The Surprisingly Radical Politics of The Purge

[@Radhaun]

I rather like all the reactions to the Purge like "Yeah, normal people would probably do stuff like build a deck without a permit, fix stairs and potholes that the city just ignores, openly start gardens or plant trees in public spaces". Very much speaks to "rich people would kill, normal people would just ignore the systems that annoy and restrict them"

[@chelsgo8675]

I actually feel like the rich would just use the time to finagle their way around corporate restrictions. It's the upper-middle class suburbans who would kill.

[@lucyandecember2843]

or, in general, most people from whatever class would prolly not be intrested in killing apart from a minority in whatever group, from all groups.

[@neuralmute]

I think the worst thing I would do is ransack an overpriced chain store for ALL the crafting supplies I've ever wanted, because I'm very poor, but I love to make things. If I had a car, I might rip off an overpriced chain fabric shop, too... All that cloth is too bulky to fit in even the *best* backpack! But I'd only hit the corporate chain stores - no locally owned businesses, even if their stock IS better! The chain stores can afford to absorb the costs of one night of poor crafters actually being able to afford the stuff we usually only dream of! Oh, stocking up on free groceries would be a good idea, too!

[@beelzemobabbity]

Honestly the most I think normal people would do is stealing from stores.. just cuz people do that anyways lol

[@fangirl7914]

@@lucyandecember2843 Exactly. The idea that some huge portion of any class/population is just itching to go on a killing spree is silly. Surpirse surprise, but "rich people" don't actually sit around hating the poor and planning their demise as much as the media would like us to think. They just want to go about their lives buying stuff like everyone else. I think there would be a lot more sex crimes than killing.

[@YouTuberOnlineNow]

Dante deserves so much credit. From no name “stranger” to legitimate lead character with a name.

[@HeyRowanEllis]

i REALLY want a movie about him specifically (maybe a Leo/Dante/Nya team up)

[@samd8872]

Is his name a reference to the divine comedy?

[@CaraRowen]

@@samd8872 yes.

[@CaraRowen]

@@HeyRowanEllis the way I want this makes me wanna cry.

[@BattyButtercup]

he deserves an "epilogue" film where... there is no violence whatsoever, just he and past purge survivors getting together again to mourn those they've lost and relearn these people he's experienced so much with outside of the traumas that lead them to each other. maybe he helps reunite a good doggo with its family, collecting stray relatives who've been displaced by purges along the way until a whole found family reunion sends the film's credits rolling... let dante be safe & happy (; _ ;)

[@nyankati2178]

I'm a little late but I wanted to add something, in Brazil there is a company going under trial now that is called "Prevent Senior". During the Covid outbreak was revealed that they were killing patients (mostly elderly people) on purpose since death is another way of having more beds available. The Purge reminded me of this in such a realistic way, if you want a problem gone for good you can work on it with a community (or kill the problem).

[@HipHopShowRoom]

Whoa wtf. That's wild. I might cover this on my true crime channel. Any chance you have any interesting links?

[@SoulDevoured]

We do something similarhere in the US though we don't talk about it. It was a blip on the media radar last year but we got over it pretty quick. We don't kill the poor and elderly but we do just let them die when they don't have to or leave them in poor conditions that cause them to die faster. And accidentally over medicate them.

[@roza2633]

that's so horrible... reminds me of a case from poland from like two decades ago, i think the people were called skin hunters and basically they would kill people in ambulances because they had deals with funeral homes

[@user-rz5ew2ft8h]

This is absolutely insane. Can anyone provide me with any links? To both the brazilian and polish cases

[@onemillionpercent]

whoa omfg?!

[@mintjaan]

When characters don't come back for the next seasons of Disney channel sitcoms, it is to be assumed that they died in the purge.

[@Tha-mountain]

I like this

[@roshnipatel2000]

When Miley Cyrus said, “Hannah Montana” is dead, she was talking about the purge

[@DanialTarki]

Sure, why not?

[@Scootfairy]

The first movie also contrasts the bloody stranger who is helpful (despite every effort of the neighbour hood to segregate visible minorities out) and the neighbours, who are members of the community who are actually the families threat. Prejudice blinds people from who they’re actual threats are.

