Last night, Jon Stewart had a response to Megyn Kelly's excuse about saying Santa Claus is white, and moved on to how the media has been sensationalizing and getting people worked up over the "Knockout Game", which turns out not to be a real trend. Instead, Jon's almost begging the media to sensationalize something worth sensationalizing — the massive amount of gun murders in this country.
There's only one problem with this new trend.
DON LEMON (12/3/2013): There is evidence that this has been happening since 1994.
ALEX WITT (11/27/2013): Even the New York Times is reporting, here's a quote from them, "police officials in several cities where such attacks have been reported said that the 'game' amounted to little more than an urban myth".
Could the news media be over-hyping a danger? They've never done that before. Well, there was that... all the time.
SEAN HANNITY (8/17/2011): Fear is escalating across the country tonight, as flash mobs are on the rise in recent weeks.
ABC7 (6/20/2011): It's when a group of young thieves ... plot to converge on a store and ransack it, taking everything.
JON SCOTT (2/16/2013): A dangerous new trend among teens — car surfing.
FOX & FRIENDS ANCHOR (11/2/2013): The disturbing new selfie trend pictures, behind the wheel of a moving car.
WORLD NEWS NOW (7/8/2011): There's a dangerous new trend involving teenagers. Lots of kids are videotaping themselves performing dangerous stunts.
CHRIS JANSING (7/8/2010): Disturbing new trend ... now some young people are apparently biting each other for real.
CHARLES BILLI (12/6/2013): Question: Innocent fun, or sexual harassment? ... Young students slapping the backsides of others.
(audience laughter and applause)
You know, if this new biting trend ever combines with this new backside trend... young people will have turned into my aunt. "Gimme that tushie, come here! Nom nom nom nom nom nom nom." My aunt used to bite my tushie. (awkward laughter) A couple of weeks ago. (audience laughter)
Call it sensationalism if you want, but all the Knockout hype has led to a call for action.
11/25/2013:
ELISABETH HASSELBECK: A New York state legislator is now drafting up a new bill to up the penalty for these crimes. A 25-year sentence is being proposed for teens 14 and up who play the game, film it, or even stand by and watch. Joining us now is the man behind the plan, New York state assemblyman James Tedisco.
NY STATE ASSEMBLYMAN JAMES TEDISCO (R): These kids, if you see the video, they're beating their chests, they're acting like big men. Well, big men should have a big law and a big penalty if they do this type of dastardly crime.
Holy shit, 25 years for just standing there? So the thing that may or may not be a thing needs more onerous penalties than what already exists for aggravated assault.
I'm just curious, don't we have another violence issue in this country that's even more widespread and damaging?
DR. FRANK OCHBERG (12/14/2013): America has more gun deaths than any other advanced nation in the world.
CHRIS JANSING (12/13/2013): Since Newtown, at least 173 children under 12 have died from gunshot wounds.
KAREN FINNEY (10/26/2013): It's been another week of gun violence in America. At least 170 shooting deaths were reported nationwide.
HOLY SHIT!! 170 in a week!! And yet, as a matter of fact, since Newtown, gun laws in this country have gotten weaker, not stronger. I mean, that seems counter.... I've got it!
There's a new trend sweeping this country. People shooting other people. It's called the Shooty Game.
Ah, fuck it! It'll never work. We'll be right back.
Video below the fold.
Jon then looked at recent
space race news involving China and Iran.
Meanwhile, Stephen looked at technology news, from
Google's robot acquisition to the NSA spying on
online video games.
He then talked about his
Grammy nomination, with one of his competitors making a special appearance!
Jon talked with Saudi filmmaker
Haifaa al-Mansour, and Stephen talked with BuzzFeed founder
Jonah Peretti. Stephen then closed with a performance of "
Silver Bells" with Gregg Allman and members of The National.