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Mackenzie Graham

Dr. Andrew Lotz

PS1681: Pop Culture and Political Theory

25 April 2019

The Purge Movie Series: Depiction of Human Nature Under “Anarchy”

Dr. Updale: “I know what you’re doing. You’re sending soldiers into the island disguised as gangs, as citizens – hunting people down using the tracking implants. You’re making it look like people are participating because there wasn’t enough purging.” The First Purge

I. Introduction

The Purge movie series presents an interesting take on what a future would look like where a government allows people full freedom for one night a year to commit any crime they desire without consequences. Additionally, this series comments on what different groups of people would do, along with their motivations, under this lawlessness. The Purge series shows what actions people take on this night, deemed “Purge night”, which makes a larger claim about what human nature is like when there are no laws or consequences. Specifically, this series intentionally comments on and brings to light the fact that even though the government is not meant to interfere during Purge night (making this night seem like anarchism), the government is still heavily involved – such as through the prominent theme of the government being responsible for murders throughout the movies. The government sanctions this night of

“lawlessness” (in other words, a type of fake anarchy) in order to keep their power and control.

The Purge is a trick the government uses to maintain its rule.

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A. Thesis

The Purge series builds on some anarchists’ claims that human nature is influenced heavily by outside factors by showing that on Purge night (a night of lawlessness), there is still a large influence by the wealthy and powerful. This is proven through the series’ intentional presentation of the low-income population being targeted and killed by the government as well as the government encouraging purging through propaganda.

The Purge series shows that the majority of those who are killed in the annual Purge are those who are poor, whether this be done at the behest of the government or not. The poor are not able to defend themselves on Purge night, which highlights the class inequality seen in these movies. This inequality between the rich and poor creates a dynamic on Purge night where the wealthy are at a great advantage and are therefore able to keep their regime in power.

In order to back up my claim that the wealthy and powerful influence a night of “anarchy”, I will look at the main takeaways and messages in each movie in the series. In each movie, the main message drawn is that the wealthy and powerful have control over what occurs on Purge night. In all these films, there is a prominent theme of the low-income population being killed, more specifically, the low-income population being killed through government involvement.

Moreover, it is necessary to review the messages of government propaganda that are seen in the films. This is essential because the slogans and messages put out about the Purge are a factor that contributes to how the movies suggest public support of it and therefore allow the government to twist the results of the night in their favor and prop up the regime. Both the low-income population deaths and the propaganda is important to look at because it proves how there is interference on a night of “anarchy” by the rich and powerful (including the government). 3

It is important to investigate why The Purge series chooses to comment on anarchy and human nature, and more specifically, the influence of the government during this event. The

Purge series has a message that can be applied to the United States currently. The United States government does not adequately care for its low-income population and ignoring the problem by letting people suffer or die is not a moral solution. Why do we accept this? Furthermore, these movies highlight the important theme of propaganda keeping a regime in power; this translates to any country today that uses this to promote their current system. People who view these movies are more likely to be aware and accept that human nature is heavily influenced by external factors. Moreover, viewers will take away the messages that anarchism does not seem like a good idea and that the government does not care for and, in fact, negatively impacts its low- income population in order to maintain power and control.

II. Reach of The Purge Series

The Purge movies are widely consumed. The four movies in the series were released in the years 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2018, respectively (“‘The Purge’ Franchise”). I believe that most people, even if they have not seen the movies, know what the premise of them is – all crime is legal for 12 hours during Purge night once a year. I think the unique premise of these movies is what drew many people to theatres in the first place – people want to watch what others would do during a night like this. The Purge movie series has grossed a total of about $456.8 million, with each movie in the series grossing more than the last (“‘The Purge’ Franchise”). These movies were a huge box office success especially considering the low-budgets for each movie which ranged from $3-13 million (“‘The Purge’ Franchise”). Another interesting facet of these movies is that they are not only widely consumed in the United States, but also worldwide, where the gross amount made outside the United States can account for 28-49% depending on 4 the movie (“‘The Purge’ Franchise”). This means that not only are those in America are interested in this premise, but it seems that many people worldwide are too. Therefore, this is a message about human nature that everyone is interested in learning about. Moreover, as with any movie series, viewers of one movie can be drawn into the films and watch the entire series.

