@bdotTM "Your Struggle and My Struggle are Two Different Things."

File Under: We Are In This Together

That observation comes from an article posted by VIBE magazine on rapper Jay-Z's response to a 2012 comment by historic entertainer and activist, Harry Belafonte, calling for celebrities of today to take a more meaningful role in social change.  The comment really epitomizes the mindset of anyone who could believe that the rapper was justified in his words and manner of attack.  And Jay-Z has plenty of sycophants willing to endorse his utterly classless counter-assault.

How could one person get so much wrong in one statement?  This statement intimates that Harry Belafonte was not struggling for others, but for himself, and that Civil Rights was only about black people.  It implies that the world can be divided cleanly into: black/white, me/you, us/them, rich/poor, Democrat/Republican, Liberal/Conservative, or American/Not.  It says there is no "our struggle," there is only "your struggle" and "my struggle." It believes that "your struggle" ended sometime before I was born and I have no responsibility as a human being of any race/ethnicity/status to contribute to the ongoing fight.  This is the self-serving, me-centric attitude that permeates our society, our politics and our policy.  It is the reason asian children manufacture $200 sneakers in horrendous sweatshops for pennies.  It is the reason starving, AIDS-infected children die in diamond mines or genocides in Africa.  It is the reason thousands of young black men and teenagers are murdered every year in America's inner cities.  It is the reason thousands of women suffer abuse and rape in less developed countries.  Because their struggles are not my struggle.  I have no responsibility to anyone or anything other than myself.  My only duty in life is to amass possessions, and shuck-and-jive for Massa in the hopes that one day he gives me my freedom.

Even if you set aside Jay-Z's unmitigated hubris and his gross impertinence for speaking to a man four decades his senior in such an irreverent manner, you have to see that Jay-Z (and those like him) are in prime position to positively impact the lives of millions in a more than monetary way, and they absolutely are not.  No one expects every celebrity to be Mother Theresa, and despite his sizeable giving, Jay-Z is far from the gold standard of charity and philanthropy.  Every able-bodied, sound-minded man and woman who walks this Earth has a responsibility to leave it better than he or she found it.  Those who have more or are given more, should do more.  This is not because celebrities are special or have special insight.  This is because if those with less are always the ones putting forth the most effort to turn the gears of change, then we as a species are going to get nowhere fast.

"The end is not yet. This is a beginning. The times ahead are just as difficult as the times behind." ~Charleston Heston

The Apple Has Fallen Far From The Tree

File Under:  Holy WTF People?!?!?

American was once a symbol of hope, justice, prosperity, and liberty.  What do we symbolize today?

Ok.  I am not going to even begin to politicize this post in the area of  firearms or the Second Amendment.  This is not even remotely close to being about that.  So this is the last time you will hear it brought up, in turn  please refrain from asinine rhetoric on guns.  What I do have to ask is: what the hell is wrong with California or America that "at least six" warm-blooded, One-nation-under-God-with-liberty-and-justice-for-all citizens of the greatest democratic republic in modern history could watch one man accost another, pull him out of his vehicle, drag him to the curb, and cold-blooded execute him in broad daylight right on main street?  I ask because that is exactly what happened today in Tustin, California.


When did Americans become that sheepish, that callous, that cold-hearted, and that weak.  When did we lose our lust for justice, morality, and honor and instead doing nothing became part of the "American Way?"  How is it that a grown man can slap someone else's crying toddler and, call that child a racial epithet on an airplane full of mothers and fathers, and still have the physical capacity to walk off that plane under his own power?  How can a a Good Samaritan save another citizen from an apparent mugging, only to be left bleeding to death by not only the would-be victim he saved, but numerous passers-by who gawked at his body and took pictures?  Once pride and courage burned in our American veins; now cowardice, apathy and lethargy rots us from the inside out like cancer.  We won't stand up to our banks, we won't stand up to the corporations, we won't stand up to the media, we won't stand up to our government, we won't stand up for the innocent, and we won't stand up for the poor/oppressed/downtrodden.  What is left of the America our forefathers spilled blood for in the Revolution and the Civil War?  How is it that as a people we have the intestinal fortitude to send unmanned planes all over the world blowing children and democracy to hell, but we cannot stand up to one murderer spreading actual terror right here in front of our eyes?  What great ideals are we spreading across the world behind our tanks and our drones and our bombs?


