Should bears run? A chaser's opinion - featuring Nicholas Baatz

Pup Charger (Nicholas Baatz)

You think being a bear in the real world is hard? Try being a chaser in Mexico City! It is true that bears like chasers, it's just that Mexican bears seem to have issues admitting to it... Somehow, dating a guy who is leaner or even fitter tends to be frowned upon at bear bars (even if they all gawk at then when no one's looking).

My husbear was telling me his insight on the matter from his experience with chasers; he said that most chasers try to be as fit as possible because we don't think that any bears would go for us any other way... But, he says, most bears actually just love the attention and "are amazed that these fit people would have any interest in us [bears] at all!".

Perhaps this is true. In Mexico, I haven't really had a chance to prove the theory since I'm usually partnered and don't go hunting for bears... At least, not seriously since nothing will happen anyway. But I do know of people who have.

For example, my friend and boyfriend's ex, Pup Charger (Nicholas Baatz) in D.C. has great luck with bears. I mean, it does help that he is a very nice guy, fit as can be and a great massage therapist (or so I'm told, but if you are in the D.C. area you can check it out for yourself at http://unleashedmassage.com), but I think that the culture has a lot to do with it as well. For instance, when I was at the bars where he worked, I could see he was not the only chaser in the room and the other ones were getting attention as well - being included in all the bear fun.

In Mexico, if you're fit or leaner and you hang out with bears, people assume that, most of the time, you're a hustler - and, of course, they want nothing to do with you. However, as Nick put it in an interview when asked if he was a good bear chaser, "bear's don't really run, so chasing them is not that difficult"... At least in the USA.

A big part of this, I think, is that here we are not that comfortable with just going up to people and chatting for no apparent reason which seems to be quite common in the US. I say this because when you message someone on Bear411 who would usually ignore you at a bar, mostly they respond eagerly, immediately wanting sex... What is up with that? I think bears should just stop this 'running' business and play with the rest of us... That's what they really want anyway!

So, while in Mexico the bears aren't fit enough to actually run, they just give you looks and strike diva poses which makes chasing them way too difficult.

What do you guys (bears, mostly) think of this topic?