The Urge to Purge

So I was looking through the Internets searching for some cheesecake recipes when I stumbled across a trailer for the movie Purge. Take a look at it.

Crazy, right? From what I gather, for one night out of the year, crime is perfectly legal. I plan on seeing this movie. But I don’t want to see this movie because of the plot or the actors, I want see this movie because of the implications of the policy of allowing crime for one night of the year. Could a society allow this to happen? How depraved does a society have to be to let people kill for one night a year? Is this a government thing (apparently so according to the movie)? What would other countries think about America instituting such a policy? I realize that the movie requires the suspension of disbelief, but it brought up this weird premise, and we must consider it.

Also, think about the people in this society. Their behavior has to change, right? They have to be nice and such for 364 days out of the year out of fear that if they did anything wrong, someone will put them on their “kill list.” Angered someone at work? You are going to be hunted. Accidentally insult someone? You might be hunted. Cut someone off on the highway? That person will follow you home, take note of your address, and hunt you down on crime-free night. It’s ridiculous. Crime may be at an all-time low because of fear of retribution. Unemployment is low because if you don’t hire someone, they will kill you. Or unemployment is low because there are tons of dead people which opens up the job market. This may be utopia, but it’s a utopia with a dark secret.

Other questions that pop up are how can you truly trust your friends? If all crime is legal, then you have to truly trust your friends in order to know they won’t try to kill or steal from you or rape you or do other horrible crimes. One final question is how are businesses still around? I hope the movie addresses what crimes are legal, but if all crime is truly legal, then that means robbery, embezzlement, and other white collar crimes can happen without consequence. If that’s the case, what’s to stop CEOs, business people, and normal citizens from stealing from companies and businesses? The movie argues that it is peoples’ natural tendency to commit crimes, but if that were the case, then shouldn't all companies fail. How can unemployment be low if companies cease to exist? I really want the movie to answer these questions, but I know that a two hour movie can only do so much. I plan on seeing it, and I hope it’s a great experience.

Still, one of the aspects of the movie is that cities shut down during “the purge.” This includes emergency services. However, I believe that during all of this Walmart is still open.