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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsEverything You Wanted to Know About the Fake "Knockout Game" Trend
By Matthew Yglesias
True story. A couple of years back, I was walking home at night on North Capitol Street here in Washington, D.C., when two dudes randomly assaulted me before running away without stealing anything. At the time, I didn't think it was all that strangeI've lived in urban areas all my life, and plenty of people I know have been victims of anonymous street crime. The good news is that urban crime rates have been trending downward since I've been about 9 years old, so we're making important progress in this regard.
The weird thing was that after I blogged briefly about this, a number of conservative bloggers, particularly those of a racist bent, decided that this wasn't just one of many random acts of criminality that occur in the big city. No! It was an instance of "Knockout King," which I suppose was the 2011 version of 2013's more robust Knockout Game white racial panic.
But to be clear about somethinginsofar as there's supposedly a "game" here where the contestant tries to knock someone out with one punch, that absolutely isn't what happened. I was knocked down, but definitely not out, and then after that I got kicked a bunch of times. If you're familiar with the phrase "don't kick a man while he's down," take noteit really hurts quite a bit to be kicked while you're down. In fact, this substantial deviation from the "rules" of the "game" is a lot of what made getting violently assaulted for no reason such a physically unpleasant experience. But for whatever reason, simply noting that aggravated assaults occur at a pace of more than one per minute nationwide didn't quite seem good enough. Rather than remarking on man's cruelty to man as a general phenomenon, it's more alarming to devise this specific pseudofactual narrative. In other news, at summer camp one time, some boys decided it would be funny to zip this one kid up in his duffle bag and then pretend we were going to toss the bag into the lake. I went along with the "prank." Another time I participated in a prank that really was a prank, and in retaliation, some of the victims decided that instead of counterpranking they would knock this one kid down and sort of roll him down a steep hill.
And so it goesat an expensive summer camp, "boys will be boys." On the streets of Washington, boys will be part of a trend piece.
At any rate, violent crime is a terrible thing. I moved to town in 2003, and there were 248 murders that year. Last year, there were just 88 despite population growth. A safer city is a much more pleasant place to live. Beyond the lives saved, it has broad benefits for peace of mind and people's economic and social development. It's very unfortunate that we've already had 98 murders this year (12 of them from the Navy Yard shooter), though it's heartening that we're still below the 108 murders from 2011 or the 132 the year before that. People shouldn't minimize these concerns about urban violence, but it accomplishes nothing in terms of tackling them to concoct weird trends and games out of thin air.
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http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2013/11/25/knockout_game_trend_it_s_not_real_but_random_street_assaults_are.html
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By Emma Roller
:::snip:::
An important clarification: the game definitely exists, and has been around for at least a couple of years. I'm not claiming the game doesn't exist. But the idea that it's reached epidemic levels, or that it's only being played by young black people, is a fallacy. As Alan Noble convincingly writes, "Analyzing data is not as simple as watching some YouTube videos and Googling 'knockout game.'" And when it comes to the knockout game's supposed popularity, the data is almost entirely anecdotal:
Heres the fascinating thing about this spreading trend: nobody seems to have any evidence that its spreading, or that its new, or that its racially motivated, or that black youths are the ones typically responsible, or that whites are typically targeted. This hasnt stopped Mark Steyn, Thomas Sowell, and Matt Walsh from describing this specifically as a crime committed by blacks against whites, CNN from claiming that it is spreading, or Alec Torres at NRO from say it is evidently increasing (in) popularity.
full article
http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2013/11/25/why_the_knockout_game_trend_is_a_myth.html?wpisrc=burger_bar
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November 27, 2013|Clarence Page
:::snip:::
This so-called game is neither new nor invented in America. It first caught media eyes in London's South End in 2005 where it was called "Happy Slappy."
It soon spread to other parts of Europe. Now it has landed here in the United States, where under such alternative titles as "knockout game" and "pick 'em out and knock 'em out," it has stirred a media frenzy.
Cases are "piling up," said a recent "Today" show report on NBC. It is "catching the attention of law enforcement throughout the nation," reports CNN.
Conservative media, in particular, have taken a keen interest when the cases have involved blacks attacking whites. Reports on knockout games play well in minds that already suspect that "politically correct" mainstream media deliberately downplay black-on-white crimes and play up black victims like Florida's Trayvon Martin.
