Can We Generalize From the MARTA Soulja Girl Case?

When I see something like this video of the "Soulja Girl" incident on Atlanta's MARTA rail system, I'm not surprised, sorry to say:

We always have to be careful with generalizations, but as a professor with considerable experience teaching black underclass youth, I deal with less dramatic episodes with black students more often than I'd like, incidents involving utter disregard for social norms - indeed willful disrespect for the customs of a polite society - but it's never okay to say this is "a black thing," right?

Atlanta's local WSB-TV news has the story:

A video of a young woman's profanity-laced tirade on a MARTA train is now the subject of a police investigation.

Captured by another rider, the video of the woman's rant, directed at an elderly MARTA rider, has become an Internet sensation, getting heavy viewing on YouTube.com and other Web video sites.

During the confrontation the young woman refers to herself as "Soulja Girl," repeatedly uses the N-word and threatens the elderly woman.

At first other passengers don't interfere, but after several minutes one man can be heard telling "Soulja Girl" to "chill." Instead of taking that advice she turns on the other passengers, accusing one of rape.

Eventually a male passenger confronts her and appears to knock her wig askew.

After repeatedly screaming "I'm pressing charges, I'm pressing charges," the woman exits the train.

After learning of the video MARTA police launched what they called "an immediate and aggressive investigation into the incident."

After canvassing the East Lake Station where the suspect reportedly exited the train, MARTA police received an anonymous tip that the incident occurred on March 31, between 2 and 4 p.m. The tipster also indicated the suspect has been known to ride Bus 22.

After identifying the suspect, MARTA police have obtained an arrest warrant.

It turns out "Soulja Girl" turned herself in.

For more on this, with lots of speculation, and links to comment board discussions, see Rachel Sullivan's post, "Analysis of a Local Public Disturbance."

But let me cover myself here:

No, we can't generalize from a single case like this, to make blanket statements extrapolating the social depravity of a particular inner-city black subway thug. Soulja Girl apparently has psychological problems, and is getting treatment.

I can say, however, that Bill Cosby wouldn't let this incident slide as just another isolated case of unhinged, extremely abnormal behavior justfied by a hypothesized normal everyday system American racial oppression.