Trends depend on social factors
Everybody enjoys a good game of tag. The premise is simple: Run around and hit unsuspecting players so that they are then “it.” But what if that playground staple took to the streets and become brutal, even deadly? This is the Knockout Game.
The Knockout Game is a potentially fatal series of attacks that are reportedly occurring throughout American cities and even in London. It is a violent phenomenon that appears to be spreading across the country as virally as any other less-serious trend. Just like tag, the rules of the Knockout Game are painfully simple. People run up behind an unsuspecting victim and punch them as hard as possible so the pedestrians are knocked out, or at least knocked to the ground.
Brooklyn, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. have all seen instances of the Knockout Game in which victims have reported being hit from behind with enough force to cause considerable injury. Ralph Santiago, a 46-year-old man from Hoboken, N.J., died after his neck snapped and he got caught in an iron fence. Fatalities also occurred in Syracuse, N.Y., and St. Louis.
The culprits behind these attacks are not hardened criminals. Instead, they are mere teenagers. Three juveniles, all between the ages of 13 and 14, were arrested for Santiago’s murder. These crimes are alarming on their own but the young age of the attackers should be cause for further alarm. Why do young people think harming others is an acceptable pastime?
Violence pervades modern pop culture. Almost every action film nowadays requires at least five explosions and any superhero flick out there is guaranteed to include a scene of mass destruction. Grand Theft Auto V, a video game constructed around violence (among other vices), is the fastest entertainment property to gross $1 billion. Consumers have developed a distinct taste for violence.
It’s no wonder, then, that teenagers at home and abroad are resorting to violence in the real world as a means of entertainment. All of the products teenagers buy show them that violence means fun. Violence earns you points and gets you what you want: money, sex and power.
In Brooklyn, these attacks originally targeted Jews in neighborhoods such as Crown Heights and Midwood. Elderly people and other minority groups such as blacks have also been attacked during instances of the Knockout Game. As is always the case with crimes committed by minors, the severity of punishment is hotly debated.
Now that your sensibilities have been properly scandalized, it is worth mentioning that The New York Times reported that the Knockout Game might actually be just an urban myth and that the attacks in question might be nothing more than the sort of random assaults that have always occurred. Media broadcasts have sensationalized a string of isolated incidents, according to Police Chief Anthony P. Falco Sr. of Hoboken. Gene Rubino, a spokesman and assistant prosecutor in the Hudson County prosecutor’s office, agrees with Falco. “We keep getting asked that question and there is no noticeable trend,” Rubino is quoted as saying by the Times.
Who should we believe? Obviously the Times is one of the most reputable news sources in the English language. But can these incidents really be disregarded as isolated incidents sharing a few similarities? It’s hard to pick a side when both seem to have their merits.
Such is the fickle nature of a trend. Whether the Knockout Game is a verified trend or just another case of yellow journalism, this example demonstrates the public’s penchant for sensationalism. Trends are a way for people to cross lines and push boundaries. Sometimes, lines are crossed that should not be questioned in the first place, as is the case with the Knockout Game. Harming others for the sake of entertainment is not an activity that is worthy of replication across the country — and it never will be.
On the other hand, fashion and food trends occur because creative types constantly want to try out new ideas. Clothing styles become increasingly bizarre with each season because designers always aim to outdo each other. Likewise, TV shows repeatedly toe the line with content that challenges censorship.
Without trends, nothing would evolve. Trends encourage the advent of bigger and better concepts. They also remind us of our social limitations. We are unwilling to tolerate the increase of violence against unsuspecting victims on the street, yet our culture also supports a video game product that encourages the very same act, albeit digitally.
The designation of something as “trending” is entirely subjective. One person could view the newest craze as a thing of genius while another person could view the same fad as completely pointless. In a field such as dance, trends are the medium through which dance progresses. Without Elvis’ swaying hips in the ’50s, there would be no grinding today. Good or bad, we owe a lot of thanks to trends for allowing our society to grow.
The Knockout Game is evidence that some trends truly are negative. Popular media should not encourage accepting violence as normal yet products such as GTAV are still sent to the masses. Awareness about what’s trending is vital to maintaining your cultural relevance, no matter what interests you. Nobody wants to be the derp at a party who has nothing to contribute to the conversation.
Being interesting to others is all about being timely. A trend is just that: a timely topic. Not all trends, however, are created equal. Sometimes they are absolutely horrendous, such as the reports of the Knockout Game. Other times they are ridiculous, as is the case with seasonal flavors such as White Chocolate Peppermint Pringles.
It’s all well and good to know about the current trends but at the end of the day, your own opinion is far more important than a hashtag. And by stating your own thoughts regardless of others’, you might end up being the next trending hashtag.
Nick Cimarusti is a senior majoring in English literature and Spanish. His column “#trending” ran Wednesdays.
Follow Nick on Twitter @NickCimarusti