[@SirThinks2Much]

The dog tags he wears indicates he is a US veteran as well, a group Americans like to talk up as in “Support our troops!” and “Thank you for serving our country!” But in reality veterans have very little in terms of support. In the purgers’ logic he is more honorably American than any of the wealthy white villains but because he is homeless and black he doesn’t count.

[@eckoschreiber]

Reminded me of that classic Night of the living dead with the family, mistrusting the black "stranger", barricading themselves in the cellar, to be killed by the daughter they tried to protect while ignoring her symptoms. And him helping them, surviving their betrayal and the zombie onslaught to then being shot by police for... still moving^^ Also really enjoyed the more recent "American Carnage", goofier but soo fab;o)

[@J-manli]

@@eckoschreiber Lovecraft Country has a similar scene where the protagonists (A trio of Black people) and a group of racists white cops are running from some monsters. The sheriff got bit by one and was slowly turning into one of said monsters. But his armed lieutenant would rather point the gun at the unarmed Black trio when the they were trying to point out the transformation.

[@eckoschreiber]

​@@J-manli Good point, liked the show! But as American Gods it meandered off at some point?! And just painting individuals as racists without pointing out systemic issues feels a bit shallow or even misleading? Got into the old ones with Hohlbein's Hexer of Salem book cyclus. And though looking back Lovecraft's view was problematic regarding racism, stories like Shadows over Innsmouth seem to address othering... And not to compare trauma but coming out sometime last century, hardly saw any rep, lotta shipping and now that TV becomes a wee bit more "colourful" snowflakes complain about no longer being able to identify with everyone they watch?^^ Queer for Fear, When we rise, Book of Queer, Pride, Equal... Entertaining, informative, important, yet most neg. reviewers "felt" they were too black-centric? As if minority struggles, movements and empowerment were never not intertwined! Cheers;o)

[@joelletatter4063]

I had to pause the video because it reminded me of a story my dad often told us growing up When my aunt (his older sister) was getting married her in-laws were in the process of selling their house. This was early/mid 70s in the Chicago suburbs. During her wedding reception, a family friend ran in screaming that her in-laws house was on fire. She, her new husband, and her in-laws had to leave the wedding and rush back home to check on the house, which by that time was pretty badly damaged. They later found out this was not a coincidence. Some neighbors had deliberately set her in-laws house on fire because they were mad they'd sold it to a black family and knew nobody would be home that day because of the wedding

[@andredunbar3773]

What shitty people those neighbors were

[@candypeeps909]

I’ve heard similar stories as well here in Oklahoma.

[@ravensworkshop8106]

@Alias Fakename That situation is absolutely worse however I don’t think you should say the situation they went through is nothing because it’s still awful

[@coldfrost3]

@Alias Fakename it's really weird to dismiss the tragedy that happened because of racism because a bigger version that tragedy existing.

[@sirherothebrave]

I lost faith in humanity a while ago. Doesn't surprise me but it still makes me ill.

[@everforward5561]

The Purge always confuses me because of the lack of self-preservation. If you're going out to kill, you're also running the risk of BEING killed. Anyone next to you at any time could just decide to turn around and wreck your shit. None of the bad guys seem to be aware of this.

[@RvEijndhoven]

That just showcases their privilege even more. They can't even conceive of anything bad happening to them.

[@robertgu8551]

Not if you go out in a squad. In the purge movies, the army was out on purge night and gangs of KKK members. Pretty sure no one wanys to fuck with that.

[@SnakeTheHat]

@@RvEijndhoven Exactly, I imagine they feel the same way big game hunters feel. They couldn't imagine lowly minorities and poor could outsmart them.

[@inkanddreams4677]

Most of the people purging have targets in mind, either specific people or specific groups of people. If you don’t fall into the targeted groups and you haven’t made another purger mad then you’re fine. It’s almost a group think thing and they trust their in group enough to feel safe. So, as others have said, it’s a sign of privilege

[@davidjones272]

There are different groups who choose to purge. The most deadly, and the best armed (and therefore best protected) ones are directly funded by the government to target the poor. The super rich use their money to insulate themselves from it, literally paying people to kidnap the vulnerable, or paying the old and poor to let them kill them. The poorer people who participate are the angry, the marginalised and the desperate. They are generally people who don't think about the consequences or the risks, they either have nothing to lose or are so enraged they aren't acting rationally.

