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charlie and algernon

(13,447 posts)
Wed Apr 10, 2013, 11:04 AM Apr 2013

From "The Purge," all crime is legal for 12 hours. What would you do?

There's a new movie coming out called The Purge, where for 12 hours once a year, the US makes all crimes legal. You can do whatever you want. All emergency services are suspended during that 12 hour period. The movie itself looks like your basic violent, cliche-filled home invasion horror movie. However it's still an interesting premise.



As an aside, I think the movie should take place in the year between purges. A guy's family is killed during a purge and a week or two later he finds out who did it. Since the murders were legal during the purge, the law won't go after the person. Now the guy must decide whether to go after the person himself and risk severe punishment, or wait a year till the next purge to exact his revenge.

But back to the original premise, say there is a Purge. For 12 hours, you can do whatever the hell you want, including murder, arson, etc. What do you do?
5 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
Find a cabin in the middle of the woods and ride the purge out
3 (60%)
Stay home and defend against any attacks
1 (20%)
Sit in on the steps of Capitol Hill and do MASSIVE amounts of drugs
0 (0%)
Polish off that "enemies list" you've been keeping
0 (0%)
Borrow a couple lamborghinis for a high speed race down I-95
0 (0%)
Upgrade your entertainment center at no cost
0 (0%)
Other
1 (20%)
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Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll
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From "The Purge," all crime is legal for 12 hours. What would you do? (Original Post) charlie and algernon Apr 2013 OP
The whole plot is gimmicky. Baitball Blogger Apr 2013 #1
Yeah, the movie looks no different than the 30 or so other home invasion movies out there charlie and algernon Apr 2013 #3
I'm about 20 minutes from B&H Photo sir pball Apr 2013 #2
I'll tell you one thing. Ron Obvious Apr 2013 #4
I don't ever pay much attention to the law. hunter Apr 2013 #5
Interesting distinction... Ron Obvious Apr 2013 #6
If we play out the premise of the movie charlie and algernon Apr 2013 #9
Download all of the music in the world. Dr. Strange Apr 2013 #7
I guess I'd be doing pipi_k Apr 2013 #8
Smoke as much MJ as I possibly could in 12 hours. sadbear Apr 2013 #10
Might not be a bad time for the 99% to recover some of that lost wealth Duer 157099 Apr 2013 #11
I would get sushi... and not pay! petronius Apr 2013 #12
! Kali Apr 2013 #13
Fuck you, Archie. Just for that you're not in the gang anymore. TeamPooka Apr 2013 #18
rob a bank BainsBane Apr 2013 #14
There are a couple of choices there that really intrigues me. Knightraven Apr 2013 #15
unlock my phone Enrique Apr 2013 #16
Hmmm..interesting. Manifestor_of_Light Apr 2013 #17
I'd go bowling naked olddots Apr 2013 #19
Pirate songs and movies. Neoma Apr 2013 #20
I imagine doing something libodem Apr 2013 #21
Idea taken from a "Star Trek Episode" ..whose name I cannot remember..(yes, Kirk, Spock and Mc Coy) Stuart G Apr 2013 #22
Rip the tag off of my mattress. madinmaryland Apr 2013 #23
Get hammered at a bar, then drive home with one eye shut Ter Apr 2013 #24
Ride/hide it out. Nothing I could get away with is worth the risk of being killed. nomorenomore08 Apr 2013 #25
If it happened one a year I'd form an association to act as a tribe on that day. nolabear Apr 2013 #26
Sit at home and play video games? Nobody would come after me anyways. I'd really be scared to be a Evoman Apr 2013 #27
Stay here in Germany DFW Apr 2013 #28
Unoriginal noraw6842 May 2013 #29
best answer goes to #10! jessjay Jun 2013 #30

Baitball Blogger

(46,576 posts)
1. The whole plot is gimmicky.
Wed Apr 10, 2013, 11:07 AM
Apr 2013

Just a quick and easy post-apocalyptic horror story.