World Net Daily calls knockout reports "part of what appears to be a nationwide trend of skyrocketing black-on-white crime, violence and abuse." Considering how World Net Daily is best known for helping to spark the "birther" movement that still questions President Barack Obama's birth certificate (It's real, folks. Deal with it.), I immediately questioned whether knockout is really a trend or just a new name for one of the many stupid things misguided youths do every day.
:::snip:::
Full article
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-11-27/news/ct-knockout-games-violence-oped-1127-20131127_1_knockout-game-crime-stats-crime-data
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Knockout Game a Spreading Menace or a Myth
By CARA BUCKLEY
Published: November 22, 2013
Fear swept through Borough Park, Brooklyn, as soon as the news got out: A young man was randomly assaulted by strangers early Friday morning, and the attack was possibly part of the so-called Knockout Game.
Four men were arrested, but on Friday night only one was charged and the others were released.
The attack added to a growing log of reports of such crimes in the Northeast and beyond. Young assailants were randomly picking unlucky targets and trying to knock them out with just one punch.
Yet police officials in several cities where such attacks have been reported said that the game amounted to little more than an urban myth, and that the attacks in question might be nothing more than the sort of random assaults that have always occurred.
Full article
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/23/nyregion/knockout-game-a-spreading-menace-or-a-myth.html
---------------------------------
Reports: Alleged trend of 'knockout game' a myth
News outlets say there is no data to support notion that 'knockout game' is growing trend.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/26/knockout-game-myth/3729635/
Drale
(7,932 posts)I've had now doubts. I reminds me of Oprah and the "Rainbow Parties" she claimed teens where engaging in. That turned out to be an Urban Legend that she believed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_party_(sexuality)
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)When a 78-year-old Jewish woman was walking down the street in Brooklyn earlier this month, the last thing she expected was to be punched in the face. Tragically, that's exactly what happened. The elderly woman was apparently the victim of what authorities are calling a "knockout game" -- where, according to police, an attacker or attackers aim to knock out a person with a single sucker punch. It is an alarming trend that is spurring outrageous incidents across the country. It is deplorable, reprehensible and inexcusable. It is insane thuggery, and it is unequivocally wrong. These kids are targeting innocent people, and in many cases specifically targeting Jewish folks. We would not be silent if it were the other way around, and we will not be silent now. This behavior is racist, period. And we will not tolerate it.
Several of these "knockout" incidents have already been reported in New York, and around the country. Many of the New York victims appear to be members of the Jewish community, but even in cases where race/ethnicity/religion aren't factors, it is still unconscionable. As I often state, no one -- black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, male, female, the elderly, children, gay, straight or anyone else -- should ever fear walking down the street. We live in a free and open society, but we also live in a nation where laws protect us from such vicious behavior. A 28-year-old Brooklyn resident was recently arrested for allegedly punching a 24-year-old in a reported "knockout" occurrence. We encourage police to thoroughly investigate each and every case, and bring these perpetrators to justice.
There is nothing funny or even remotely entertaining about attacking innocents walking down the street. This is not a "game"; it is inhumane behavior that has no place in our country or the world. When you start condoning it and you start to act like there's something funny about these types of actions, you set up the kind of crisis that leads to the demise of everyone. Diversity is one of the greatest strengths of this nation, and we must respect one another in a way that preserves and further develops this diversity. Therefore, when an injustice happens to anyone, it is the duty of all to speak up. Silence is akin to tacit acceptance.
This week, I will be meeting with other leaders to address our next moves regarding this crisis. As one who has fought for greater civil rights for all, I cannot watch this travesty unfold. We can discuss the many factors that may lead to this sort of destructive behavior, whether it be poverty, unemployment, etc., but at the end of the day, there is no excuse ever to bestow violence on others. There is no justification for brutally punching or attacking a person in this manner. These kids must be held accountable, and then they must receive the right guidance and mentorship to halt any further damage. In our own communities, we must work harder to spot disastrous behavior and intervene before anything horrific like these attacks take place. All of us need to push for better schools, job opportunities, after-school programs, recreation/community centers and more.
