

But I'll start this by saying I don't follow any fucking twitter handles or manosphere youtubers. I'm chagrined that you would even assume that about me. You have me mispegged, and that's causing you to view everything I say through a lens where you're already making assumptions about the intent.

I've listened to the opinions of many women. I've read what they say online and in women's support spaces. Yes, that doesn't mean it represents the opinion of every woman, but to discount it entirely just because it can't be framed as an absolute would be the wrong approach.

The best conclusion one can draw is, that of the women who have expressed their opinions in formats that I have access to, the majority of them seem to agree on the "man versus bear" narrative. And if I, upon learning that, don't conclude "so I shouldn't approach women then," then I'd be in the wrong.

Even if there's a smaller percentage who think "But I want to be approached," the reality is, I can't read their mind, and I'm not going to guess. There's no way for me to spot "Oh this woman wants to be approached" from visual cues alone. So I'm going to err on the side of caution and treat every woman like she wants to be left alone.

Anything else and I'd be in the wrong. So if you really want to claim I'm being toxic and misogynist by literally going out of my way and changing my behavior based on what I've learned in order to make sure women feel more comfortable in public, then this is a really topsy turvy world and there would be no point in trying to comprehend something so self-contradictory.

I'm saying that they often get excused with an explanation like "many women have XYZ experience which leads them to making LMNO inferences about men." And if anyone has the audacity to say "well I'm a man, and I'm not like that," then they're flamed even harder. There's even a hashtag for it. People will hit that dude with a bitingly sarcastic "#notallmen"

And yet when the roles are reversed and someone says "many men have XYZ experience which leads them to making LMNO inferences about women," suddenly that's painting with broad strokes and making uncouth generalizations. But nobody can make a sarcastic "#notallwomen" to justify it when faced with pushback.

So yeah, as long as the double-standard exists, then I'll continue to deconstruct it. I can't force the world to stop making harmful generalizations about men, but I can revoke the respect that I previously offered that went unreciprocated.

If that makes me a hypocrite, then what does that say about the people who created and reinforced the double-standard to begin with, even when I respectfully pushed back on it, and who will defend it to the bitter end no matter what I say or do?

I'm willing to call a truce whenever the rest of the world is ready, but not if I'm the only one standing in the negotiation field while shells continue to fall around me.