For goodness' sake, this will continue to happen until the American public stands up and says "enough, is enough."   And that is no symbolic, rhetorical gesture.  We are going on nearly a century of amplified violence, lawlessness, unethical behavior, and amorality all because at some point those who no longer wished to play by the rules realized they could do whatever the hell they wanted because nobody cared.  They knew people could be cowed, doped, fooled, or distracted into ignoring their reckless behavior as it devoured our once glorious republic like a plague.  The few who don't ignore it they are demonized, ostracized, disgraced, and silenced in whatever manner is most expedient because the masses still are not paying attention.  Stop letting the media tell you what to think and believe.  Stop kneeling at the feeding trough of the corporations begging for succor only to eat the scraps of your own blood, sweat, and tears.  Stop allowing the government to tell you what you will do and instead start telling the government what we will do.  Our grandparents and great grandparents are looking down upon the legacy they left, they gaze upon how we have ruined it, and they weep.  They weep for America, and their tears flood down upon us.  It is time for us to retrieve our collective heads from whatever dark, cavernous hole in which it is currently hidden, stand up like men and women of the strongest moral character, and be American again.

"What the Fuck Is Wrong With You" by Combichrist from What the Fuck Is Wrong With You People? released 2007 on Metropolis Records

Where are the Dads Part III: The Final Word?

File Under: It is in Our Hands

Copyright (c) 2010 Manataka American Indian Council

If you appreciated the positive or inspirational tone of the first and second installment of this series, note that this post is not like those two. In fact, if you are having a good day, a good week, or you are just generally glad the weekend is here, then please revisit this post later. I do not want to be responsible for killing your mood or ruining your weekend. However, the stories that unfold in this post are the penultimate proof that our children, and by extension the future of our planet and species, are in crisis.

This post did not begin as a social commentary, nor did I intend it to be a continuation of, “Where are the Dads?” One of the following articles triggered a memory of a related event – adults aiding their children to commit a heinous crime over an argument between juveniles. At any rate, in the process of searching for the story I remembered, I found numerous similar stories – many, many more. The details, motivation, and participants are not universal in all the following accounts. Nevertheless, several themes are constant: a gross lack of moral decency, a lack of self-control, and a lack of reverence for the sanctity of life. Therefore, this post became the next chapter in “Where are the Dads?” because when by failure to teach or by failure to be present, a parent fails to inculcate such vital lessons in the mind of his or her children from a very early age, the events that follow are the results.

Johanna Orozco

On March 5, 2007, two weeks after his arrest for the alleged rape of his teenage ex-girlfriend Johanna Orozco, 17-year-old Juan Ruiz accosted his accuser in the driveway of her Cleveland home and shot her at close range, in the face with a sawn-off shotgun. Later that year, because of a plea deal, a Judge sentenced Ruiz to 27 years in prison without parole. Johanna survived the attack; and after weeks of recovery in a hospital and multiple surgeries (and likely more to come), she went on to attend prom and graduate with her class. Johanna would go on to become an advocate for young teen girls and raise awareness for relationship violence. Because she survived, Johanna was able to use her tragedy to help others. In that light, she was fortunate, others have not been as fortunate.

“Parents often talk about the younger generation as if they didn't have anything to do with it.” – Haim Ginott

“It behooves a father to be blameless if he expects his child to be.” – Homer

Mark and Susan Petric

Later that year on October 20, 2007 in Brighton Township of Lorain County, Ohio, 16-year-old Daniel Petric, severely wounded his father, Mark, and murdered his mother, Susan, showing that sometimes all the love and support in the world is not always sufficient to avoid tragedy. His reason for doing this? His parents forbade him from playing a video game they deemed too violent and confiscated it when they discovered he had purchased it anyway. After breaking into and retrieving a gun from his father’s lockbox the teenager approached his unsuspecting parents while they were watching television. He implored them to close their eyes because he had a “surprise” for them. Expecting something “pleasant,” they did and for Susan Petric that was the last time she would see anything in this world with mortal eyes.

