Are we "Purge" enabled?

When you look at over the course of human history, you will find that we have also done a lot of horrendous things to one another. That is not to say we have done no good, but we are not blameless on anything we do, no matter how small or large the consequence of our actions. A couple of extreme examples need not any proper introduction, just a few key words (Rwanda, Crusades, Nanjing, Pol Pot, etc). Perhaps the most famous one is to think about is the holocaust, where approximately 17 million people were killed. No one who hasn't been under those conditions (or in any of the other events) can truly imagine the what it is like to live in those situations. Furthermore, most of us can't fathom how people can do these things.

A man once said that we as humans are actually "Auschwitz enabled". Let that settle for a minute. Auschwitz enabled. He understood that Auschwitz does something for us in that it shows us just how sinful/evil humans can be.

Some people may disagree with his statement, but I think he is on to something. This is the state of humanity (not all of it, but a huge part of it), and for all we know this is not the worse we can do. We can make an uproar on how people can be so cruel, but it does not take away the fact that people can do this because people have done it. You, me, him, her, them, us, we all have the capability to carry out these actions, and all it takes is a reason. Crazy isn't it?

After watching The Purge, the thought isn't very crazy at all.



In fact, its a little more clear.

I find the purge fascinating because it is just like an behavioral experiment. Take away the the restrictions and legal consequences, and think of what would people do given particular situations? In a reality where on one day for 12 hours, everything is legal, the we saw the motives of the heart more clearly. On one end, despite the ability to do so, some people decide not to take part in these twisted festivities, whereas on the other end, you have people who do. Its a scary thought, but also a revealing one.

As entertaining as the purge might be, it shows us something about people that is hard to face. Similar to the Auschwitz explanation, the Purge just shows us how evil we can be if we were allowed.

With that being said, I think that The Purge is arguably one of the scariest movies ever made, primarily because it shows us something that can actually happen, if given the chance.

Not to be a pessimist, though.