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The Purge
‘When I was eight and my parents were twenty-eight, they had had enough of being parents.’
There’s an episode in Rick and Morty about a planet on which everything was, in a word, perfect. There was no crime, no saluting Elon Musk, no dictators invading other countries, no child molesters, and everyone walked around with a blissfully happy smile on their lips, as if on an endless Xanax supply. Neither Rick nor Morty could understand how this could be possible — what’s the secret sauce, so to speak — until one day, everything became clear as day.
Turns out, the society on this planet maintained its peace by having a designated Purge Day, during which all laws are suspended, and people are allowed to commit any crimes — including murder — without consequences. Yesterday’s home cats turned into serial killers, and an elderly lady who gave you chocolate chip cookies for a hug is now running at you with a machete. Those who have watched The Purge movies (I didn’t) know the concept.
It’s a horrifying and at once strangely appealing idea that underneath all the facade of civilization and political correctness, we’re all beasts inside.
And that, given the chance, we’d do abhorrent things we think we’re incapable of.