Overall, this means that people who view one or all movies in The Purge series are likely to see the prominent political themes of anarchy and human nature.

This is not the first time a piece of media about anarchy and human nature has been released. First, in 1967, the Star Trek episode “The Return of the Archons” touches on similar themes. In this episode, the characters land in a town that has a “Festival” where people are allowed to do anything they desire without being under control of their computer-leader, Landru; after this period of time ends, the townspeople are back under the mind control of Landru (“The

Return of the Archons”). Additionally, there is a statement from Landru about how the Festival creates “a world without hate, without fear, without conflict, no war, no disease, no crime” (“The

Return of the Archons”). This propaganda enables the Festival to continue. The episode resolves by the characters working with an anti-Landru resistance group to ultimately take down Landru and the Festival (“The Return of the Archons”).

Next, the Rick and Morty episode “Look Who’s Purging Now” is a parody episode about the Purge that was released in 2015. This episode details Rick and Morty landing on a planet where there is a “Festival” that allows crime for a night. There is the mention that the Festival creates a society “free of crime and war, living in perfect peace” and even mentions that this is the premise of The Purge movie explicitly (“Look Who's Purging Now.”). This episode ends with a character, Arthrisha, wanting to end the Festival: “I am trying to end the Festival … I was going to use your ship to destroy the rich [people] that run our society and save my people from 5 the horrors of this yearly Festival” (“Look Who's Purging Now.”). This parody episode made sure to match the message of The Purge series and show that the rich control Purge night. In order to stop the Festival, Rick, Morty, and Arthrisha go to the house where the rich people who run the Festival are; there is a toast said by the rich: “To another successful year of the Festival, pitting poor people against each other for thousands of years” (“Look Who's Purging Now.”).

This line picks up on The Purge series’ message that the low-income population is the majority of those killed on Purge night. Rick, Morty, and Arthrisha kill the rich and therefore end the

Festival.

Both of these episodes are relevant to my thesis. “The Return of the Archons” details how government propaganda is able to sway a population into committing crime, much like what happens in The Purge series. Also, “Look Who’s Purging Now” picked up on The Purge series’ message that the rich control the night and have more safety than the poor. This makes The

Purge series have an explicit message; the writers and directors of The Purge series chose to make the theme of inequality at the behest of the government prominent throughout all the movies.

III. Theory Literature Review: Mapping Ideas on Anarchism and Human Nature

The best way to explore the concept of human nature is by looking at what various anarchists’ views are on the subject, especially because The Purge movies are meant to portray a night of anarchy where there is not meant to be government control or interference. Looking at human nature through an anarchists’ lens reveals information about what happens and why in

The Purge series. The diagram below provides a summary followed by an in-depth review of each theorist researched.

A. Diagram 6

Anarchists view human nature in a few different ways: as something that is influenced mainly by external factors, such as the idea that being under control of an authority heavily impacts human nature, or as something that is more innate, such as the idea that human nature is having a desire to help others, or as something that cannot be discussed without the prerequisite of full freedom under anarchy. Additionally, Hobbes is relevant to this discussion; despite

Hobbes not being an anarchist, it is necessary to discuss his claims about the state of nature where there would be no laws, much like Purge night. These categories are distinct and can segue into what the movies’ central message is. The Purge series shows what happens on a night of lawlessness and how the reach of the rich and powerful (which is an external factor, not something that is innate) impacts human nature on Purge night.

To begin, in Emma Goldman’s work, Anarchism: What It Really Stands For, she discusses the freedom available to humans under anarchism: “With human nature caged in a narrow space, whipped daily into submission, how can we speak of its potentialities? Freedom, 7 expansion, opportunity, and, above all, peace and repose, alone can teach us the real dominant factors of human nature and all its wonderful possibilities” (Goldman). She believes that restrictions and laws need to be eliminated in order for humans to have full freedom.

Furthermore, she creates a link between anarchism and human nature by stating that we cannot know what human nature is like until anarchism occurs (Goldman). This is interesting because

The Purge series aims to show what anarchy would look like – providing insight into Goldman’s conundrum. However, would Goldman think that 12 hours of lawlessness a year is true anarchy

(especially because of the influence of the government on Purge night)? I will further explore this question in my analysis.

