Stranger "hits" DD - am I over-reacting?

This is crazy. Man was in the wrong, that is a fact. Op's daughter was suffering with a bad back and was sitting in a seat, Clearly an unpopular opinion but I don't think that was wrong at all.
All these people saying she should "get some manners", someone said it before I think, but I think the people tutting because someone has the nerve to sit in a seat allocated for people who need them but happen to be under the age of 80, need a serious lesson.
I suffer with a really bad back (down to a horse riding accident when I was 7) and can't stand for very long at all before being in a lot of pain, so I too am guilty of the crime of being in a seat on a crowded bus, possibly even in the presence of old people!
I've also been yelled at by an old person and informed I "am in the elderly peoples seats" when I was 4 months pregnant and about to pass out.
I am a considerate person and very, very polite, have always made sure my children are polite and have been told many times by total strangers how well mannered they are.
However threads like this drive me crazy, no one has the right to touch anyone else like this man did, and just because someone is oldere doesn't automatically make them hard done by!!

^Oh that's it, teen girl MUST be exaggerating.
No wonder so many teen girls don't report abuse, sexual or otherwise.^

Yeah.

Or a man assaulting a boy, this does happen too as I've said from my experience. I suppose there are still power inequalities older man younger boy, but not a gender issue.

Teen girls are PRONE to exaggerating Are you kidding me? Some teen girls, some teen boys, some men, some women.

We are trying to teach our girls and young women that they do not have to put up with unwanted touching, comments or attention. That they have a right to their own bodies. And here we have a thread immediately chastising a young woman, accusing her of exaggerating and basically saying she is wrong and caused the situation. Shows what a long way we have to go. Fucking depressing .

No man or woman has a right to hit another man or woman, regardless of age [unless they are about 2 years old[and unless they are mentally ill][and unless it is self defence]

Yep- that's the one!

Buffy I am just saying in this instance it could just have easily been an elderly lady having a go at a young lad. You are twisting my words and making sweeping generalisations as to what I mean. I am commenting on this paricular instance - I am not talking about the whole of womanhood in society.

Don't be silly, Buffy- somebody's husband got his bum smacked in Liverpool a few years ago. Of course women being violent to men is a huge issue....................

It only doesn't make the press because of the feminazi stranglehold on the media.

"I can't think of this as a gender issue."

There are people who find it hard to think of anything as a gender issue- I think the Mumsnet phrase is "what about the menz?"

DH got his bum smacked in Liverpool City centre by a bridesmaid a few years ago. He was delighted too.

Spot on Tequilla, re your post on teenage girls accused of exaggerating. No wonder they are hesitant to disclose abuse indeed.

Absolutely right Tequila - although my DH got his bum pinched in the pub last week - it made his day.

I stood there mouth open wide for a few moments. Then went and told museum curator who had him removed. I did wonder later if I should have reported him to the police, but truthfully it was meant to be a nice day out and I didn't want to ruin it further by taking a trip down to the police station for the rest of the day. I don't know if I did the right thing though.

To all you victim blamers just take the word elderly out of the OP, you are then left with "man hit 17 year old girl". Still acceptable is it?

Male teens don't end up getting slapped on the arse.. aka sexual abuse.

Reddeb, what did you do?

OK... I rephrase that. TEEN girls are prone to exaggeration. Not all of them. SOME of them. Also there are feisty old women out there who would quite easily chastise a young male teen, I can't think of this as a gender issue.

I saw

The man was wrong to hit her, regardless of any perceived bad behaviour on her part. I'm not sure it is a gender issue. I was at a museum with my son, when he walked inadvertently in front of an older man blocking his view of an exhibit. The man kicked him, hard! I know u saw the whole thing, in shock. My son didn't retaliate he was just too shocked also.

Oh that's it, teen girl MUST be exaggerating.

No wonder so many teen girls don't report abuse, sexual or otherwise.

I don't give a flying fuck if she didn't move or whether she was right to stay sat down, he had absolutely no right putting his hands on her. Vile man.

Gender isn't irrelevant. It was a man hitting a girl. It wasn't a woman hitting a girl. Or a girl hitting a man. Or a woman hitting a man.

Very specific power dynamics going on there. You only hit people you feel entitled to hit. In the society we live in male violence against women is a huge issue. It is ignored and minimised. This man felt fully entitled to hit this girl and he knew that because society tells him its OK.

Well, the OP said "hit" in inverted commas in her title. So I think that's what is causing the questioning here. She put the word in inverted commas as I assume she is not quite sure what happened and nor, perhaps, is her DD. Hence not knowing what's the appropriate level of response. It's not necessarily victim blaming going on - it's trying to picture what actually happened.