“If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders.” – Abigail Van Buren

“If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves.” – C.G. Jung, Integration of the Personality, 1939

Derrion Albert

On September 24, 2009, 16-year-old honor student Derrion Albert lost his life after a vicious, unprovoked attack by two groups of area rivals. Even after Derrion survived the initial onslaught and tried to move himself to safety, Derrion’s attackers pursued him, striking him with fists, feet, and railroad ties. According to one of Derrion’s murderers, Derrion “never struck him;” regardless, his killers pressed upon Derrion, going so far as to kick him and stomp his head once he was clearly unconscious. All this transpired as bystanders cheered and called for more violence. As the early 2010 streak of homicides in Chicago illustrates, murder in the city is not new; only that the perpetrators and victims are growing younger. Despite America’s long association with violence and the decay of the family unit, the crisis surrounding children has not isolated itself to America alone.

“Simply having children does not make mothers.” – John A. Shedd

“Although there are many trial marriages... there is no such thing as a trial child.” – Gail Sheehy

Salum Kombo

On December 20, 2009, 18-year-old Salum Kombo, a Tanzanian immigrant and aspiring artist, became the 13^th teenager killed in London that year when a 15-year-old premeditatedly stabbed him over an apparent Facebook-related dispute. Because of that 15-year-old’s actions, Salum died when he was in the prime of his life, alone, on a street distant from home and his parents, and in the arms of a stranger. At least in the UK, a passerby will stop and make sure a dying person does not die completely alone.

“What a child doesn't receive he can seldom later give.” – P.D. James, Time to Be in Earnest

“Most American children suffer too much mother and too little father.” – Gloria Steinem, New York Times, 26 August 1971

Mikarah "Tinky" Sanders

A few days later that month on New Year’s Eve, back in the United States, 16-year-old Matthew Dubois of Burien, Washington, shot in the face and fatally wounded his 15-year-old girlfriend, Mikarah Sanders. Why? Apparently, Dubois was angry over a comment left on Mikarah’s MySpace page by an ex-boyfriend and the couple was having another one of many frequent arguments. Dubois, shot himself in the shoulder in order to make the murder appear to be a gang-related home invasion. Moreover, Mikarah’s murder occurred just a month after the contested early release of Dubois, who has a lengthy and violent criminal history, from juvenile confinement. [Additional details]

“Character is largely caught, and the father and the home should be the great sources of character infection.” – Frank H. Cheley

“When you teach your son, you teach your son's son.” – The Talmud

Nicole McCarthy

Also on New Year’s Eve that year, on the opposite coast of the United States, 18-year-old Amanda Mantini, committed what to me smacks of attempted vehicular homicide, when she plowed into and hospitalized Nicole McCarthy, the mother of a girl Mantini had been engaged in hostilities with on Facebook. Nicole fortunately survived the assault and left the hospital the next day.

“There are no illegitimate children - only illegitimate parents.” – Leon R. Yankwich

“What's done to children, they will do to society.” – Karl Menninger

A Very Lucky 13-Year-Old Lives to See 14

Returning to Cleveland, our next story could have ended considerably more tragically than it did. In this story most of the perpetrators of criminal activity were adults, by a large margin, the youngest being 23-years-old. However, a MySpace argument (and likely a lack of common sense and intelligence) over the affections of a boy between two 13-year-olds precipitated the ensuing violence. Brendan Fitzgerald, 24, drove the spurned 13-year-old to the home of the other teenage girl, where the two fought, after which Fitzgerald fled. However, 15 minutes later Fitzgerald returned with 27-year-old John Dix II, armed with an AK-47, and two other men armed with revolvers. Upon returning, the impromptu hit squad sees the 13-year-old victim in the back of her parents’ pickup truck, on the way to file a police report. The family sees Fitzgerald return and fearing for the children at home turn around and head back toward the home. Fitzgerald’s gang parks in front of the home and waits for the family to approach. When they do, Fitzgerald’s accomplishes exit the vehicle and open fire. The victim’s father slams the pickup into reverse as Dix chase after, shooting at the vehicle. When the father makes it to an intersection, the family presumably is able to get away. In his recklessness, Dix struck two homes, firing 19 shots, one of which penetrated a window, interior wall, and imbedded itself in the back wall of a home. Moreover, Dix’s final shot wounded the 13-year-old victim, grazing her face at the junction of where her ear meets her head – literally millimeters separated her from death or grievous permanent injury.