Following this, it is important to look at what Hobbes’ beliefs are about the state of nature where humans are not under a government or laws, much like anarchy and what is meant to happen on Purge night. In Leviathan, Hobbes claims that in the state of nature “men [are] so equal in the faculties of body and mind as that, though there be found one man sometimes manifestly stronger in body or of quicker mind than another, yet when all is reckoned together the difference between man and man is not so considerable as that one man can thereupon claim to himself any benefit to which another may not pretend as well as he” (Hobbes 76). This is important because The Purge series goes against this claim by showing that there is not an equal starting point for people on Purge night. This is seen through the low-income population not being able to afford adequate security like the wealthy and also through the government being responsible for murders of the low-income population. This showcases how the state of nature claim that Hobbes makes cannot be proven in this series. Since The Purge series represents a type of fake anarchy (because the government still has influence over what happens on Purge night), there is a non-equal state of nature shown in The Purge series. Additionally, Hobbes 8 claims that “Hereby it is manifest that during the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that condition which is called war; and such a war as is of every man against every man” (Hobbes 77). Hobbes claims that humans require authority or else they will fall into war against each other, meaning that humans are inherently violent. Hobbes takes the claim that human nature is innate a step further by stating that human nature is inherently equal but also war-like and therefore violent.

Next, I will discuss the two theorists that closely line up with what happens in The Purge series. First, John Zerzan has an interesting take on anarchism in his book Running on Emptiness.

He believes that the hunter-gatherer culture was not characteristically violent, so the rise of agriculture and other external factors is what has caused people to behave differently, and more violently, than before: “We may as well then accept the repression and subjugation that define our way of living as necessary antidotes to ‘evil human nature.’ After all, according to this line of thought, our pre-civilized existence of deprivation, brutality, and ignorance made authority a benevolent gift that rescued us from savagery” (Zerzan 69-70). He believes it is not necessary to have authority because human nature is not inherently bad or violent. Zerzan’s idea is that authority and external conditions have caused humans to change because we were never violent before, but we were told this myth (that we are violent beings) in order to accept authority. This claim goes along with the success of government propaganda to control a regime; myths need to be told about what human nature is like in order for the current system to stay in power. This goes against Hobbes’ claim that we need an authority to govern people’s natural tendencies.

Furthermore, in the collection of Mikhail Bakunin’s writings, Bakunin on Anarchy, he comments on human nature: “Human nature is so constituted that the propensity for evil is always intensified by external circumstances, and the morality of the individual depends much 9 more on the conditions of his existence and the environment in which he lives than on his own will. … there can be no other moralizer for society or the individual than freedom in absolute equality” (Bakunin). By this, he means that human nature is influenced to be evil by external factors. He states that there must be equality in order for humans to be free from this external influence that changes human nature. Humans are not equal if they are under an authority that controls what happens to them (which is what is seen in The Purge movies).

Next, there are two theorists that state the opposite of what Zerzan and Bakunin argue: that human nature is more innate, and more specifically, that human nature includes helping each other. First, Pyotr Kropotkin’s Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution provides insight into the link between human nature and mutual aid: “Sociability and need of mutual aid and support are such inherent parts of human nature that at no time of history can we discover men living in small isolated families, fighting each other for the means of subsistence” (Kropotkin 149). Kropotkin expands on the idea that human nature is innate by stating it is essential for mutual aid. To further his point, he shares, “the pessimist philosopher triumphantly concludes that warfare and oppression are the very essence of human nature; that the warlike and predatory instincts of man can only be restrained within certain limits by a strong authority which enforces peace…”

(Kropotkin 117). This means that those who view human nature as inherently bad and needing to be controlled by an authority, are not properly looking at what has happened in human history.

Kropotkin believes that even without authority, humans will not naturally fight with each other.

Rather, our innate human nature is to help each other.