Your plot idea is so much better developed.

charlie and algernon

(13,447 posts)
3. Yeah, the movie looks no different than the 30 or so other home invasion movies out there
Wed Apr 10, 2013, 11:16 AM
Apr 2013

But the premise itself is good and could make for a MUCH more interesting movie than a typical home invasion plot. With any luck, my idea could be the basis for a sequel. Say Ethan Hawke is the only survivor and now he must decide what to do during in the year before the next purge.

hunter

(38,264 posts)
5. I don't ever pay much attention to the law.
Wed Apr 10, 2013, 12:54 PM
Apr 2013

Frankly I feel sorry for anyone who has to take the law into consideration before they act.

Sometimes I'll think, "No, that would be wrong," but rarely, maybe even never, "No, that would be against the law."

I'm no saint in any way, but the checks and balances of my personal ethical system engage before I pay any attention to the law.

I also don't think my community would change much in a "purge." It's pretty Wild West already. You can call the police, but they're often busy dealing with gang shootings and other violent crimes. They simply don't show up for fender benders or minor property crimes. They'll ask you to fill out a report online, and if you can't do that, invite you to come down to the station. Sitting in the station waiting for your number to be called is always a trip. One overhears the most amazing stories.

If the most rotten people among us were ever afraid of the law they wouldn't be shooting one another. In fact "purge day" would probably be a quieter than usual, excluding the drunk and/or immature drivers skidding their cars all over the streets and parking lots. That alone would probably keep most other people peacefully at home.

Okay, maybe I might walk around the city naked. Then again, maybe not. I could have done that on any of my recent visits to San Francisco, but I never did.

 

Ron Obvious

(6,261 posts)
6. Interesting distinction...
Wed Apr 10, 2013, 02:01 PM
Apr 2013

And I agree with you. If it gets to the point that the only reason people don't do a certain thing is that it is against the law, then either society is in trouble or the law needs to be re-examined.

It's also the argument that I make against religious people who claim you need God to be moral and ask me (an atheist) why I'm not out murdering and raping or killing myself if I don't believe in God or Hell. I always ask them "You mean, that's what you would be doing if you lost your belief?"

It usually shuts them up.

But there are many people for whom the law seems to be a thing in its own right, and for them saying something is against the law appears to be a perfect reason not to do it. They don't seem to understand when I ask "but why is it against the law?"

A distressing example of the latter was when I heard a call-in radio show about a 16 year-old who was being charged with the manufacture and distribution of child pornography for sending nude pictures of herself to her boyfriend. A distressingly large number of the callers thought this was just fine "because that's the law", without even beginning to understand why that was wrong and why the law existed and what its purpose was.

charlie and algernon

(13,447 posts)
9. If we play out the premise of the movie
Wed Apr 10, 2013, 02:41 PM
Apr 2013

I would think that the US decided to go with the Purge idea so that we "purge" ourselves of the very assholes would take advantage of no laws. During the purge, the good people who have no intention of doing bad things would stay home and hunker down for the day. The assholes would be the only ones out in the streets and so would be the main ones getting killed by the other assholes. Let the assholes kill each other off so the rest of us can live in peace.

pipi_k

(21,020 posts)
8. I guess I'd be doing
Wed Apr 10, 2013, 02:33 PM
Apr 2013

exactly what I'm doing now, which is obeying the laws the best I can.

Because in the end, it's my own conscience I have to live with.

And yeah...I'm an Agnostic/Atheist too.

Don't need God or the Bible or the threat of Hell to keep myself in line.

My own conscience is scary enough.

Duer 157099

(17,742 posts)
11. Might not be a bad time for the 99% to recover some of that lost wealth
Wed Apr 10, 2013, 03:23 PM
Apr 2013

Just sayin'

Who would want to waste the opportunity on violence? I'd go for the money. Hit 'em where it really hurts. And spread the wealth around. Robin Hood baby!