“If you must hold yourself up to your children as an object lesson, hold yourself up as a warning and not as an example.” – George Bernard Shaw

“You have a lifetime to work, but children are only young once.” – Polish Proverb

Josie Lou Ratley

March 17, 2010 in Deerfield, Florida, after an exchange of text messages with 15-year-old Josie Lou Ratley, Wayne Treacy, also 15, traveled with his former girlfriend and supposed “best friend” of Josie’s, 13-year-old- Kayla Manson, to Josie’s school whereupon after Manson identified Josie for Treacy, Treacy commenced to attack and brutally batter Josie. Treacy sought Josie with the intention of killing her and Manson was fully aware of his plan. Treacy attacked Josie from behind, repeatedly punching her in the head until she fell down; and once she was on the ground Treacy kicked the girl, stomped and smashed her head on the pavement. Treacy did not stop his unrepentant, murderous assault until a teacher pulled him off the girl. In the after math of his actions, Treacy who has plead not guilty to the charges against him, sent a text message to his friends bragging that he thought he was “going to prison” and he thought he “just killed someone.” After many weeks in a chemically induced coma and multiple surgeries, Josie is out of the hospital and in therapy (update). Some have constructed a Facebook group to show support and the family's legal counsel hosts an official webpage with the most current information on Josie. The above article references the attempted murder of 15-year-old Michael Brewer, a few months prior, by a group of five teenage boys ranging from 13 to 15-years-old. The cadre surrounded Michael, doused him with alcohol, and set him on fire over the $40 Michael owed the ringleader, 15-year-old Matthew Bent, for the purchase of a video game. Authorities described, all but one of the attackers as “laughing” about what they had done and showing no-remorse.

“The guys who fear becoming fathers don't understand that fathering is not something perfect men do, but something that perfects the man. The end product of child raising is not the child but the parent.” – Frank Pittman, Man Enough

Michael Jason Wilson is His Own Greatest Victim

In the next account, who was the aggressor or who was to blame are both murky. What is clear is that on March 11, 2010, three teenagers were stabbed at the Laguna Beach home of a fourth, 16-year-old Michael Jason Wilson, who now possibly faces a lengthy term in an adult prison. The eldest victim, 17-year-old Julian C., went to Wilson’s home, along with three other teenagers, to confront Wilson over, you guessed it, a Facebook argument. The confrontation turned sour and allegedly, Wilson stabbed Julian C., at which point two of Julian C.’s accomplices came to his aid and were subsequently stabbed themselves, before subduing Wilson and escaping. Somehow, I do not think when the pioneers of telecommunication, digital computing, and the internet were toiling away in their laboratories and workshops that they ever conceived one day anyone would use their noble inventions as a venue to spread hatred and vitriol or to incite violence and murder.

“If our American way of life fails the child, it fails us all.” – Pearl S. Buck

“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” – Frederick Douglass

Audreanna R. Zimmerman

This is the story that inspired this post and it is a truly heart-rending and baffling one that proves that the so-called fairer sex is just as capable when it comes to acts of cruelty and inhumanity. On Thursday April 8, 2010 Audreanna Zimmerman succumbed to the injuries she suffered when on March 24, 2010, her former best friend 16-year-old Britnee Miller, Miller’s mother 39-year-old Tina Brown, and 27-year-old Heather Lee abducted, brutally beat with a crowbar, assaulted with a stun gun, doused with an accelerant, and set her ablaze. After two weeks in a coma, the 19-year old mother of two small children finally passed away. What could cause such savagery and callousness, and from individuals who knew firsthand the beauty of life and motherhood no less? There are two Facebook groups, here and here, where you can show support; I have not ascertained any information about helping her family and children.