Noam Chomsky adds to this debate during a magazine interview about human nature:

“One strong bit of evidence for this is that everyone … creates stories of themselves where they interpret their actions as working for the benefit of human beings. … It is very rare for people to 10 justify their actions by saying ‘I’m doing this to maximise my own benefit and I don’t care what happens to anybody else’. That would be pathological.” (Chomsky and Soper). This makes

Chomsky aligned with Kropotkin since he states that humans (even with irrational justifications) will not hurt each other on purpose because human nature is innate and comes with a desire to help others. Now, it is necessary to prove how The Purge series goes against this claim that human nature is having the innate desire to help each other.

IV. Portrayal: How The Purge Series Depicts Anarchism and Human Nature

In order to express how The Purge series portrays a night of anarchy, it is important to look at not only who is being killed and by whom, but also the propaganda that the government sends out before and during the Purge. This is important because propaganda can sway a population, which is related to political theorists’ ideas on external factors impacting human nature.

Additionally, for reference, the government in power during these movies is called the New

Founding Fathers of America (NFFA). Through looking at what messages the movies make clear, it will become evident that the directors chose to focus on these messages intentionally to project the idea that the rich and powerful have influence and control on a night of “anarchy” and that the government does not care for its low-income population.

In The Purge, the main plot point is that a child lets a stranger into a house on Purge night. It is, of course, important to note that this is a wealthy family’s house who has stated multiple times they have nothing to worry about on Purge night because of their ability to afford an expensive security system (The Purge). This is turned on its head when the family is faced with a group requesting for the stranger to be released from their house, even going as far to explicitly say, “the pig doesn’t know his place and now he needs to be taught a lesson” (The Purge). The 11 group of rich people see it as their right to purge someone who has less than them in society.

This showcases the class inequality surrounding what human nature is like in these films.

Moreover, as this is the first film in the series, near the beginning of the movie, the audience hears phrases over the television such as “history has proven this over and over again, we are inherently a violent species” and “the undeniable fact is, [the Purge] is working” (The Purge).

This puts the initial thought in the audience’s minds that there is popular support for this event.

However, the movie also makes sure to include the messages that the government sends out such as “Your New Founding Fathers encourage your participation” and “Display flowers to show support for this important evening” (The Purge). The movie made sure that audiences heard these messages in order to demonstrate how something is not quite right – if the majority of the population actually supports the Purge, would these messages and displays of support (the propaganda) be necessary? Why are people encouraged by the government to participate, purge, and show their support?

Next, The Purge: Anarchy shows what occurs on Purge night for a group of people stuck outside in a city. This movie provides the first hard evidence that there is a direct connection between the government and those who are targeted and killed on Purge night. For example, someone who is seen killing many people in the movie states, “Unfortunately, the citizens aren't killing enough. So, we supplement it all to keep things balanced. It’s important work the NFFA does, and we can’t have any interference” (The Purge: Anarchy). By stating that the NFFA is behind controlling the night, this proves that there is not actually lawlessness and that the Purge is influenced by external factors (the rich and powerful). Additionally, in The Purge: Anarchy, this is the first time the audience is introduced to the anti-Purge resistance group. This group spreads the message that the reason the Purge must be stopped is because of who is 12 disproportionately targeted and the reason why. For instance, the leader of the group states, “It's about one thing. Money. Who dies tonight? The poor. We can't afford to protect ourselves.” (The

Purge: Anarchy). This message spread by the anti-Purge groups reaches out to the population in the movie (as well as the audience) to send the message that there is a strong incentive for the government to secretly be involved on Purge night – the government will be able to report an economic benefit from the Purge because it eliminates the low-income population that they do not want to care for.

Following this, in The Purge: Election Year, a senator is running for president based on the campaign idea of eliminating the Purge. For example, in one of her speeches, she stated, “more low-income people are killed during the Purge than anyone else” (The Purge: Election Year).

Her message echoes what was illustrated in the previous movie by the anti-Purge group – that the

Purge benefits the agenda of the rich and powerful. This movie also features this anti-Purge group throughout, even beginning the film with a leader of the group on TV stating, “For the past

20 years, the NFFA has taken to legalized murder to decrease the poor population, which in turn keeps the government's spending down. Less welfare, less healthcare, less housing” (The Purge:

Election Year). The rich and powerful benefit by continuing class inequality and murdering the low-income population on Purge night. For instance, in this movie, the government attempts to stop the anti-Purge resistance group by capturing and attempting to kill them in an effort to crush any revolutionary potential and stay in power.

