Yeah everyone knows physical violence is the best response to critisism.
I am no fan of conspiracy theories either, but a man who smacks someone for talking shitee about him is not exactly role-model worthy either.
It was more like abuse or harassment than criticism, really. That doesn't mean it was entirely defensible; in a perfect world Buzz would have kept his cool and dealt with the guy politely and everyone would go home happy. But I think it's a natural human instinct to (occasionally) give someone a smack when they are acting like that, and a part of me thinks "he deserved it".
True, smacking someone in the chops is not the ideal reaction, and not one I'd condone, but people like that hack (and I've met/dealt with a fair few) sometimes are just
begging for a slap. Plus, Aldrin is from a generation where, if someone gets in your face, talking shite about you and your reputation, you don't launch a lawsuit, you deal with it directly. Of course, there's always the possibility Aldrin felt physically threatened, and got his retaliation in first.