“Your children need your presence more than your presents.” – Jesse Jackson

“Don't worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.” – Robert Fulghum

Angela Bradley-Crockett

The final tale gives credence to the argument that little monsters sometimes do grow up to be big monsters. On April 4, 2010, 28-year-old Angela Bradley-Crockett of Cleveland was en route to spend an evening with friends, when she was involved in a minor accident with a van driven by Stephen Davis, accompanied by his girlfriend, Latesha Santos. The pair convinced Angela to follow them to a secluded area where they accosted her, beat her severely, and strangled her to death. After stripping her of her clothes and valuables, they dumped her body by the side of the interstate as if she were garbage or an animal, rather than someone’s daughter, wife, mother, and sister. Davis and Santos are far from children, being 30 and 33-years-old respectively; and Santos’ criminal history as reported is relatively light. Davis, on the other hand, has a long, serious criminal history dating back to a juvenile murder conviction for killing his aunt’s boyfriend. Some would say considering the pair faces the death penalty if convicted, the state has an opportunity to correct with finality a wrong that has festered too long. However, it is truly tragic that three lives may wind up lost and three families destroyed over a condition that never should have existed in the first place.

“Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.” – Colossians 3:21, NIV

“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” – Ephesians 6:4, NIV

Although, isolated mass murders perpetrated by gun-wielding minors such as Jonesboro and Columbine, capture and hold American attention, these tragic incidences are but the tip of a very broad, very deep iceberg; and society’s ship careens toward that iceberg with frightening speed. Deadly violence among minors is not new and is far from isolated. The problem is growing worse and more frequent. We as a society can debate who is to blame for these crimes or what moved the perpetrators to commit such horrible acts. Certainly, in no small number of these cases, the offender acted with forethought and malice; and many of these offenders were close enough to adulthood to know “better.” However, I believe the presence, love, attention, engagement, support, and diligence of parents could have saved the life of some of these victims and prevented the suffering of numerous others – including the offender, who must now live or die with those gruesome actions upon his or her conscience. Without a doubt the acceptance, guidance, and nurturing of one’s parents is crucial. Of course we cannot excuse personal responsibility, but neither can we ignore the vital importance of a positive male and female role model in the development of a child into a mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually healthy adult. Indeed, where and when will a young adult learn personal responsibility if it is not first taught to them through the example of present, responsible parents?

Who should know your child better than you should? After all, they are half you and ideally the other half of them should be standing with you as you face the challenges of parenting. You are not only uniquely able to notice the warning signs that your child might be developing into an unstable, morally bankrupt monster, but also you are uniquely positioned to do something about that fact. We cannot watch our children grow into aberrant adults and remain passive; otherwise, stories like these will only become more frequent and more tragic. Instead, we must treat children with equity and dignity, respecting their unrefined and undeveloped, but nonetheless massive potential to accomplish great things – for both the good and the bad.

The generation before mine has reached its sunset years and my generation is reaching its peak years of affect. Sooner than I would like to admit, but a mere mayfly’s life in the universal time continuum, my generation would reach its sunset and the next generation will pick up the torch. We have serious issues on the table, granted issues that have always plague humanity but nonetheless serious and more so pressing with advancing time. Humanity faces a worsening energy crisis, an unsustainable population growth rate, depletion of key natural resources, a thinning ozone, a warming planet, nuclear proliferation, worldwide poverty and disease, and impending socioeconomic collapse just to name a few. How can you motivate someone to care that a critical species of Peruvian mountain fern is in danger of extinction or that children on the other side of the world die of curable diseases, when that person is incapable of mustering an iota of human compassion for the lives of even close friends and family? To believe you can is illogical. However, we have the power to avoid this future because the solution is closer than you think – it is in our hands.