[@truthup]

I'm a homeless person. The way I view the first Purge movie (only one I had chance to see) is as an extension to it's logical conclusion, the division between financial classes. Homeless people are seen as mentally ill and useless to society. If you had the opportunity to kill them, guilt free -- how many in our current society would NOT be so enticed??

[@ayde92829]

Yeah, I lived as a homeless person. The worst part about it is how people treat you. The outward projection of inescapable poverty to the point in which the majority of your day is spent trying to fu-fill basic human needs (shower, eating, finding basic necessities like socks) made me look outwardly unkempt. Being unable to clean yourself, or eat properly, or find a clean place to sleep (or any), or change your clothing: all things which the majority of the population can achieve in the own homes: meant that I looked different. Because the majority of the population couldn't understand this struggle: they make assumptions about why I 'didn't take care of myself'. things that would take them 1 hour took me 14 hours. This contrast in perspective makes people treat you like you don't try, like you must have some kind of addiction, or that YOU did this to yourself. Some people will attempt to help, in the form of half hearted kindness. However, the proliferation of pity is overwhelming in these interactions. In the end, people who treat you with pity, and those who actively treat you with disdain (often confronting you do the same thing): they both rob you of your humanity, treating you as subhuman for circumstances out of your control. Those who have never been homeless misunderstand the meaning and importance of the systems and structures that all our ancestors built on the back of the average person's labor. They also don't understand the importance of equal access and equality. Because in many places, it is very easy to fall out of society: but it is very very difficult to find a way back in. I even worked a full time job for a year before I could afford a place, and even then, it's hard to find an apartment without immediate history! Courage, brother, Your perspective and experience is so important. The perspectives and experiences you've lived give you a rare perspective of society from the outside. Never be ashamed of the random life events which lead you to homelessness, or your experience. Know your worth. Also, get a planet fitness membership: better if it's with a friend so you can go in together for the same price (5 a piece per month). Beats the hell out of waiting in a 2 hour line at a center.

[@justintime6998]

@@ayde92829 Why did you become homeless? Was it a medical issue?

[@riversrhodell2359]

@@justintime6998 There's a lot of reasons that people become homeless, it's pretty presumptuous to assume why they might based on what you judge their personal merits to be. It can also be a loaded question to ask as it can carry a lot of emotional weight.

[@wmdkitty]

Privileged people just suck. Crossover with the homeless question, I wonder how many would turn on the disabled and just... decide to kill us. A lot of homeless have some kind of disability, and most of us with homes are barely making ends meet on crappy benefits that barely cover necessities.

[@tieflingcorpse9817]

i think most people wouldnt be enticed to kill a homeless person, even if they do see them as mentally ill. i mean most people dont wanna kill mentally ill people either, theyd ratther treat them with great disrespect and as not human. and anyone who would want to kill either of those groups wouldnt need the purge to do it

[@oddballlucy]

The concept of murder tourists for some reason really got to me. That would absolutely happen. Jfc. Dante for President!

[@Lucy666Fernandez]

The USA would absolutely become flooded with serial killers who just live there to murder people once a year.

[@khaxjc1]

Disturbingly "Murder Tourism" is apparently a very real thing with people going to certain places where they can pay to kill someone. And Im sure any serial killers with the money and inclination can and do travel to other countries to kill then run in the same way they utilize the highway system to put distance between themselves and the investigations into their crimes.

[@Lucy666Fernandez]

@@khaxjc1 Now imagine how much more that would be if you were guaranteed to get away with the murder even if you get caught

[@TransMatt]

I'd go on holiday to Mexico so I'm surprised they didn't mention American who went on holiday to Mexico before the purge and just stayed there when they got the news the purge didn't stop

[@ezo361]

Theres a brazillian movie that is kinda about that lol, but the tourist are the americans (obviously)

[@simonmacomber7466]

I love your understanding of the Purge films, and I really love that you included quotes from the creators showing what their intent was. I wish that you had included some of the audience response, though. There were far too many Americans that went to see the Purge films and came away with the idea that the films were sending the message: "This is what we _need_ to do!"

