I've always thought that was true in the case of action TV shows where someone bonks a person over the head or shoulder to knock them out cold, without showing any resulting injury. Idiots grow up watching those shows not knowing how unrealistic it is, and just by chance some of them become the thugs who beat people to death. I'm sure most of them don't give a shit, but I wonder if a small percentage of the IQ midgits didn't realize they'd have to hit their victim at precisely the right spot to knock them out. It's just dumb luck when it works in boxing.

Also just to continue the weird pop culture theories, it's thought that people fall over when getting shot (non-fatally) just because they've seen that reaction in the movies. Realistically most gunshots don't knock someone over unless they're at point blank, and a person may not even know they've been shot when hit in certain parts of the body from far enough away.