The last film in the series, The First Purge, which shows the first purge to happen in the

United States, showcases the most prominent example of government interference. The first purge began as a social experiment on Staten Island only. There was an incentive offered of 13

$5000 to stay on the island for Purge night and further money awarded for “participating”, which is obviously a motivating factor to participate for anyone who needs money (in other words, the low-income population). Since this was the first Purge night conducted, there were surprising results revealed – originally, most people chose to party, loot, or vandalize. So, this means that the government was able to effectively target and kill the low-income population that remained on the island when the Purge was not delivering the results they desired. In the movie, there was a sudden increase in violence, especially murder, because the government did not see as much violence as they expected; subsequently, they sent in mercenaries to kill people. For instance, a low-income housing apartment building was targeted by a government-controlled mercenary group because of the large number of poor people staying there.

In all of The Purge movies, it is easy to see that the government has a vested interest in making Purge night a success; it benefits them to murder the low-income population in order to keep spending down (and consequently help the economy), and therefore be able to state the message that this night works and be able to keep their rule. The most explicit example of this occurred in the fourth movie, which demonstrated that the government originally hijacked the social experiment because they were not seeing the results they desired. This is important because this shows that even on this night of lawlessness, the government (and the wealthy and powerful) are still extremely involved because they can use their power and wealth to influence the night.

V. Analysis: How The Purge Series Widens the Discussion About Human Nature

So how does what happen in these movies agree with what political theorists say about human nature? Looking at Goldman’s and Hobbes’ arguments, a few ideas can be discussed related to the portrayal of the Purge in the series. For Goldman, who claims that we cannot know 14 what human nature is like because we have not had full freedom, The Purge series seemingly aims to show was anarchy would look like. However, Purge night is actually a type of fake anarchy because there is the prominent theme of the government still having control over many events of the night. Furthermore, The Purge series provides an interesting insight into Hobbes’ claim. It seems that there is some truth to Hobbes’ argument that the state of nature is a state of war. As seen in the movies, there is the theme of the rich and powerful population being in direct war with the low-income population. However, since The Purge series shows that the government and the wealthy have an inherent advantage on Purge night, this goes against

Hobbes’ claim that humans are equal in the state of nature and require an authority to control them. The movies choose not to show full human freedom and anarchy in order to promote and tell viewers a different story – that there is always going to be influence and power by those at the top, even on a night of “anarchy”.

Overall, the anarchists who say that human nature is influenced heavily by external factors

(such as authority), see this idea furthered in The Purge series which shows that even on nights of lawlessness, the influence of external factors (the government) can be seen through the who is killed and the propaganda.

By The Purge series deliberately showing instances of the government being responsible for killing low-income people, and the creation of messages and ideas around the Purge, this movie series goes along with some political theorists’ claims (Zerzan and Bakunin) about human nature. Anarchists such as Zerzan and Bakunin stress the importance of external factors in influencing human nature. This is clearly seen in The Purge movies as the government is still influencing the population before (through radio, TV, reported statistics, etc.) and during Purge night (sending in mercenaries to make it look like more participation is happening than actually 15 is). This means that even when there is meant to be full freedom for a population to do whatever they want, there is still going to be a group (in the movies’ case, the government and those who are wealthy) who maintain influence over the night.

Some anarchists state that authority has been put in place in order to promote the myth that it keeps the population safe; however, in this series, the government is actually the one who is promoting and escalating this night. Whether it be because the movies show the rich being able to afford adequate security for Purge night in The Purge, or showing the poor sell themselves to the rich on Purge night in The Purge: Anarchy, there is a message being sent that there is a definitive gap in who is going to survive the Purge.

More specifically, Zerzan claimed that authority and external conditions have caused humans to change and be more violent. The Purge series takes this further by pushing that not only has authority caused a change in human nature, but authority in the movies (the government) is still directly impacting what is meant to serve as a night to show what human nature is. Additionally, Bakunin’s claim that human nature is also heavily influenced to be worse because of external factors, sees its truth in The Purge series. The government in the movies is explicitly telling the population to participate, to show support, and in the fourth film, provide a monetary incentive to participate. This means that the external factor influencing the population on Purge night is the government.

