A few days ago there was a fight on an Oakland bus between a 50 year old black man and a 67 year old white man who was wearing a T-shirt that read "I AM A MOTHERFUCKER." The fight is embedded above and available on YouTube here, where it has been watched more than two million times.
Know Your Meme has an exhaustive analysis of this internet phenomenon including this summary:
The older white man in the video has been identified as Thomas Bruso, AKA Tom Slick, AKA Vietnam Tom; infamous in Oakland for his reputation of belligerence. Prior to the discovery of his identity, Anonymous had already dubbed him Epic Beard Man.
After the black man’s nose is broken, he says “bring an ambulance” which has been misheard as both “bring M&M’s” and “bring Amber Lamps” due to a combination of his dialect and facial injury. Amber Lamps has also come to be used as a pseudonym for the girl sitting next to the black man in the video.
Here is one man's video response to the fight. Here's a post-fight interview with EBM via the always-reliable KRON-4 news in which he at times he is crying and other times is bragging about knocking out the black dude for "twenty two and a half minutes" with a Mohammad Ali strike. (Totally false.) Here is Epic Beard Man getting tased by police at an Oakland A's game.
Besides the hilarity of it all — except the ugly racial slurs that have accompanied many of the internet postings — it is a case study in how quickly a internet meme can catch on. Thanks to the indefatigable Steve Dodson for the pointer.
If for nothing else, it’s a wonderful advertisement for Stacy Adams shoes. Their new tagline: “Make sure you shine them.”
I prefer this one!
Are you sure that’s him at the Oakland A’s game? According to what I read on the internet, there was some uncertainty. An article about the incident listed the tasered man’s age as 62 when EPM is 67 or so.
Not sure. I haven't verified it for myself, just what I read.
The internet and 4chan are crazy things… I feel sympathy for both and the racism associated with this meme is horrible.
Luckily the one guy wasn’t badly hurt and a real tragedy was avoided. That’s good news.
In my opinion, one of the reasons this video is entertaining is watching a 67 year old guy open a can of whoop ass on someone.
Never expected it from your stable…Terrible choice for a blog post!
I disagree. but i suppose it doesn’t matter what I think because its Ben’s blog
Not a terrible choice for a blog post at all.
The Epic Limerick of the Epic Beard Man.
In Oakland a grizzled veteran named Tom
From the long forgotten war in Viet Nam
Tried to get rid of his blues
By shining his Stacy Adam’s shoes
To look sharp at the funeral of his Mom.
When he got on the AC transit Bus
He encountered a racially toned fuss
Because a thug named Tyrone
Tried to pick at Tom’s bone
When the shoeshine was brought up to discuss.
Tyrone acted like his shit wasn’t stinky
But compared to Tom he was really quite dinky
Though Tom’s conclusion was foregone
That it’s better to be pissed off than pissed on
One of the hecklers yelled out “Say it again Pinky!”
Tom declared that he was 67 years old
That’s when the thug decided to get gangster bold.
One of the women with no class
Yelled out “Beat his white ass”
Now here’s where the legendary stuff begins to unfold!
Tom said something about slapping the thug shitless
That’s when Tyrone finally proved himself witless.
When Tyrone’s right hook came around
He got his ass beat to the ground
By the Senior showing Epic Beard Man fitness!
Epic Beard Man hit him with a three lefts and a right
It was a beat down instead of a fight!
Then Beard man got his shoes shined
By inserting them up Tyrone’s behind
Then he decided to call it a night.
Tyrone crawled off to where a wounded man encamps
To some of his bleeding he tried to apply clamps.
The videographer who was freakin’
Cried aloud “Ohh He Leakin’!”
As Tyrone yelled out “Get da’ Amber lamps!”
Here’s a tip for any thuggish city sucker
Epic Beard Man can make y’alls ass pucker!
You’ll be cryin’ and moanin’
If you pick on a big bearded Roman
Who’s shirt declares “I AM a Motherfucker!”
————————————————
Charles Ulysses Feney
Livingston, Montana
LOL this guy is going viral. Check out Epic Beard Man Facts. Way better than Chuck Norris Facts.
http://www.epicbeardmanfacts.com
Ha!
That guy got what he deserved!! Black people commonly use aggressive talk like that to try and intimidate. Finally someone stood up to the ignorance. Call this racist if you want, but ANY sympathy for the black guy that attacked the white man first, after the white guy moved to the front of the bus is stupid. Should have been beaten worse, and arrested. GREAT JOB EBM!!