- Reverend Al Sharpton
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-al-sharpton/knockout-games_b_4340317.html?utm_hp_ref=business
DonViejo
(60,536 posts)by the screwy media, alleged witnesses or, more importantly, Wing Nut Daily or, for that matter, The Huffington Post?
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)A 76-year-old Brooklyn woman was punched in the back of the head by a stranger in what local media say could be New York City's 10th "knockout game" attack. Ironically, the attack occurred as community activists were rallying against the spreading assaults in an event held in the same neighborhood at the same time.
Yvonne Small fell to the ground after being punched by her assailant in East New York about 11:35 a.m. Friday, according to police sources cited by the New York Daily News. She was treated at a nearby hospital and discharged. Her attacker is still being sought by police.
As she was being attacked, an already-planned rally against the sick game was wrapping up in the same neighborhood, the newspaper reported. Community activists had just finished calling for an end to the so-called street "game" in which young offenders try to knock out a stranger with a single punch, then post video of the attack online.
"We're not going to tolerate anybody striking, hitting or putting their hands on our women in any shape or fashion," said Tony Herbert, president of the National Action Network Brooklyn chapter, told the Daily News. "It's going to get you locked up."
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/12/76-year-old_woman_struck_in_su.html
840high
(17,196 posts)today in Brooklyn.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)gollygee
(22,336 posts)As in "in what local meda say COULD BE NYC's 10th 'knockout game' attack." 10 random acts of violence in a city as big as NYC does not equal anything. There have always been random acts of violence. What is bullshit is suggesting there's some new "game" of mean black people hurting innocent white people. There is no game. There is random violence, from people of a variety of races upon people of their same race and other races. There always has been. There is a huge racism backlash in the media and in the country lately, and turning random violence that has always been around into an urban legend of a game where everyone constantly needs to be afraid of black people is wrong.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)The article I linked to did not mention the race of the attackers. Jumping to the conclusion that they were black seems a little racist to me.
gollygee
(22,336 posts)black teenagers in gangs hitting white people. If you're not talking about that, you aren't talking about the supposed "knockout game."
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)In 18 of the researched incidents, black people were confirmed as the perpetrators. Many were arrested and charged with crimes, and some of those were sentenced to time in jail.
In another 15 of the incidents, race wasnt given, and there are no photographs available of the accused assailants. In some of these cases, the suspects were never caught.
In the other four incidents, race was given and the perpetrator or perpetrators were white, Hispanic, and/or Indian.
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/372342-knockout-game-and-blacks-are-perpetrators-of-the-game-mostly-black-people/
Again, I think we should simply focus on stopping random, violent attacks regardless of the race of the perpetrators and/or the victims. For some reason, many DUers seem to want to rush to inject race into this issue.
gollygee
(22,336 posts)but there is no "knockout game" as you appear to agree.
B2G
(9,766 posts)is really quite astouding.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Of course, the wannabe George Zimmermans don't typically live in those cities.
Scuba
(53,475 posts)Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)There, fixed it for you.
Scuba
(53,475 posts)That's why it's being so heavily covered by the media. Demonizing the perps is the job for a prosecutor.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)Are you saying that the media should not report violent attacks committed by poor people or black people because these attacks somehow reflect badly upon poor people or black people in general? Perhaps, to take another example, the media should refrain from reporting on sex abuse of altar boys by Catholic priests, because these news stories smear Catholic priests in general?
Scuba
(53,475 posts)But to put it in proportion, tens of thousands have been violated by priests with far less publicity than a small handful of knockout game victims.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)in this, I disagree with you. It isn't isolated to the US, either. Other nations have this same issue, and it is called by different names.
I wish gay bashing didn't happen, and that sexual assault didn't happen, but it doesn't go away just by wishing it would. People have to speak up, people have to say enough and openly discuss it.
Scuba
(53,475 posts)How many "knockout game" assualts in the last 12 months?
Aerows
(39,961 posts)So is a murder, a sexual assault, a pedophile priest and any violent crime. We don't solve societal problems by closing our eyes to them - we let those that could potentially commit such crimes know that it isn't acceptable and there will be consequences by saying "that's not okay." If one young man or young woman doesn't participate in such a violent activity simply because it was discussed, that's a win for society, not a loss for having brought up the subject.