"I for one am glad I received punishment for breaking rules; this way I learned not to do things that were bad. If it were not for the correction [...] I would not have turned out like I did. If you love your child [...] look for them with correction in mind [...] make sure they know the family rules and they should be rewarded from time to time [...] They will grow up having a deep respect for you." -- Daniel Hawk With Seven Eyes Hoffman

Quotes © 2010 Quotegarden.com and/or their respective authors

Showdown in Oaktown: Anatomy of a Beatdown

File under: Life Lessons

When this clip first came across The Desk a few days ago, I dismissed it. I am not a big fan of reality TV or of “young punks” abusing the elderly. Therefore, I do not know what impelled me to watch the follow-up interview with the hero/victim. Well, I was wrong about what the video clip would show. In the above clip, the young man thought he smelled easy prey; however, what he caught was the lingering scent of blood and napalm from 67-year old Marine and Vietnam veteran Thomas Bruso. Therefore, unbeknownst to him and to his great peril, he foolishly picked a fight with Chuck Norris’ father. Who knows for sure whether on any other day this young man would have delivered on his copious promises of bodily harm; unfortunately, for this young man however, Pappy had indeed eaten his spinach that fateful morning. One wonders was there an opportunity for this young man to avoid the tragedy that befell him. To find out we will break down the incident moment by fateful moment:

0:46       The First Opportunity

One can only presume, Bruso did not feel like sharing one of the cans of whoop-ass he fills his satchel with every morning, so he gets up and moves to the front of the bus. As a parting gift to the young man, Bruso instead offers a lollipop in the form of a golden piece of sagely advice: “Better pissed-off than pissed-on.” Apparently, the import of this wisdom was lost on the young man.

0:50       Divine Intervention

God (the Universe or whomever you subscribe to) in a display of infinite wisdom and undeserved kindness placed on that AC Transit bus the old-school sister – someone who was wise, observant, and possessed the perfect balance of nosiness and concern. The sister has witnessed quite a few beatdowns in her time, some she no doubt delivered, and some she might have received. She was the only person within earshot who could see, read, and interpret the handwriting on the wall. The oblivious music-listener in the purple tights certainly did not have a clue as to what was about to unfold.

For that young man, the sister was uniquely qualified to be the forecaster of a storm of pain and woe. Why? This kind stranger is old enough to have been an adult during the Vietnam War. To understand the significance of that fact you must understand the nature of men and war. Men build each other up by first tearing each other down; likewise does the military build soldiers by first tearing them down, stripping them of who they are, and leaving a blank slate with which to paint the perfect portrait of a soldier. The thought is that nature abhors a vacuum, so the soldier will fill his or her void with duty, honor, dedication, and all the other good soldierly qualities. However well that philosophy worked in the days of horse, sword, and formations, in modern warfare if you send an empty vessel into hell for a meeting with the Devil you cannot be sure with what it will returned filled. The sister saw in the eyes of Thomas Bruso the same look of barely restrained composure, ever-living horror, and fractured humanity that haunted the eyes of friends and family returning from Vietnam. Many of these men take medication to keep them just barely rooted in reality. Sometimes, these men forget to take this medication, as was the case with Thomas Bruso. The sister knew you do not make these men afraid, you do not threaten them, you do not assume an aggressive posture against them, you do not stand in their blind spots, and you do not make loud noises or sudden movements around them.

0:51       Warning Signs

In nature, a particularly dangerous creature or plant will adapt specialized markings, colorations, odors, sounds, or movements to signal to a would-be predator that it is better to look for a meal elsewhere. Scientists call these adaptations aposematism. In the human world, dangerous individuals have warning mechanisms as well. First, there is the “I am a Motherf*cker,” t-shirt. While most people have a drawer full of t-shirts proclaiming all manner of vulgarity, it says something about someone who not only possesses a custom-made t-shirt with his nickname and battle cry emblazoned on it, but also wears it in public. If a person is wearing a shirt that says, “I will beat you to death,” maybe you should err on the side of caution and leave him or her be. Also avoid t-shirts that say: Army, Hoorah!, Welcome to Sniper Country, or Semper Fi. Second, did the young man not see the Yukon Ax-Murderer full-beard? Dangerous men who do not care if you know they are dangerous wear full beards (see: Chuck Norris). Finally, if someone has three or four inches on you, outweighs you by about 50 pounds, informs you they are not afraid of you, and informs you in multiple ways that he or she will cause you bodily harm if you do not leave them alone – maybe you should leave that person alone.

