High School Runner Sucker-Punched During Race

At this point, it takes A LOT to shock me.  It takes even more for me to see something in a video that’s so compelling I have to watch it over and over.  Shocked doesn’t begin to convey what I feel when I watch this.  And when it comes to viewing it?  I’d like to tell you it’s compelling in a good way.  Unfortunately, it’s far from it.  I warn you.  This is some of the most awful and appalling video I’ve come across in a while.

I still can’t believe this.  The incident occurred at a Florida track meet over the weekend.  According to TMZ, the attacking athlete wasn’t even a participant in the race, but rather took offense at being told on a previous lap to move away from the track by the victim of the assault.  What in the h**l is going on in this country?  When did it become an accepted behavior to randomly clock someone at a track meet just because you didn’t like what he said?  When did it become an accepted behavior to walk on an Oscar stage and clock someone just because you didn’t like what he said?  I fear this is one of the biproducts of all we went through during the pandemic.  As a society, we are astonishingly and dangerously angry, and easily triggered.  And I don’t know how to fix it.