[@khaxjc1]

I had no interest in watching them cause enough reviews had led me to believe that was the intention.

[@4learning656]

I swear I've seen that face in a dream before

[@TheLastSane1]

I mean we do, I need one night a year I can file my taxes without any of the laws being in place to stop me.

[@drawingsticks5333]

@Nina Hey the same people did not understand Squid Game which is subtle as brick in an eye

[@qwellen7521]

Poe’s law in action.

[@aquadraco20]

Me, an American who's never seen a purge movie, being reminded how f*cked up our country is: 👀

[@Charbified]

@@teddiemack8071 Sounds very much like the perspective of someone who has a comfortable amount of money to support themselves... and a lot of privilege. Not saying you definitely do, but you are talking about a country where the police can without consequence murder you in the street for being a different race... or you can die from an easily fixable medical issue because you don't have the money. Of course nowhere is perfect, but as far as places go... the USA is not better than 90% of other places...

[@mmmmmmmmw985]

@@teddiemack8071 It’s annoying how people like you try to use people having to immigrate to this country as just another argument. Yes, the reason why people immigrate to the US is because it will help them have a better life, but that doesn’t justify the shit going on in the US? Yeah, the US might be a better country than ones people immigrate from, but that shouldn’t stop people from criticizing the country. It’s just a stupid argument, the US isn’t barred from criticism simply because it’s better than other places. People like you who use that excuse just end up limiting how the US can change for the better. You try to argue against any criticism, even if the addressing of the issue brought up can incite good change for the country.

[@phangkuanhoong7967]

@@teddiemack8071 wow dude, you're practically talking out of your ass. have you even spoken or listened to a single black American person in your life? never mind. you'd probably lie that you have, or maybe cite Candice Owens. real stats? what stats, from where? USA is awesome? yeah. i have a feeling you'd be a murder tourist in the Purge universe. You fit the bill perfectly.

[@phangkuanhoong7967]

​@@teddiemack8071 well, you aren't either. yet here you are, presuming the things they go through is absolutely awesome. and neither are you at all qualified to speak about how the US police conduct themselves, considering that you've revealed yourself to be a foreigner. yet here you are, claiming with sure fervent certainty that the US police are damn near perfect. also, considering that you've "been to America" rather than live there, maybe you aren't the spokesperson for what goes on in America either. yet here you are, foaming at the mouth at even the slightest suggestion that the USA is not in fact, awesome. but hey, i don't kink shame. so keep licking that boot since it obviously pleases you and gives you such great pride. have a nice day :)

[@hahashipem._.6294]

@@teddiemack8071 Black person here. The fight against police brutality was never about political sides although it looks like that. Black people have been fighting way before "vote for democrats" happened. It seems you may have discovered our fight recently(2020-2021). If you are so passionate,maybe do a bit of research. I do agree that America has privileges,but America also has many flaws because of its foundations. That's why many people speak out.

[@bongmilk6434]

I will never forget when one of my conservative camp counselors said that the purge “would actually work in todays world” and “keep crime rates down”. I was like 10 and horrified. Ofc she was also one of the rich people that could have been protected. I and a lot of the kids’ families would not have been that safe.

[@nanamiharuka3269]

the middle and upper class are already complaining about the labor shortages for low wage jobs…imagine if they purged the lower class, even less people to take those jobs, they need working class people yet despise them…its so odd. they despise them for wanting upward mobility, a living wage, the bare minimum, health care that doesn’t bankrupt, for being “lazy, violent, criminal” when that is either wholly untrue or a symptom of their poverty and lack of all the things one needs to live a decent life.

[@saltydinonuggies1841]

Yep. Theyve been taught to "pull themselves up by the bootstraps" (which is literally impossible unless you can float) and take no handouts!! Not realizing that they were born with everything they needed to have a comfortable life. All while the people they rely on day to day are struggling to make it through the week. I wish they could experience it just for a bit to realize how impossible it gets, especially when you add systemic issues into the mix.

