The recent viral video of an older man slapping a younger man on the back of the head at a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field is going viral. People say the younger man was slapped for not standing for the National Anthem?
Now for those defending the older man, what if he slapped a woman on the back of the head? Or a young child? Or a younger man slapped an older man? Or if an young woman slapped an older woman?
It seems that if you’re younger in age in any situation, all bets are off. No matter what happens or who is at fault, as long as you’re younger, it’s always your fault.
No. It’s not.
When I was covering an event in Georgia, I had unknowingly walked in front of an older guy who was videotaping as the camcorder was on a tripod. A gentle tap on the shoulder would’ve sufficed.
No, this asshole comes up and pinches me hard on the side of the lower back. I turned around quickly and gave this guy a “The fuck is your problem?!” look. People were around me were watching us expecting Thunderdome. I should’ve left or gotten the police who were there.
But I didn’t.
That was 25 years ago and I know people would’ve done absolutely nothing for it. We need to quit normalizing violence against men especially when the men are younger. Violence is violence. Yes, Chris Rock should’ve pressed charges against Will Smith at the Oscars in 2022. A joke doesn’t condone violence even if it is considered tasteless.
Movies and TV shows have turned violence against men committed by women into a joke like in White Chicks or The Hangover. It’s not funny.
Chicago Police have reported they’re aware of the situation. From the looks of the video, it looks like this is something that had started before the National Anthem started. The fact the older man leaned over and said something to him could constitute a threat which makes the assault more serious. Any bets the older man is another Armchair Patriot who has never served a day in his life? If so, he doesn’t really understand the First Amendment or the Constitution.
There’s no law that says standing for the National Anthem is mandatory. Forced patriotism is what happens in countries like North Korea. It never surprises me the people who grew up during the Cold War feel like they should behave like the people they’ve been told are their enemies. Oscar Wilde was right when he said, “Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious.” Samuel Johnson also said “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”
And even if they’re related by family, it isn’t acceptable to be violent. If you’re old enough to vote and your parents or relatives are still using this violence, then it’s assault and battery as well as abuse. No matter what you think, the police, prosecutors and judges won’t give you a slap on the wrist. They’ve seen what it leads to.
The more people abuse their kids into their late teens and into adulthood, the worse it gets. One day, your kids will go “No Contact” and it’ll be all your fault. Or it will end a lot worse.
Also, people of color who think violence is the answer regardless of age, you do realize this is part of colonization by Europeans? Break the cycle. Violence is never the answer most of the time.
Yet it’s always the people who hit first who want to play the victim when someone hits back. That is the true entitlement.
What do you think? Please comment.
Zane Says 