i think the theory is if you dont fight back the bear will lose interest if hes not hungary
Black bears eat fresh meat AND carrion, doe.
Playing dead might work for brown bears, polar bears, grizzlies, and kodiak. They want freshly killed protein.
Bear behaviors are erratic to humans because we havent cohabitated with them for centuries like humans have with dogs & cats. Mace, slugs, noise, no eye contract, never turning your back, distraction techniques, punching the bear's nose and eyes, sprinting in a figure 8 pattern, etc? If it is September and the bear needs more body fat before it hibernates, then just call yourself Timothy Treadwell. :-(