1:16       “Be wise, my son” – Proverbs 27:11

The old-school sister is a truly good Samaritan. She goes beyond words of warning and actually extends a protective hand to hold back the young man from his terrible fate. However, fueled by the shouts of the peanut gallery, his misguided self-righteous anger, and his infernal pride he would not hold. Sadly, “little brother” ignored the plaintive admonition to “leave that man alone.”

1:26       Out of the Mouths of Dumbasses

Perhaps one of those in the peanut gallery had a momentary forward evolution in her normally poor judgment, because she actually tells the young man that whatever he is hoping to prove or gain by confronting this obviously unwell old man is not “worth it.”

1:38       The Beginning of the End

Maybe logic was beginning to overtake pride in the young man’s mind because he wisely goes back to his seat. However, the victory is short-lived as the young man returns to the front of the bus to confront Thomas once again. This time another young female passenger implores the young man to “stop it,” but alas, he still does not listen.

1:40       The Point of No Return

Pride finally wins the battle and everything begins to go really bad for the young man, really fast. Where did the young man go wrong? The short answer is: everywhere – but let us try to break it down. First, the young man tries to strike a seated person, from a standing position while in a moving vehicle. Bad move. I can only presume this young man missed the PSA on punching someone in the face. The first punch is the only one that matters unless you have the hands speed and strength of a professional boxer, even then you should always incapacitate your opponent with the first punch. That was by far the weakest, most telegraphed punch to the chest I have ever seen. Chest?!?! Who opens with a punch to the chest, especially when you have the high ground! The young man holding the vertical handrail no doubt necessitated this ineffectual, weak opening volley, which leads into his next problem – no guards. The old-one-handed-stiff-arm does not constitute a boxing guard or a good defense, and certainly is not a barrier against the hurricane of fists that followed the young man’s failed assault.

1:43       TKO

With the coach fully stopped, Thomas “Tom Slick” Bruso goes Super Saiyan on the young lad. In professional combat sports, the referee stops the fight when there are a certain number of unanswered punches, or one fighter is unable to offer a sufficient defense or offense. That was right about here – give or take a second.

1:51       “I told you not to F*ck with me!”

This segment only indirectly has anything to do with how this young man came to rest on the floor of a public transit bus with a broken, bloody nose and no street credibility, but it is interesting nonetheless. This is something you might see in a movie, but rarely after an actual fight. Most fights involve a few furious seconds of punches followed by much posturing and acting. In the days of yore, when two men would settle their differences in a duel, each party would nominate a “second” who saw to it the duel was fair and done according to the rules. Today, seconds still exist however now their job is damage control. Seconds (i.e. your “boys”) allow just enough fighting to happen so that you appear to have stood your ground, no one is overly embarrassed (by being pummeled), or criminally liable (for beating someone to death). Rarely would you see the kind of abject defeat and submission displayed by this young man because your seconds would have broken up the fight long before your opponent owned you this totally.

3:11       The Aftermath

So you are now stumbling around the bus, talking incoherently, still making empty threats. The kind older woman, who tried save you from humiliation and pain, is the only person on your side. Your companions (?) who are now laughing at you, chime in with their two cents. I certainly hope it was well worth it for you young man.

What this video does not show is the lead in to this altercation, which apparently involves some perceived racist statements by Mr. Bruso. Unfortunately, the only witnesses on record on the internet are the idiot with the camera, and Bruso who has obvious problems with reality and potentially a history of causing a public disturbance. It is also obvious from the verbal exchange that Bruso at minimum should update his lexicon of politically correct verbiage. In this situation, both parties were wrong in different ways for different reasons. Let us tackle Bruso first.

