it is interesting to read comments on various internet news articles on the subject. It’s kind of a Bernard-Goetz-Lite incident that provokes heated responses in alld irections…, with various differences from the goetz scenario…butit is fascinating to see how people truly see the same event very differently.
My take on it is different than most of the responses ive read….The young dude definitely landed the first blow, or poke, or offensive contact, or however you want to characterize it. Just looking at that old guy, his general bearing, thickness, I think the little young guy was kind of crazy to go poke the old guy. The old guy just looked like he was going to win any fight, and that the old guy knew that he was going to win, and it was kind of dumb for the young guy to not pick up on that. It seemed liek the young guy didn’t believe he could win the fight, so afetr taking a halfhearted poke at the old guy, he steps away a bit, and the old guy unloads.
I’m not so sure the young guy really is a punk trying to intimidate the old guy. The young guy probably got a surge of testosterone, egged on by young females. This whole thing may be independent of race, perhaps. He goes up to the old guy who has retreated and pokes him after the old guy tells the young guy he would prevail in any fight. The young guy seems indignant more than like he wants to intimidate. I’m not saying they weren’t feeling each other out at the beginning. Just that by the time the young guy approached the old guy at the front of the bus, it didn’t seem to be in a manner calculated to intimidate. he looked like eh was trying to salvage his deluded self-image that he was a tough guy.
Anyone, I mean anyone regardless of age or race, who would approach a guy who looked as confident and crazed as the old guy and lay a finger on him would have to be ready to fight. I think in general if someone is eager to engage in combat, not just bravado, but truly eager and optimistic about their chances of winning, it might be better to let the fight go. It would be better to let virtually all fights go, but particularly that one. Interesting video to watch.
Some of the news articles commenters say they know the old guy, he’s “Vietnam Tom” a well known local whow as tasered at an A’s game.
