Most of us did things we regret doing when we were younger. Kids (especially teens) do stupid things, but don’t tell me this is just kids being kids.
The “knockout game” is apparently the “new thing” for kids to do. Rules are simple:
1. Pick a random person on the street
2. Come up beside/behind them out of the blue and attempt to deliver a blow in one shot that will knock them unconscious.
Why would someone do this? Here’s what the kids interviewed said:
– It’s a dare.
– Just to see if they have enough strength to actually knock someone out with one blow.
– Just “for the fun of it.”
– “It’s like when they go to sleep when you hit them.”
– “They think it’s funny… amusing.”
– It’s not anger, they’re just bored.
– It’s a macho thing.
And the kids repeatedly call this a “game”!!! Are they really that confused? Or are they desensitized to the reality of the fact that they are delivering a potentially life-threatening brain injury to a person?
So the question that comes to mind for me is this… is our video game culture contributing to this cold and callous behavior? Watching the videos of this “game,” you can see the kids hit the person, then just keep on walking, as if nothing happened. In the videos with sound you can hear the kids laughing and joking afterward, as if the person isn’t a real human, with real feelings, and a real injury that they just inflicted! They aren’t looking to rob the person. And they are obviously unconcerned with the person’s welfare. As one teenager stated, it’s like “they go to sleep” when you hit them. But they aren’t asleep. They are unconscious. Big difference.
This is physical violence for the sake of physical violence, and there’s no excuse. How we’ve evolved to this level of behavior in a supposedly civilized society is beyond me. Time to employ the buddy system while walking, at least until we get this under control.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this one. Leave me a comment… and be careful out there.
You can watch the video and read more here.
Photo credit Flickr HippoHere
via The Real Side Radio Show with Joe Messina 11/19/13
