The old guy could have gotten off, the black guy had gone back to his seaat. The old guy kept it going.
You don't swing at someone because they “disrespected” you unless you are a gang banger or a punk. If you throw the first punch, you get what's coming to you.
The Old Man might have been a little off, but he walked away. The Black dude showed everyone what a typical Obama Voter truly is, a Bigoted Moron who thinks the world owes him.
True enough. I agree. I most likely would have went with de-escalation myself, unless I just didn't feel like putting up with crap on that particular day. Also as you and others have pointed out, Epic Beard Guy isn't exactly a paragon of a virtuous citizenship.
That said, you don't get to assault someone because of a verbal altercation. Once you become physically violent, all bets are off at that point.
Growing up in New York, I've had much worse experiences with this type of element that pervades public transportation. My cousin an I were nearly killed once on a NYC subway.
If there were more Epic Beard Guys out there, there would be less of the scumbag types that would assault him, or assault someone else less capable of defending himself.