We have more scintillating, society-is-going-straight-down-the-tubes fast-food violence on video.

This one, reportedly having taken place in Baltimore, might beat the rest, for a number of reasons.

First, the sheer brutality. Who knows what the victim did to arouse the wrath of her two tormentors. But after the first time they put her on the ground and she wasn’t fighting back, you’d think the attack was over. The fact that they returned to repeatedly beat, kick and drag her indicates a barbarity you don’t often see.

Second, the apathy and amusement of the minimum-wage flunkies in the McDonald’s, who stand by and do absolutely nothing as the two animals continue attacking the victim. You can hear chuckling and passive encouragement from some of them, all while you wonder why the substantial number of employees don’t let the camera down while intervening. The manager makes a show of attempting to stop the attack, but it’s clear he doesn’t care. The elderly white lady who attempts to stop the fracas is the only one who actually gives a damn.

Third, the racial aspect of the beating. This is relatively self-evident, but it really shows up at the end, when the victim is either actually having a seizure or faking one in an attempt to drive the attackers away. The voice behind the camera, who at this point has been a spectator for the better part of three minutes (it’s probably more, as the recording begins while the attack is in progress and we have no idea how long it has already been going on) finally shows some concern – for the attackers. As in, they’re going to get arrested if they don’t leave.

Most of the other videos in the recent spate of fast-food melees show black-on-black violence, which makes this one stand out. Strangely, though, this one seems to fit an amazing pattern of female aggressors. There is a lesson and a discussion all in itself.

This isn’t a race thing. It’s a cultural thing. What shows up on this video is the manifestation of a culture which says it’s OK to beat the hell out of somebody in a public place, to kick them when they’re down and to leave them half dead when you flee the scene before the police get there.

It’s that culture which has imposed failure on a grand scale on a segment of the American populace. And that’s why there are more members of that segment in prison than any other despite their only representing one-eighth of the population at large. Middle-class black people are rejecting that culture in droves, and who can blame them. Unfortunately, it’s going to require the black community rejecting it more completely before video clips like this one, and the social pathologies which spawn it, begin disappearing.

In the meantime, the question is – will there be outrage about this? Will anyone attempt to address it?

UPDATE: McDonald’s has now issued a statement on the matter…

Our Concern Regarding the Baltimore Video Incident

We are shocked by the video from a Baltimore franchised restaurant showing an assault.  This incident is unacceptable, disturbing and troubling. McDonald’s strives to be a safe, welcoming environment for everyone who visits.  Nothing is more important to us than the safety of customers and employees in our restaurants. We are working with the franchisee and the local authorities to investigate this matter.