Rosa Parks and the fun side of racism

Ok, it is 1 December 1955, the bus is crowded and the driver tells Rosa Parks to stand up and give her seat to a white man. Mrs Parks refuses and racial equality makes another step forward.

But suppose the white man had said forget it. A gentleman does not sit while a lady stands and told Blake to get on with driving the bus. It would have been a small gesture of common decency, but put Civil Rights back quite a bit.

Or maybe not.

Thoughts?