This metaphor doesn’t make sense when you think about risk analysis. If we are comparing humans to alligators here then let’s say you go up to 1000 people and put your arm out in front of them. Now do the same thing with 1,000 alligators. Is it more likely that the alligators will be far more aggressive? Probably. Now until this experiment is done we’ll never know but that is the reason why your alligator metaphor. It also implies that women interacting with men would be equivalent to women petting an alligator which let’s face it most people wouldn’t want to get close to a wild alligator.
This metaphor doesn’t make sense when you think about risk analysis. If we are comparing humans to alligators here then let’s say you go up to 1000 people and put your arm out in front of them. Now do the same thing with 1,000 alligators. Is it more likely that the alligators will be far more aggressive? Probably. Now until this experiment is done we’ll never know but that is the reason why your alligator metaphor. It also implies that women interacting with men would be equivalent to women petting an alligator which let’s face it most people wouldn’t want to get close to a wild alligator.
All fine and dandy but that’s not what they were comparing it to
Then what were they comparing it to?