When Men Were Hunters

“Men are hunters”. We all know this, right? It’s an old familiar saying, one that is accepted by most of us. It bolsters a sense of valor in men while at the same times gives women, who have become weary, a reason to be a little more patient while awaiting their “discovery” by the proverbial “hunter”.

When ladies take matters into their own hands, they are gently reminded that “men are hunters” in an effort to quell their anxiety and convince them to wait for the hunt to finally reach their doorsteps. While I agree that women should not take on the role of the pursuer, the notion of men being hunters is problematic.

It renders a true statement, but in a context that does not adequately represent the point its use is intended to make. Some men are hunters is, in fact, a true statement. However, the question to be answered is “what type of man hunts women” and “how is being hunted ever beneficial to any woman”?

There is a segment of men that can be rightfully called hunters. These men are predators that prey on women for their own beneficial interests not those of the women they hunt. Women are “wild game” to be hunted for sport and other means of exploitation. Hunting is never an act of love from the hunter to the hunted.

The endeavor is always in favor of and for the benefit of the hunter. The role of a man is to pursue a woman not to hunt her as though she were an animal or something of less value than himself. A man should pursue a woman like he would pursue his own purpose not like a predator hunts its prey.

The connotations are vastly different and communicate very different ideas. A good man pursues a woman like hidden treasure keenly aware of her great value. With a good man comes “provision” which is a much better word that paints a more accurate picture of a man’s pursuit. Pro-vision literally means to have vision in advance, to see beforehand, foresight.

Hunting is only beneficial to a woman in a context where a man “hunts” as a means of provision not as a show of his sexual/masculine prowess. The object shifts from being the woman to being provision for a woman. Women were never intended to be hunted by the men who they were created to be loved by not even during the time when men were hunters.