Moreover, The Purge series goes against the claims of Kropotkin and Chomsky.

Kropotkin’s main idea is that humans have and always will provide mutual aid to each other since this is what he believes to be innate human nature. Although the series does touch on moments where humans help each other, the more prominent idea portrayed is that there is a power controlling this night where some groups have more influence over what happens than 16 others, namely the wealthy and the powerful (the government). This is fake anarchy, where the

NFFA has some control over what occurs and to whom on Purge night. Also, Kropotkin believes that authority is not required for humans not to fight with each other. This is explored in The

Purge series because even on Purge night (a night of “anarchy”), people are still under the authority of what the NFFA desires. The state is always present in The Purge series, which makes this part of Kropotkin’s claim unable to be explored further.

Also, Chomsky claims that human nature is not people purposely trying to increase their benefit and hurt others; however, The Purge series shows exactly that. The government interferes on Purge night and encourages participation in order to benefit solely themselves (and their current regime). By doing this, the government can call this night a success and state that the economy benefits (because they no longer have to pay to support the low-income population) and that crime is low (since they are committing murders on Purge night, of course crime is lower when this is illegal).

Overall, it is necessary to apply the message in The Purge series to the present-day United

States. This series highlights how the government does not care for low-income population whether it be through where the budget is spent, or who is most often killed during Purge night.

In the United States today, it is clear that there are instances of the government cutting down the budget for policies that help low-income people. As this is true, the rich and powerful benefit from keeping the current system in place. The current ruling system where the wealthy are able to have influence and power over the poor allows them to continue their regime and remain on top.

VI. Conclusion: What Was Drawn from this Analysis 17

I think most people originally viewed The Purge movie series with the intention of discovering what people would do during a night of anarchy. The series allowed different stories to be told, all while keeping the theme of government-led secret killings prominent throughout all films. By the deliberate inclusion of this main theme throughout the series, the directors and writers of this series were effectively able to showcase to viewers the main message that anarchism would not be a good idea because it seems that there will still be a gap in who has power and control. This makes viewers think about how their current government is treating low- income people, and more generally, how much of a reach the government has. The Purge series shows audiences that the government can exploit a night that is meant to not have rules; this proves that there is this overreach of authority by the government in order to continue their regime. The movies revolve on the premise that humans will want to be violent and commit crime on Purge night; however, by the movies showing that the government is responsible for many murders, this proves that the claim about there being a violent, innate human nature is not true.

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Works Cited

Bakunin, Mikhail. Revolutionary Catechism. 1866. www.marxists.org/reference/archive/bakunin/works/1866/catechism.htm. Chomsky, Noam, and Kate Soper. “On Human Nature.” Red Pepper, Aug. 1998. chomsky.info/199808__-2/. The First Purge [Motion picture]. McMurray, Gerard. (Director). (2018). USA. Goldman, Emma. Anarchism and Other Essays. 1910. theanarchistlibrary.org/library/emma-goldman-anarchism-and-other-essays#toc3. Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan. 1651. https://socialsciences.mcmaster.ca/econ/ugcm/3ll3/hobbes/Leviathan.pdf. Kropotkin, Pyotr. Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution. 1902. theanarchistlibrary.org/library/petr-kropotkin-mutual-aid-a-factor-of-evolution.lt.pdf. “Look Who's Purging Now.” Polcino, Dominic, director. Rick and Morty, season 2, episode 9, 27 Sept. 2015. The Purge [Motion picture]. DeMonaco, James. (Director). (2013). USA. The Purge: Anarchy [Motion picture]. DeMonaco, James. (Director). (2014). USA. The Purge: Election Year [Motion picture]. DeMonaco, James. (Director). (2016). USA. “‘The Purge’ Franchise.” Box Office Mojo, IMDb, www.boxofficemojo.com/showdowns/chart/?id=purgefranchise.htm. “The Return of the Archons.” Pevney, Joseph, director. Star Trek, season 1, episode 21, 9 Feb. 1967. Zerzan, John. Running on Emptiness: The Pathology of Civilization. Feral House, 2002. www.fraw.org.uk/library/neoluddism/zerzan_2002.pdf.