Our country isn't alone in having this problem.
gollygee
(22,336 posts)But the media are creating a huge fiction of gangs of black teenagers stalking and beating to death white people. There is random violence from people of all races, and people should be deterred from hitting random people and punished for it. But it is not OK to treat this the way the media are treating it, as some huge scary Birth of a Nation fanfic.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)and at all levels. Painting it as "white people should be afraid of black people" shouldn't be condoned, but then, "black people should be afraid of racists rednecks" shouldn't be condoned, either.
All that does is incite tension where there doesn't need to be tension. We can all get along, and we need to stop letting the media tell us we can't.
gollygee
(22,336 posts)You presented these apparently as parallel:
1. "White people should be afraid of black people."
2. "Black people should be afraid of racist rednecks."
Black people SHOULD be afraid of anyone who is racist. That is not a good comparison.
George Zimmerman got off for killing Trayvon Martin because he convinced a jury that black teenage boys are inherently scary. We don't need to push that meme. Teenagers in general sometimes get up to trouble, but to specifically suggest that black teenage kids are so scary that it makes sense to stalk them with your gun out and reasonable to pull them into a situation and shoot them is wrong. And this urban legend that makes this look like there's this huge mob of black teenage kids out there seeking out white people to kill and all white people walking everywhere are in constant danger and should be afraid of all black teenagers is dangerous.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)and I'm going to frame things from the perspective of who I am. I agree that many white people think black teenagers are scary; I'm also cognizant that gay people like to get naked and blow each other in the streets because they have been framed that way (and actually do it sometimes in extreme examples).
It isn't an urban legend that gay pride parades happen, I'm a lesbian and I've been to more than a few and unsavory to the masses behavior happens. Am I advocating that gay people should be bashed on the street? No. That happens with alarming frequency no matter how you choose to live your life as a gay person.
It isn't an urban legend that white people have terrorized black people, lynched them, beaten them senseless and murdered them. There is well documented history that it has happened.
It isn't an urban legend that some young BLACK men have taken out their frustrations on Asian, White, and Jewish people by randomly punching them in the face. It's a fact.
Should every single person in every category that they belong to, white, gay, black, etc. be called upon to account for every act caused by a certain person that could be associated with that community? Of course not.
Failing to report on it would indicate another type of bias, and you know it would get griped about, as well. It's not singling people out, or a group out, when a member of a certain identity does something heinous - it's called asking that community to recognize and their need to clean up around their own front door. Everyone has members in their community that are awful human beings.
gollygee
(22,336 posts)See this post: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4126564
It isn't just black teenagers doing this. It is presented that way in the media. And certainly random crime is not just black on white by any means at all. There is no reason to believe there is even more black on white than white on black random crime. And there also haven't been many incidents even attributed to this - 30-something over how long over the whole country? So it's presented as only black-on-white crime. It's presented like it's the only random violence out there, or somehow unique or set apart from other random violence. And it's presented as if it's an epidemic. THAT is the problem. Of course anyone who commits violence, random or otherwise, should be prosecuted. The problem is how this is presented. It is inaccurate and creates racial fear that contributes to stuff like Trayvon Martin getting killed. If you read the comments in the online articles, people are talking about carrying weapons and shooting groups of black teenage boys they see because they think it's reasonable to be that afraid based on these news reports. And the news reports are presenting an urban myth removed from reality.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)for whatever reason, needs to stop.
gollygee
(22,336 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)The game is real. Kids have talked about playing it.
DonViejo
(60,536 posts)you start commenting that people are "full of crap."
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)Note that the original article was from November 25. As the number of victims of these attacks has been mounting, the "URBAN LEGEND!!!!" crowd have been starting to realize how ridiculous they are being and have been fading back into the woodwork.
DonViejo
(60,536 posts)I also know that one of the authors of one of the articles is a Latino, another author is an African-American, want to make an issue out of the race of those authors? Sorry, you go right ahead and jump on the band wagon, you seem to enjoy being a member of the DU "Hair on Fire Club"
Aerows
(39,961 posts)to the victims. Much like it isn't a hair on fire issue for those who aren't victims of sexual assault, pedophilia, or gross neglect of the elderly, for example. For the folks that are in that category, yes, it is very much a hair on fire issue.
