So calling Trump a regard is acceptable then?

That’s not a gotcha - tbh the “left”, to the extent there is such a thing in the US, would be more likable if it used the language of the actually existing working class to communicate its criticisms of capital. Tone policing is not an effective way to organize the proletariat or to spread class consciousness

You’re missing the broader implications of the meme. It’s not just about women feeling unsafe around men — that’s a real and valid experience — but this particular meme has been co-opted and amplified in ways that serve deeper political agendas.

It does racialize the threat, whether consciously or not. The ambiguity of “a man in the woods” leaves people to fill in the blanks with their own biases, and statistically, media and social conditioning prime many to imagine a Black or brown man — not a white suburban dad. That’s why this meme feeds into racist and xenophobic narratives, even if unintentionally.

Worse, it also primes men — especially men of color — to feel alienated and demonized. It reinforces the message that they are inherently threatening or unwelcome in public spaces. This isn’t just a feminist meme gone viral — it’s political fodder. Right-wing actors boosted this kind of content ahead of the 2024 elections to create division: stoking male resentment, amplifying racial tensions, and undermining solidarity between groups that might otherwise resist conservative agendas.

So yes, the fear of violence is real. But the weaponization of that fear — through memes like this — deserves serious scrutiny. Just because something resonates emotionally doesn’t mean it’s not being used strategically.

If you asked people to describe the skin color of the “man”, i very much doubt most of them were thinking of a white man.

A white male Connecticut suburbanite isn’t what is being thought of in their minds eye - it’s a “thug” or an “illegal”. Because the meme is racist, and anti-male sentiments manifest via violence against black and brown men

No it isn’t, it’s literally what astroturfing is and how public relations campaigns are run. I know people who literally do shit like this for a living

Doesn’t mean the original meme was created by an agency necessarily, but it certainly was boosted and amplified by conservatives to spark anger against PoCs/immigrants, and to build intergender resentment amongst men. Which worked wonderfully for Trump, as is evidenced by his strong performance with Gen Z men

The goal was to increase fear of the “other” - which is a classic right wing tactic.

The bear meme was a conservative astroturfed campaign to push people right - which is why it appeared shortly before the 2024 US elections

The goal was to increase fear of the “other” - which is a classic right wing tactic.

The bear meme was a conservative astroturfed campaign to push people right - which is why it appeared shortly before the 2024 US elections

The bear metaphor was obviously thinly veiled racism/xenophobia from the start. Lots of conservative/moderate women who are terrified of anyone who isn’t white or who is “illegal”