'Meet The Knockers': Jon Stewart mocks media coverage of knockout game
theGRIO REPORT - Jon Stewart is known not to pull any punches when he sees a situation that merits thoughtful reflection with a twist of comedic ridicule...
Jon Stewart is known not to pull any punches when he sees a situation that merits thoughtful reflection with a twist of comedic ridicule. So it was just a matter of time before he took on the so-called ‘knockout game.’
On Monday’s The Daily Show, Stewart was critical of the hype over what media has called a growing trend in incidents of thuggish behavior where an assailant assaults an innocent victim with an attempt to knock them out.
The show used news clips, which included CNN’s Don Lemon saying there is evidence such attacks have been taking place since 1994 and a quote from the New York Times saying the game amounted to a little more than an urban myth.
Stewart asked the question “Could the news media be over-hyping a danger?” He then quickly turned to stories on ‘flash mob robberies’ once reported as being a growing trend. He moved on to car surfing as a hyped story and then on to kids biting each other “For real!” the report exclaimed. There was even a clip of a news anchor’s ‘top story’ asking, “Innocent fun or sexual harassment, young students slapping the backsides of others?”
All of these stories at one time were sensational ‘top stories’ in news cycles across America, which after time were proven not to be national trends but a bunch of irresponsible young people behaving badly.
Stewart’s very comical take on ‘the knockout game’ took a dark turn when it was reported that a New York state assemblyman introduced a bill that would mandate that anyone 14 years and older could be sentenced to a maximum of 25 years in prison for any involvement in “knockout” even if they did not participate but stood by and watched.
To this, Stewart asked, “So the thing, that may not be a thing, needs more onerous penalties than what already exists for aggravated assault?”
Such talk of severity in a nation that has more gun deaths than any other developed nation. One hundred-seventy-three children under 12 have died of gun violence since Newtown. Gun laws have even gotten weaker and sheriffs in Colorado, ground zero for gun violence in schools, have declared that they will not enforce stricter gun legislation, claiming it’s unconstitutional.
You’ve got to see Stewart’s piece yourself and determine if his summary resonates. He says, “There is a new trend sweeping this country. It’s people shooting other people. It’s called The Shooty Game!” Then he scoffed and said, “It will never work!”
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