I find that part funny. By “that part,” I mean the irony. Millions of people participated in a trend saying they’d rather be alone with a bear than a man because of their own experiences or perceptions. Now many of those same people are laughing at one woman for making a life choice they don’t understand or agree with. I don’t find abuse funny. I don’t find trauma funny. I don’t find women feeling unsafe funny. I don’t find the possibility that this woman could face challenges funny either. What I found ironic was how quickly a crowd can ridicule someone for making a decision they personally wouldn’t make, while forgetting that many of us have made choices that sound absurd to someone else. This post was actually meant to push back against what looked to me like cyberbullying. I’ve always had a hard time watching one person become the target of a crowd. If you’ve noticed my replies, you’ll see I’m usually not defending myself. I’m defending other people. That’s just who I’ve always been. A lot of people also took issue with my use of “American men.” That wasn’t a statement about all American men. It was an SEO choice because most of my audience is in the Middle East, and I was trying to provide context. In hindsight, that choice distracted from the point I was trying to make. I’m not a political commentator. My content is usually about my life as an American Muslim living abroad, my family, and my observations about culture. This wasn’t intended to be a debate about Afghanistan, politics, or gender. It was simply my reaction to watching one woman become the internet’s punchline. You don’t have to agree with her decision. I don’t expect everyone to. I just don’t like watching crowds turn one person into entertainment. #CyberBullying #MobMentality #Groupthink #SocialMedia #AmericanMuslim