Knightraven

(268 posts)
15. There are a couple of choices there that really intrigues me.
Wed Apr 10, 2013, 04:45 PM
Apr 2013

The "Sit in on the steps of Capitol Hill and do MASSIVE amounts of drugs" sounds fun, yet "Borrow a couple lamborghinis for a high speed race down I-95" really spark my interest!

But when it comes right down to it...
I would take one hot babe and one hot guy up to a nice secluded mountain top along with some pot and wine!

 

Manifestor_of_Light

(21,046 posts)
17. Hmmm..interesting.
Wed Apr 10, 2013, 06:30 PM
Apr 2013

I'm thinking of a serial sex offender.

The DA didn't press charges b/c I didn't report it quickly enough; IOW I acted like a typical victim.

This guy will keep doing it. I don't know what it takes to indict the guy, because I filed a complaint with the sheriff's office.

The only conclusion I can reach is that the elected female DA in my county is protecting the good ole boys.

The state will take away his massage therapy license but that only stops him from taking money for his gropes disguised as "therapy".


 

olddots

(10,237 posts)
19. I'd go bowling naked
Wed Apr 10, 2013, 07:13 PM
Apr 2013

everybody would get nauseous then I would steal all the rental shoes and light them on fire in front of the fox building in Hollywood .

hey you asked

libodem

(19,288 posts)
21. I imagine doing something
Wed Apr 10, 2013, 08:27 PM
Apr 2013

Insane and destructive. I'd like to do some mayhem in a Walmart. Push some merchandise off the shelves, pee in a changing room, do that milk splash thingie. That is all.

Gad, is that so sick and wrong? I swear my alterego is a 13 y/o male adolescent. I shouldn't have shared.

Stuart G

(38,365 posts)
22. Idea taken from a "Star Trek Episode" ..whose name I cannot remember..(yes, Kirk, Spock and Mc Coy)
Wed Apr 10, 2013, 09:46 PM
Apr 2013

...something about "Landau" a computer that controls everthing..we are talking about a show that was made over 40 years ago..
same idea...everyone free to do havoc for a day out of the year..or is it 12 hoours...?????

someone here can give the name of the ep...I think it was season one or two...

 

Ter

(4,281 posts)
24. Get hammered at a bar, then drive home with one eye shut
Wed Apr 10, 2013, 10:11 PM
Apr 2013

It would be amazing without having to worry about the cops pulling me over.

nolabear

(41,915 posts)
26. If it happened one a year I'd form an association to act as a tribe on that day.
Wed Apr 10, 2013, 11:03 PM
Apr 2013

We'd barricade ourselves in some well defended place and ride it out there. That's presuming the worst, that people went insane. I don't think there really are that many absolute psychopaths with a death wish out there.

Evoman

(8,040 posts)
27. Sit at home and play video games? Nobody would come after me anyways. I'd really be scared to be a
Thu Apr 11, 2013, 02:56 AM
Apr 2013

politician though....

DFW

(54,057 posts)
28. Stay here in Germany
Thu Apr 11, 2013, 06:25 AM
Apr 2013

As it is, most thieves and perpetrators of non-firearm violent crimes enjoy virtual immunity from prosecution in Germany if they come from other countries, but my wife and most of our friends are either German or from neighboring countries (e.g. Austria, Netherlands), so I'm pretty safe here.

noraw6842

(1 post)
29. Unoriginal
Wed May 29, 2013, 11:14 PM
May 2013

Umm so this person must have been on crack if he thought that this was original. And why is the homeless guy black?!?!?!?!?!

jessjay

(1 post)
30. best answer goes to #10!
Thu Jun 27, 2013, 02:30 PM
Jun 2013

Has anyone who posted in this thread actually seen the movie? It was surprisingly really good! I couldn't help but think about The Hunger Games while watching. Makes you think about what the future holds. Kind of scary..

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