Advocacy Letter
The game is simple and only has one objective: knockout.
This teenage craze has caught the attention of America. It is called the knockout game. People are simple walking up to complete strangers and trying to one-punch knock them out. What’s even scarier is there is no specific minority or race that is being targeted. The effects are dangerous and in some cases even fatal.
A 46 year old homeless man, Ralph Santiago, was walking alone when he was clocked in the back of the head, eventually killing him. In New York, the local authorities saw a rise in the number of knockouts this fall. After reading this article, I could only ask why. Why would someone randomly knockout another person for no reason whatsoever? The answer seemed to be in the media. Chuck Williams, a professor of psychology and education at Drexel University, calls it the “Miley Cyrus Effect.” Teens will do anything to get noticed, no matter how stupid or hideous they look, hence the name Miley Cyrus.
This type of game reminded me of the choking game that has occurred in the past. Students would be choked until they passed out, getting a sensation similar to being high. This choking game, similar to the knockout game, caught fire by teens and spread. Again, the media gave it attention, just what the students wanted. In my opinion, these types of games are similar to the mass killings that have transpired over the recent years.
The mass murderers would shoot up or bomb a place grabbing the attention of the media. The media then informs the rest of the country of what happened. Ultimately, it ends in the mass killer getting the notoriety that it sought, just like the teenagers and their dangerous, life-threatening games. To end crazes like these, I believe the media plays a huge role. If the media doesn’t give the murderers or teenagers in this case, the attention for doing dangerous activities, then things like these wouldn’t happen as often. I know it’s easier said than done, but I believe if the media turns their heads on events like these, the world would become a safer place.
