I've always wondered about that . . . one can walk into a biker-bar full of mountainous guys, and it's the beansprout causing all the trouble. I think it's because they know their buddies will back them up.
"I think it's because they know their buddies will back them up."
That, and overcompensating. We call it a "banty rooster complex." Napoleonic complex, to people outside the south, lol.