What If the Purge Actually Happened?

Script written by Aaron Cameron

What If the Purge Actually Happened?

Crime as we know it today is a chaotic affair. Traffic offences and other minor crimes are too frequent to notice. Theft is rarely of interest to anyone other than the victim, while murders only make the news cycle if they have an interesting, fresh hook.



The truth is, most crimes are generated by some human failing – laziness, thriftiness, greed, dependency, inadequacy – resulting in a need to change your place in life by taking shortcuts you know are wrong, taking what you can't have, or empowering yourself by devaluing others.



But what if it wasn't this way? What if society could overcome this ingrained pettiness... at least most of the time? What if, The Purge Actually Happened?



The Purge – a totalitarian attempt to bring annual crime rates down to less than 1% – is effectively a 12-hour Black Friday of violence and mayhem. From 7PM to 7AM one night a year, police and EMT services are nowhere to be found, and restrictions on all crime – with the exception of killing rank 10 or higher government officials and using Class 4 weapons like nuclear bombs, dynamite, tanks, jets, flame throwers and rocket launchers – are lifted.



In 2016, the United States saw 5.3 murders per 100,000 people, along with 29.6 counts of rape, 102.8 counts of robbery, 468.9 burglaries, and 236.9 motor vehicle thefts for those same 100,000 people. In a city like Los Angeles those figures bump up significantly, to 7.3 murders per 100,000 people, 58.5 acts of rape, 196.5 robberies, 394.7 burglaries, and 463.9 motor vehicle thefts. That's a lot of crime to suddenly not happen, and it's a lot more to cram into a single night.



But then, could you cram it all into a single night? Murder, rape, and theft are already criminal offences subject to law, punishment and consequence – and yet, they still happen. Moreover, murder and various forms of sexual assault are often crimes of passion borne out of a moment of emotion and opportunity, and would most likely continue to occur outside of Purge hours.



With the stature regarding these crimes lifted, you'd now have regular background levels of murder and rape throughout the year, plus a Purge-day boost. With the worst offences already defeating the purpose of the Purge, how would the rest of the criminal theater play out?



Acts like domestic assault, child or elder abuse are unlikely to cease on account of the Purge, while drug crimes would witness a Purge-day curiosity boost.



Vehicle theft beyond joy riding and mindlessness would be pointless. You could spend the entire Purge stealing exotic cars and choice rides, but what do you do at 7:01AM when you have no bill of sale or proof of ownership for your unregistered, uninsured vehicle, and every drive you take is a low level criminal offence?



And what about white-collar crimes? How on Earth is anyone going to devise, implement, and profit from a Ponzi scheme in a 12 hour time-frame? Insider trading? Embezzlement? Imagine keeping your sticky fingers at bay all year, only to realize too late the Purge takes place outside of banking hours? Well, you'd just have to laugh!



What possible effect would this 12-hour state of lawlessness have on crimes like espionage and treason? If people were organized and fast moving enough could the United States be repatriated to Britain? Sold to Mexico? Annexed by Canada? Meanwhile, immigration would be a baffling quagmire. Outside of its borders, America's laws – or non-laws – wouldn't affect you, but by crossing onto American soil they would. With all law, and thus, unassumingly the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 lifted, the notion of citizenship would be absent, meaning if you did cross the border – itself a legal construct – there'd be no law to say you're not not a citizen... But what about the next day? Are you now just an undocumented American?



82% of federal prisons are state owned and operated through the Department of Justice and are overseen by the Federal Bureau of Prisons – which by stature is a federal law enforcement agency. So if cops have the night off, what about prison guards? Would we see mass jailbreaks across the country? Probably.



On the lighter side, dumb laws would also be lifted, which means that New Hampshirites would be free to harvest seaweed at night, Alabamans would be free to wrestle bears, hordes of Missourians could pretend to be blind, North Dakotans could finally box kangaroos, and the men and women of Broward County, Florida could finally sell hotdogs while wearing a g-string.



But outside of legalizing flesh for the most amoral of fantasy, what else would the Purge do? Well, it would certainly free things up for the casually criminal. For a brief window, these people would be free to pirate software, films, and TV shows en mass. You could park where you want, or drive as fast as you like and as drunkenly as you can manage, or get naked in the library. Meanwhile, the underage could indulge in a spot of brandy, cigars and gentlemen's special interest literature... or malt liquor, vaping, and dirty, dirty porno.



Murdering or attacking government officials may very well be off limits, but you could still use the Purge to bring about social change. After all, the rules don't say you can't offer a few bribes and line a couple pockets. But, outside of greasing a well-heeled wheel or two, things get a bit grim. With a bit of calculation, groups could launch attacks against particular races, demographics, or ideologies, destroy places of worship or education, or target the rich and influential in an effort to redistribute the wealth. However, with WMDs out of bounds and tight time-frames in place, the scope of terrorism would be limited.



For the would-be Purger, there would be so many options available it would be hard to know where to start. Smart thinking would suggest having a bit of a brainstorm and plan in advance. Really think about the type of crimes you'd want to commit, decide if you want to target anyone in particular. You don't want to waste the night looting vending machines and tipping cattle only to remember at 6:50 you wanted to kill a guy or steal a space shuttle.



Oddly, the Purge would actually make criminal conspiracy legal year round, as by definition it requires advance planning and discussion followed by an execution of a criminal act. Thus, if the actual act takes place during the Purge, it wasn't criminal, making actual conspiring non-conspiratorial and legal.



Amid all this blood lust, terror, and violence, the homeless would be easy and unfortunate victims. However, it's possible that some would use this state of lawlessness for good, and take it upon themselves to defend the less capable or the heavily targeted.



Of course, not everyone would actively take part, but turning off the front light wouldn't be much of a deterrent. Like it or not, there would be no real way to sit out of the Purge.



It's a certainty that some would spend the night vlogging their progress, and – sadly – they might just be on to something. Given that the usual law and penalties are back in place in the morning, you'd need to thoroughly document your night's adventures, lest you're later accused of committing your unspeakable deeds outside of Purge hours.



But while you'd be free to commit all the criminal activity you like, others are free to retaliate, and justice may be swift and brutal. And while legal ramifications are off the table, the actual consequences of your Purgely spree may be long coming. People who know or suspect that you committed an act against them during the Purge would be free to do what they can within the confines of the law to destroy you, your life, and your livelihood in the months that follow. Alternatively, they can always wait patiently for next year’s Purge.



We technically already have a legally sanctioned theater of horror and violence: war. And as we know, the terror and trauma experienced on the battlefield doesn't always end there. The Purge may end, but the effect on its victims may not. Even by committing sex crime so far down the list as voyeurism, victim and perpetrator alike now have to live with the knowledge that you're a total creep – regardless of any legal loopholes.



But... after all this, would the toted positives of the Purge ring true? No. Not likely. In the days leading up to the Purge, some activity may decline, but, as we've discussed, some crimes just won't wait. As for the economy, while it's possible government spending may change due to significant portions of societies lower ranks being wiped out, the idea that the stock market would thrive with sales of weapons and security systems is negated by the annual 12 hour consequence-free shoplifting of every conceivable product on the market.