On September 10th of this year, Ralph Santiago, a
homeless man, was walking in New Jersey and was suddenly struck by a group of
teens. Santiago’s body fell onto a fence, killing him instantly. A month later
in Pittsburgh, an English teacher named James Addlespurger was also punched by
a different group of teens. Many other similar assaults have been caught on
tape. What confused the police was that these attacks were “unprovoked”. Police
are calling this series of events the “Knockout Game.” They do not know the
cause of the assaults, but Chuck Williams, a youth violence expert, calls these
actions “extreme aggression”. "That's
America. America loves violence and so do our kids. We market violence to our
children and we wonder why they're violent. It's because we are," says
Williams. To read more about the “Knockout Game” click here.
In my opinion I agree with Williams.
I think that for many it is hard to accept that their favorite movies and t.v. shows are negatively influencing the youth in the United States. With that being said, why do certain teens take violence in the media to reality? I mean, most teens don't go killing other people after watching "The Hunger Games." So what sets them apart? Another question to think about: Why has America become so violent? Were there specific events, or is it just the nature of society? Most importantly, what steps can we take to stop these assaults and other situations regarding teen violence?
