Viral videos always include a few necessary elements that cause the video to be passed from one person to the next.
First, they have to cause you to say something out loud (a literal LOL or OMG).
Second, they need to be relatable, extreme, interesting, gory, passionate, cute, funny or scary.
Lastly, they need to be sharable to the masses. You generally only see videos promoting racism, hate or violence when the end result is to call out the offender and give a form of "Internet justice."
Any video can go viral, but it's the content of controversy that extends the duration of their "15 minutes of fame." A simple laughing baby may make you giggle and share the video, a video of a skateboarder breaking his leg may make you cringe in pain and share to cause the same feelings in others. Then there's a video of an old-timer bus driver delivering an uppercut so crisp and clean that it leaves you with multiple feelings.
The most recent viral video I've seen is where Cleveland bus driver, Artis Hughes, 59, is being verbally harassed and abused by a rider, Shi'dea Lane, 25, who allegedly failed to pay her bus fare upon entering. Hughes demanded payment, and after a verbal assault, Lane paid the fare and continued to harass Hughes. While Hughes was driving the bus full of passengers, Lane physically assaulted Hughes by choking and spitting on him.
Hughes promptly pulled the bus over to safety and uttered the phrase everyone can’t get out of their head. “You goin’ to jaaaaail now. You goin’ to JAIL NOW.” Then, the 59 year old suddenly delivered an uppercut to the girl’s jaw that would make Mayweather proud. He tossed her off the bus, and she came back on and continued her verbal assault. “That’s a [explative] female!” said one passenger. Hughes replied “I don't care. You wanna be a man, I'll treat you like a man.”
Almost everyone I’ve spoken to about this video say that Lane got what she deserved. Many also said that it doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman, if you assault someone, you should be prepared to receive retaliation. I’ve also heard the other argument that this could have been handled differently, and without major incident.
According to The Smoking Gun (http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/cleveland-bus-punch-report-687451), RTA officials suspended Hughes, a 22-year veteran, and characterize his behavior as "absolutely unacceptable." One thing to note, Hughes has signed a Refuse to Prosecute form against Lane, however his future remains in limbo.
A website has been set up where you can watch the video and order a T-shirt: http://www.yougointojailnow.com
So I ask of you: How do you feel about the situation? Did Lane get what she deserved, or was Hughes wrong in retaliating on the younger 25-year-old female passenger?