Education, and educating society that this sort of thing will not be tolerated is part and parcel of civilization. Whatever forces say "Hey, let's go ramdomly punch somebody out and see who is the most successful at doing it", there at the very least should be public push back that says "It's not okay."
If we don't say "it's not okay" then we are condoning it.
DonViejo
(60,536 posts)I'm talking about the fact this knockout crap is not at the epidemic levels (in the black community) being reported and/or alleged by FOX and Wing Nut Daily. If you choose to believe FOX and WND, by all means go for it.
Speaking up against violence is suddenly believing Faux News and World Nut Daily.
How refreshing.
DonViejo
(60,536 posts)please quote where I said anything against you for speaking out against violence. You can't, because I didn't. Wow! You're just too clever for words aren't you?
Aerows
(39,961 posts)I just state what I see as the truth.
I kind of figured you wanted to discuss the issue, since we are on a discussion board, and it can be productive to ... discuss things. Which is why you probably made the post to begin with.
DonViejo
(60,536 posts)the predominantly conservative and right wing media has convinced Americans (including DU members) the "Knockout Game" is at epidemic proportions; that white folks are in serious danger from roving gangs of Black and Latino youth.
I can't speak to that since I don't watch Faux News and I don't follow predominantly right wing media outfits.
I have seen a number of articles on HuffPo, and even some here on DU. BBC has had a few articles on it.
As for what the whacko Republican outfits report on, it's such bullshit that me taking it seriously would require a lobotomy.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)His conclusion based on his own experiences is ridiculous.
There is evidence to the contrary that he ignores and/or dismisses.
DonViejo
(60,536 posts)just what Iglesias wrote.
rgbecker
(4,806 posts)Sarcasm.
CorrectOfCenter
(101 posts)Before tackling the 'Knockout Game'
How some can be outraged by a few punches, but not classrooms full of children and movie theaters full of innocent people getting gunned down is simply stunning.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)tell victims of gay bashing or women that are victims of sexual assault that they are really lucky that they are still alive, and aren't shot to death.
Violence is violence. Mind you, I'm not saying said persons aren't lucky to be a live, but it is fucked up to say "well, you got out alive, so we shouldn't worry about you and should put all of our eggs in one basket and keep people from getting murdered first."
I realize that society in general can multi-task, but let's not minimize that people getting randomly punched in the face doesn't cause a multitude of problems like PTSD, concussions and other horrible consequences.
I'm not a fan of the "well, it's not murder" defense.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)this isn't some new phenomenon, and isn't strictly done in the US. It's called wilding in other nations.
Just because it is upsetting doesn't mean that it doesn't happen. Redneck assholes beat up people, too, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.
DonViejo
(60,536 posts)and posted in the OP, above:
It soon spread to other parts of Europe. Now it has landed here in the United States, where under such alternative titles as "knockout game" and "pick 'em out and knock 'em out," it has stirred a media frenzy.
and it certainly isn't singling anyone out except for the idiots that participate in it.
Pointing out that it happens isn't a bad thing; pointing out that it happens can prevent some people from doing it, especially if there are consequences for participating and making them well known.
DonViejo
(60,536 posts)Buying into the proposition the problem is at epidemic proportions, as the conservative and right wing media wants us to do, is absolutely insane.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)who takes such bullshit seriously? Answer, no one that wasn't an idiot to begin with.
EDIT: And I realized how that sounds. I wasn't referring to you, I was referring to the intolerant to begin with. They are going to decide for violence, tension and awful situations regarding race and rage no matter what happens. You can have a story of a person rescuing a puppy or a kitten, and someone is going to make it derogatory based upon race, creed, religion, whatever.
Dash87
(3,220 posts)It's sudden emergence an urban myth. It's real, but the "knock out game" has been around for decades. It's not like it's any more common now.
KatyaR
(3,445 posts)a bill in the next session that would have a minor arrested for participating in a knockout game tried as an adult. If convicted, they would spend 10 years in prison.
Of course, the police say it's just not happening here. But this would be just another way to keep those for-profit prisons full....
ZombieHorde
(29,047 posts)the knockout game is receiving a ton of attention.