[@number3766]

What goes around comes around, it just takes awhile. Literally, in economics Capitalism literally cannot survive if you destroy the working and middle class. Can't get money out of the public if the public has no money. Can't get more workers if no one can have children or die too quickly due to poor working conditions. Society cant function if the workers are near death and cannot do there jobs.

[@fatcat1414]

@@number3766 Finally someone seems to get it :D Capitalist economies only function well when money is actually moving through the system and being used. I'm so baffled when people try to justify rich people hoarding money and resources by saying they earned it. I honestly don't really care whether billionaires 'earned' their money, it's just impractical to prevent workers from having the resources they need to work well. (Not to mention the gross moral implications of a society that lets people suffer so willingly.)

[@number3766]

@@fatcat1414 Its more people following the letter of the law rather than the intent. My personal interpretation of the tennants as follows No regulation = gov stay out of way. Intervine when tennants are violated only and only to stop that violation. Free market = free to chose, free to lose. If a business sucks, it fails. If it's good, it must continue to be good to thrive. If a company sucks, the people must be able to create an alternative without restriction. Any manipulation must be removed and punished accordingly. Consumer choice: Consumers are required access to unrestricted information in order to make informed decisions and "vote with your wallets" Consumers must also have a true alternative and/or be free to create one. Competition: Ever buisness has a fair and equal opportunity to suceed or fail baised on merit and conduct. Anyone who violates this rule is to be swiftly and fairly punished, reguarless of social or political standing. All people must follow the same rules and the punishments must have the same effect, being percentage baised rather than set amount baised. Competition (workers): Workers must be allowed to come and go as they please. If a company does not provide adequite compensation for that work, the worker is free to leave and either join another company which treats them better or create a company to compete with said bad business. Wellfare: Not required so long as the person works a job. No person should have a job and still not have the basics of human society, else it will cause colapse. Free-flow of money: Capitialism requires the constant cycling of money. Businesses must spend money to earn money, period. Dispite the distribution of wealth being unequal, the distribution must be baised on ability, effort and postive societal contributions alone. Everyone is free to rise and fall due to their own actions. The flow of wealth must be constant for this to remain true, and as such any and all restrictions to the flow of capital must be removed and the people responsible punished equally reguardless of outside influence. TL:DR : Accoubtability. Everyone suffers the consequence for their actions. Anything that tries to stop accountability and consequence is to be eliminated. It's an ideal, but one I strive to create. There are flaws, but I hope to correct them with time and experience.

[@darksidegryphon5393]

@@saltydinonuggies1841 My response to the "pull yourself up by the bootstraps" is "Sorry, but I'm not David Blaine."

[@alexhaslegs]

I've never watched any of the purge films before, because they didn't sound like the sort of thing I'd enjoy watching. But I enjoy your videos, so decided to click on this one anyway, and I'm glad I did. It was really interesting, and I hadn't realised the depth of the themes involved in the films. Keep up the good work, and I look forward to the next video :)

[@JaymesArielYoung]

The first film is more of a home invasion movie with subtle hints about the underlying social political themes. The second film onward go full on into the social political commentary and are much more action packed due to being more outside and in a greater variety of locations within the region each film is set. There's also the TV series of which the first season much like the first film has a lot of potential, but takes till the next installment to really get going (budget may have been an initial issue). A lot of things from Tiktok videos of Purge outfits to marketing masks at the LGBT community to literature aimed at encouraging people to purge to game shows of The Purge gets covered.

[@myconfusedmerriment]

Same! I had zero interest in the Purge franchise, but Rowan wants to talk about social commentary in the Purge franchise? I’m all ears. I always appreciate her commentary, so I knew she’d have something interesting to say.

[@saltydinonuggies1841]

Same except i saw the first one. Granted it was before i knew much of anything politically so i thought it was kinda bland. This made me wanna go watch them though.

[@marianapina7074]

Did you end up watching the movies? I really enjoy them exactly for the reasons and themes discussed in this video, I really think you should give them a try :)

[@hittingyouoverthehead]

I assumed they would be just pure "edgy" violent movies with "badass" action scenes and characters. I do tend to enjoy those kinds of movies when I like to turn my brain off and just kick back so I decided to give these movies a try. Needless to say, I was extremely surprised at how deep they went with social commentary and political messages. I would definitely recommend these series to people and suggest not dismissing them like I did initially.