You might ask, with some degree of indignation, why was Thomas Bruso at fault here, he was only defending himself from a younger punk with a chip on his shoulder. First, Bruso is no saint or angel. He is a psychologically troubled man with a chip of his own on his shoulder. I have been unable to locate any information that corroborates his version of events; of course that does not mean it does not exist, it just has not surfaced, as one would expect it should. Bruso probably said something to incite this incident, and apparently provoked the conversation seen at the outset of the video clip. Secondly, while no one regardless of his or her age, ethnicity, orientation, or religion should have to fear at anytime his or her safety, security, and liberty is in danger. Anyone has the right to defend themselves or their ideas and to defend such with force if the situation requires it. So was Thomas Bruso wrong for defending himself? No. Is Thomas Bruso a hero? Not hardly. Did Thomas Bruso react inappropriately to the threat at hand? Probably. Is Thomas Bruso an unhinged, undercover bigot who has a problem relating to his fellow citizens in a socially acceptable manner? Quite possibly.

To everyone who thinks Thomas Bruso is a hero, this section is not what you think. The most obvious reason the young man was wrong was that he assaulted another person without just cause. For that lone, he deserved his comeuppance. We live is a society with rules, and people like this young man who believes they are above the rules and the rules do not apply to them – well yeah, society is weary of people like you. My problem with the young man, however, is not that he assaulted Thomas Bruso, but rather that he assaulted Thomas Bruso in the name of equality and civil rights. He presented a poor argument, in a poor fashion. Finally, to prove to Thomas Bruso and all the witnesses on the bus that the young man was not all the stereotypes that Bruso thought of him, he reduces his intellectual arguments to expletives and threats of violence; well, all the stereotypes with the exception of the stereotype about physical superiority. To the young man, you set Black people back several years by showing yourself to be a brutish thug with a complex. You have no real understanding of concepts of equality; you have no respect for the dignity and freedom of others, or any respect for your elders who made it possible for you to sit freely on a bus spouting vulgarity and nonsense.

The question remains: “Why does a brother have to spit shine your shoes?” Why do we still have these problems 40 years after the civil rights movement? Had Martin Luther King, Jr. been on that bus he might have asked instead, “Sir, why do you feel a black brother should be the person who shines your shoes?” The young man presumed that Bruso was referencing a black man, when he said “boy.” King did not make assumption. King also would not have excluded the white man, who possibly erred in his speech, from amongst the ranks of “brothers,” because in fact we are all brothers. Dr. King would have taken the opportunity to enlighten Bruso and those listening on the dangers of inconsiderate speech and the importance of assigning dignity equally to all persons. King would not have gotten angry, would not have raised his voice, would not have used profanity, and would not have resorted to violence when his message fell on unreceptive ears.

No one involved with the video clip will escape unscathed. To the young woman in the peanut gallery egging on the young man, you should be ashamed. To the second young man who shouted out a racial epithet as Bruso wailed on the first young man, you should be ashamed. To the bus operator who did not stop the bus, call for order, or radio the transit police, you should be ashamed. Finally, to the videographer, you are a liar and of dubious moral character – you should be ashamed.

These blog posts are supposed to have a moral theme, we are suppose to learn something. So what did we learn? Maybe we learned that wars like Vietnam and The Second Iraq war create human casualties long after we win or lose them. Perhaps we have learned that the Veteran’s Administration needs to implement a higher standard of qualitative care for veterans. Possibly, we have learned that despite or maybe because of a Black man sitting in the Oval Office, as a nation we still have much cultural unrest and bigotry. One could also glean from the clip that a general breakdown of fundamental values is the root cause of such gross disrespect for self and others in general and the elderly specifically. Is there any one overarching lesson we should walk away with? Yes. I think the lesson we should learn is simpler than all that, and summarized in the adage:

“Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill.” Every time.

After much intrapersonal debate and a very close competition for the lead-out video clip I decided to leave you on a light note. So...enjoy.


Mama Said Knock You Out! v1.0
Uploaded by TheWandering1. - More professional, college and classic sports videos.

Follow-up: For those of you who care, Michael, the recipient of this epic beatdown, goes on the record confirming that he is in fact a dumbass.