Why 'Epic Beard Man' Is The Fastest Growing Public Fight Meme Ever

Urlesque:

On February 16, 2010, two guys got in a fight on a bus in Oakland. Another passenger caught it on video. Results: One bloody nose, and instant internet history.

Read the whole story: Urlesque

Comments

[zenister]

04:40 AM on 03/21/2010

Who cares what was said? Word are only words regardless. They only have as much power as they are given. However the black guy started the physical portion of it all and the white guy had no choice but to defend himself cause, well, who knows what the black guy could've been up to. I wonder if the amberlamps ever showed up.

[TStringfellow]

04:47 PM on 02/28/2010

If anyone cares, there is also an old video online of EBM getting tasered at an Oakland A's game.

He's actually a pretty well known street person around SF. I have a skateboarding video from 1995 that shows him in downtown SF saying "Fe Fi Fo Fum", just about anyone who hangs out/works downtown has a story about this guy..

[orvillesash]

04:30 PM on 03/01/2010

oh yeah! what video was that?

[Luke Powers]

10:20 PM on 02/23/2010

Wonder what the Headphone Girl heard? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOkfpUSJU5Y

[Ben017]

03:21 PM on 02/22/2010

***I heard the backstory is that the older white man asked the black guy how much will he charge to "spit shine" his shoes. ***

The events were set into motion when the Black guy, now known as Tyrone, walked over EBM's shoes as they were in the aisle and proclaimed, "What do want? A spit shine?"

[FunctionOfTheCrisp]

11:15 AM on 02/22/2010

I have no idea what this is, and that's just fine as whatever it is, it's for the uneducated masses.

[Sandmanj]

04:15 AM on 02/22/2010

The guy who got the crap punched out of him must have been high on something to spout all that trash talk over nothing. He walked right into a wall and paid the price.

[RasputinsLiver]

10:56 AM on 02/22/2010

Or could merely have been ignorant street 'tude.

[kooosh]

03:48 AM on 02/22/2010

I'm not sure anyone knows exactly what happened leading up to all this. The whole race part of all this is problematic, but let's be serious:

# 1 Santa attempted a deescalate the situation by walking away and even refused to get up when first provoked after switching seats

#2 Cornrows went way out of his way to pursue and provoke Santa, and most importantly, took the first swipe.

#3 Even after the beatdown, which could have been much worse if not for a merciful Santa, Cornrows continued to threaten Santa.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Cornrows had this coming.

[LyssaBarnes]

10:38 AM on 02/22/2010

I second that. It didn't look like he got hit that hard. He was bleeding all over the place and still talking trash.

[RasputinsLiver]

10:50 AM on 02/22/2010

Gotta watch out for Santa, man. Too many people assume he's this namby-pamby softie who'd cower and take the beating.

Santa Claus is a guy who's survived for centuries, knows where you live and what you do.

No one to trifle with, is all I'm sayin'.

[Emucrat]

02:09 AM on 02/22/2010

Rules on a bus
#1: ALL old people on the bus are veterans. Don't mess with them.
#2: Don't mess with teenagers. One moment they are alone, the next moment ten teenagers are jumping on you, everyone has a knife. That's how Julius Cesar died.
#3: Don't provoke a fight. People on the bus are unpredictable. It could be your last bus ride.

But if you are a man, and the battle is unavoidable:
Men's rule #1: When someone punches you, you have to fight back!
Men's rule #2: You never stop fighting until the other one is on the ground.
Men's rule #3: Punching or kicking the balls is not fair.

That's not because men are stu.pid, our testosteron doesn't leave us an alternative. When the first fist flights, we get into rage. You could see it from the epic beard man. His voice was completely different before the fight.

Yeah. Those are the rules. Every boy knows them. And now you know why men live shorter than women.

[WYHKTai-Tai]

02:28 AM on 02/22/2010

When I lived in NYC & rode the buses & especially the subways, the rule was:

1)Bury your head in your newspaper and avoid, avoid avoid!

2) look the other way.

3) move to the front/back/another subway car.

people are crazzzy no matter what they look like & yes you could easily end up dead.

[Emucrat]

02:38 AM on 02/22/2010

Same rules here. I used to live in Germany. The difference to the US is that you should never provoke someone younger than 28 years. Everyone below that age has no issue to stab you.

[skantea]

06:03 AM on 02/23/2010

punching or kicking in the balls is totally fair.

What street did you grow up on?

/didn't you ever have to fight a girl bigger than you?

//the only thing unfair is calling the cops.

///or your mom.

[mawrm]

01:46 AM on 02/22/2010

I'm just waiting for the video with the two of them having a beer together laughing about the incident. Who knows, they can become best of friends. Stranger things have happened.

[Smurfaveli]

11:46 PM on 02/21/2010

Never lose a fight to a man wearing a fanny pack.

[RasputinsLiver]

11:58 PM on 02/21/2010

Hmm...why's that?

Would it be along the same lines of never lose to a guy whose pants are falling down around his knees because he's too stupid to wear a belt and thinks it's somehow cool, or...jiggy, fly, whatever....shamble around, legs akimbo, one hand trying to hold 'em up because that's what the videos say is hip?

Imagine if that dude got into a fight. He'd lose because he'd have to make a choice of either holding his pants up or letting them fall to the ground in order to play at putting up his dukes.

[OrangeCountyCat]

12:47 AM on 02/22/2010

Lighten up, Francis.

[rektruax]

07:15 AM on 02/22/2010

My... you took Smurfaveli's little joke, and used it as a platform to display a lot of issues you have.

[angryliberal]

12:04 AM on 02/22/2010

http://byroncrawford.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c558f53ef0120a8b6eea3970b-500wi

[klandish]

01:37 AM on 02/22/2010

Is it genetic?

