This viral video portrayed the victim as a passive teenager unable to defend himself, but he was not passively defending himself. He was, instead, actively defending himself—more specifically, his life–by acknowledging the consequences behind his retaliation.
Had he retaliated, he would have been outnumbered by these six teenage thugs. Had he retaliated, he could have beaten him more severely, causing more bruises and lacerations. But more importantly, had he retaliated, he could have been the victim of excess hemorrhage caused by excess traumatic forces.
This 17-year-old Asian American, in other words, could have died had he impulsively sought reprisal.
But he did not. He laid on the ground in self-defense, absorbing these ruthless blows by these ruthless, teenage thugs to avoid more ruthless blows.
In the end, this self-defense had him seeking medical treatment. But he lived to see another day, a day where he could seek justice for this racially motivated crime.
Good call.
This self-written article was originally published in The Guardsman Online, a student-run newspaper at City College of San Francisco.
Follow me on Twitter @DWKP_AsianWeek/@The_Pan_Express
David Ka Wai Pan is your typical Asian American, confused about his identity but determined to learn more about it. How? By writing and posting articles here at AsianWeek. 
His attackers were … also asian. Now that’s messed up.