When did the Purge become realistic intelligent science fiction literature?

[CharlesPhipps]

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-t ... aae3aa34a3

At a rally on Sunday in Erie, Pennsylvania, Trump casually seemed to suggest that one day of violence would put an end to crime.

Trump declared that Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) should be put in charge for “one really violent day.”

“One rough hour. And I mean real rough, the world will get it out and it will end immediately. End immediately. You know, it will end immediately,” he added without sharing any logistics.

The concept mirrors a fictional film series called “The Purge,” in which all crime is legal for 12 hours on a single day of the year. (At least one film in the franchise takes aim at the previous Trump administration, according to USA Today.)

His dangerous remark Sunday came on the heels of his saying that crime is skyrocketing, a false claim that the far right uses to fearmonger. He also echoed the lie that the supposed rise in crime is the fault of migrants.

The twice-impeached former president has a documented pattern of using violent rhetoric and inciting violence — including ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection that led to five deaths after Trump’s loss in the 2020 election.

Recently, he has warned that there would be a “bloodbath” if he loses the election.

Trump’s rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, came ahead of his scheduled Oct. 5 return to Butler, Pennsylvania, the location of his first assassination attempt in July.

Not sure if this should be in news or this but the Purge really is weird in how it started as a stupid horror movie and gradually became angrier and angrier social satire about the state of America. Increasingly making it clear the New Founding Fathers were just trying to wipe out minorities and the poor.

[clearspira]

I've taken a vow not to talk about current politics on here any more so I am going to respond only to the story of the Purge itself.

The Purge as a concept does not work - and it does not work in-universe either because they keep on needing Purges. Interestingly enough, the first example of this kind of thing I can think of was in an episode of TOS (the one with Landru) where all of the brainwashed into submission drones on this planet goes crazy at midnight. And what happens the next day? There is a woman crying in Kirk's arms, her pain so great that not even Landru's mind rape can overcome it.

''The next day''. That is what this comes down to. If someone legally rapes your daughter then you are not going to just go ''oh, ok. Big Daddy government said that this was fine'' That is not how that works. There would be a flurry of illegal murders the next day as dads go hunting with shotguns. And probably a riot bordering on a Civil War a month later.

Also as shown in the franchise, it only really affects the poor, as the rich live in gated communities separate from it all and thus their crimes are actually rewarded with no penalties. In reality, "Purge Day" would be permission for the rich commit an incredible amount of embezzlement, tax fraud, insider trading etc.

[hammerofglass]

It's been a while but I remember it mostly being suburbanites murdering homeless people because every home is a fortress being explicit in the first movie.

I haven't seen the sequels but going by the Wikipedia plot summaries the system collapsed into chaos and civil war by the third entry. Because in-universe it was a stupid idea run by crazy people.

[CharlesPhipps]

''The next day''. That is what this comes down to. If someone legally rapes your daughter then you are not going to just go ''oh, ok. Big Daddy government said that this was fine'' That is not how that works. There would be a flurry of illegal murders the next day as dads go hunting with shotguns. And probably a riot bordering on a Civil War a month later.

You have correctly pointed out the Purge's conceit that the only people who participate in the Purge are evil psychopaths and that the people who are victimized by it are ones who vulnerable already. We also meet the "Father who wants revenge" in the second movie.

[hammerofglass]

Thinking about it it's more like he's calling for a Kristallnacht than The Purge.

[CharlesPhipps]

Thinking about it it's more like he's calling for a Kristallnacht than The Purge.

The Purge was supposed to be a fair and equal balance. But the subsequent movies reveal it's a yearly Kristallnacht with the murders carried out primarily by government death squads and mercenaries in civilian clothes.

Mind you, most people have no idea the Purge is this in and out of universe.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

Purge was one of those movie franchises where everybody I’d notice on one side of the partisan line are for the most part indifferent about it as a form of entertainment.

The first movie vibes with liberals much more than conservatives.

Economic hierarchies more or less are a Marxist doctrine.

[CharlesPhipps]

Economic hierarchies more or less are a Marxist doctrine.

I feel that conservatives have attempted to equate all economic observations beyond laissez faire capitalism to Marx as a way to discredit them. Speaking as an anti-communist anarchist, I pretty much reject this dichotomy. One can hate the rich without believing we should all go Soviet.

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

Thinking about it it's more like he's calling for a Kristallnacht than The Purge.

The Purge was supposed to be a fair and equal balance. But the subsequent movies reveal it's a yearly Kristallnacht with the murders carried out primarily by government death squads and mercenaries in civilian clothes.

Mind you, most people have no idea the Purge is this in and out of universe.

I'm with hammerofglass on this one. We have actual real-life atrocities that are a better match for this than fiction.

[Nobody700]

The thing is, the Purge was only ever made to be a typical home invasion story with the catch that they can't call the cops and their neighbors don't have a reason to aid them.

As a social commentary, the Purge is... rather weak. The system in and of itself doesn't account for large scale Militia groups, the fact everyone would be armed and ready to gun down anyone they see, and the after and before Purge time. The concept of a Purge could cause TENS OF BILLIONS in damages. Imagine if a single person bombs Hoover Dam, nothing is stopping him. Unless that counts as one of those rare don't attack us spots. The Purge COSTS so much money to the US government and so many lives, it just doesn't make sense why to keep it. At least with TOS with Landru, that was a small community that was letting out people who acted like machines most intense emotions in quick bursts.