[medic628]

11:20 PM on 02/21/2010

For all of you who enjoyed big man vs little man regardless of color you are the coward! Let us see if big man will do the same with someone who could thump him?

[OrangeCountyCat]

11:33 PM on 02/21/2010

The old man didn't start it. He was just defending himself. That guy go exactly what he deserved.

[Smurfaveli]

11:41 PM on 02/21/2010

I heard the backstory is that the older white man asked the black guy how much will he charge to "spit shine" his shoes. The video I saw showed them initially arguing over the remark.

[Phreejazz]

12:54 AM on 02/22/2010

Umm. The big guy's the one who moved away, and didn't raise a hand until the other one turned it physical.

[KriTiKiT]

10:46 PM on 02/21/2010

the old man was picking a fight... he put that blue shirt on and said he was going cause trouble today... he race baited by saying a china man could shine his shoes too... he was being a messed up jerk, I am white/native american and I know what white people say amongst themselves especially old whitemen, (i just listen to what they say because i gotta keep a eye on them, myself as a woman i gotta know how far they will take it)... my father does it, my grand father did it and my step grandfather did it... so do white cops and sadly some police and soldiers. they brag like its some sort of war won and tell the story like a badge of honor (I speaking wholly from my experience growing up in the south)

[brahdog]

02:54 AM on 02/22/2010

stop. he did not race bait. the black guy misinterpreted what ebm said as something racial, and that's how it started

[Statler N Waldorf]

10:18 PM on 02/21/2010

Thomas Bruso is mentally impaired. This becomes readily apparent after you see the 'second video' showing Mr Bruso after he has exited the bus. It's underscored when you see the video from a few years ago showing him picking a fight with armed police officers at an Oakland A's game.

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/epic-beard-man

Its important to note that there is no video coverage of the conversation preceding the transit fight clip. However, from Bruso's recorded response, it seems that he may have made a few comments that were misinterpreted by Amber Lamps as a racist slur.

Bruso is a bit of a racist, as is evidenced by his use of the term 'Chinaman'. Of course, so is Washington, for using the term 'Pinky'. As for Amber Lamps, who knows? Maybe he was just agitated from whatever his day was like before the fight, and blew an innocent comment out of proportion.

Its hard to pick a side to cheer for in this video. Bruso, Washington,and Amber Lamps all acted out of line.

[Howie Fellinlove]

10:49 PM on 02/21/2010

The 'pinky' remark wasn't in reference to Bruso and therefore not a racist comment. It was a reference to a scene in the movie NEXT FRIDAY where there is a character named "Pinky" who's famous line is "Say it again! Say it again!" which is what was said by Amber Lamps to Bruso. Here's the NEXT FRIDAY clip of "Pinky" saying, "Say it again!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuK3e6GeZnU&feature=related

[Statler N Waldorf]

11:39 PM on 02/21/2010

Oh, okay i'm not familiar with those movies, so it looked racist to me

[KriTiKiT]

10:59 PM on 02/21/2010

i remember the video bum fights (sold at best buy) they made two homeless men fight for steak dinners and money) it was sad and this behavior should not be encouraged

[Statler N Waldorf]

11:38 PM on 02/21/2010

Yeah, it reminds me a lot of the bum fights vids.

I kind of wonder how long before the Tea Party crowd picks up on this. TP is largely driven buy visceral, inarticulate rage with racist overtones and a fundamental desire to harm and kill. It sort of matches what they're all about.

Its sad to say that Ms Washington may have given ammo to the teabaggers by releasing this video.

[LyssaBarnes]

09:51 PM on 02/21/2010

Don't start none, won't be none.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dg7X5_K7LhE

[Dalgast]

09:36 PM on 02/21/2010

Apparently some limp wristed mod decied my post didn't fit, well golly, doesn't surprise me. I guess if I said the poor little black guy was persicuted by the big white meany you would have let it go. I applaud Beard Man, and let it be a warning to little black gansta wannabes, talk your trash, get thrashed. If it had been me, the paa medicics would have been sponging up your guts off the bus floor. I'm tired of this racist crap. You want to call me a racist, well what ever. I think he got off light.

[alexunlv]

09:51 PM on 02/21/2010

Over fanned

[RusStyles]

10:28 PM on 02/21/2010

They say God looks after babies and fools. Well, a fool was spared...It's crazy to get into a verbal tiff with someone you don't know on a bus. If this guy was packing a Glock, Epic would be sporting a toe tag. My advice to all watching this and thinking this brave, flush that thought, 'cause it will get you killed. Especially be wary of someone short. I'm a 4th degree BB, and very well-built, and I would have kept my mouth shut and exited the bus. This is how people get shot over senseless BS...Freeze all that macho, wolf-talking. It takes a bigger, wiser man to walk away from an idiot.

[Phreejazz]

11:44 PM on 02/21/2010

Hmm. So why is it that the old guy is lucky that the younger guy wasn't "packing a Glock," and not the reverse? Considering the younger guy followed him down to the front of the bus and turned it physical, why the assumption that the older guy is lucky he wasn't shot, instead of vice versa? Why is the babie/fool being looked after by God here not the young man who was left bleeding but not seriously harmed... I'm just wondering what the source of your assumption is about who'd get shot and who'd be carrying.

[Uncle Bill]

01:23 AM on 02/22/2010

RusStyles- Spoken like a man who truly has less need to avoid a physical confrontation than 99% of the population, but has the sense to avoid it anyway. I'm glad you posted it, Sensei. Especially since the old school "rules" are long past us. When you have no choice, you have to do whatever is necessary or whatever you can, but "no choice" situations are few and far between. Whenever I've felt that there was no way out, I've looked back and realized that I'd passed several chances to get out of the corner I'd put myself in.