[@annasutton4029]

I have seen the purge franchise as thinly-veiled sociopolitical critique from the start and was surprised at the films’ relatively low ratings (I believe the TV series was better received?) and the fact that I was in the minority. Horror has always been a tool for extreme or allegorical representation of real-life fears and problems 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@sirherothebrave]

Yeah, many people sadly brush horror off as just "junkfood" type of films while some are, most are not. Rob Zombie was correct, horror movies and metal music get treated barely better than porn. It's overlooked, it's also sad all the work that goes into them, while they obviously are not all critical masterpieces in a normal sense, they can tell really interesting perspectives and in strange ways too. People need to stop judging books by their covers. I love horror, it's fun and I am glad it seems to be coming out of its funk it had for a while.

[@ollieno971]

Yeah the main problem is there is just no nuance and it’s very spelled out

[@saltydinonuggies1841]

@@ollieno971 idk that last purge movie seemed to BE the nuance. Everyone screams "but our jobs!!" forgetting immigrants are people. And idk if movies are the best medium for nuance given their time limits and such. Theres definitely movies that delve into nuance but its rough to have a super nuanced take in a couple hours movie.

[@ollieno971]

@@saltydinonuggies1841 yeah I just think the purge movies while good are just pretty heavy handed and there’s other movies with similar messages that pull it off way better

[@roza2633]

@@ollieno971 what's heavy handed about the movies?

[@smileyface702]

Finally, a Brit who knows about their country's history with Ireland

[@Youokhun]

👏

[@hinasakukimi]

as a brit... this wasn't something that was taught in schools. my history classes were obsessed with world war 1 & 2. colonialism, british empire etc. just simply weren't hammered into our heads the way "germany bad, england good" was (which, of course, kinda glazes over britain's fascism). this isn't an excuse for brits who willingly bury their heads in the sand, but there is a real problem with our education.

[@justabitofamug6989]

The way the British education system purposely and systematically avoids mentioning the horrors that Britain comitted in Ireland and other colonies is just... its fucked. I'm a brit with an Irish boyfriend and only learnt about Irish history and oppression from him.

[@wormwood8352]

@@hinasakukimi its very much the same in the USA, especially with how our schools gloss over Native American genocide and the repression of the civil rights movement here as well as other ways the country has been shitty.

[@hinasakukimi]

@@wormwood8352 yeahh it's... pretty nightmarish actually. and then they claim we're "erasing history" because we don't want cities to proudly (and with zero context) display statues of slavers 🥴

[@julphines]

I appreciate that you mentioned eugenics. Overpopulation is a myth spread by eugenicists and the killing of homeless and other marginalized people also falls under eugenics. I really wish more people knew about the eugenics movement. It has become so insidious because few people will use (or even know) the word itself, but they absolutely talk about its ideas.

[@aslandus]

Indeed, at the end of the day individuals aren't doing most of the consuming, industries and businesses are, but Eugenicists are basically playing with the numbers to make it look like the world's problems outright require mass death. No matter how many homeless people and impoverished subsistence farmers die, problems like climate change are unlikely to get better if those in power don't start reining in corporations and stopping bad business practices.

[@hoominbeeing]

@@aslandus Lmao who do you think is responsible for the demand that fuels those businesses? You don't have to be a eugenicist to believe in overpopulation. Co2 levels will increase with every new person brought into the world with all their wants and needs, unless you want everyone living like a subsistence farmer or a caveman.

[@alexanderbarrientos8800]

Yup it's litterly a argument that, eco-facists use

[@rebeccashores2306]

I wonder what actual % of global warming individuals are responsible for🤔

[@plumbum2233]

But still we are taking up space so overpopulation is still a problem

[@adivorcee2357]

These are my mother's favorite movies. She has voted for Trump the past two elections and consistently opposes gun restriction and immigration. I would love to know what goes on in her head.

[@darksidegryphon5393]

Probably a jumbled mass of neurons bouncing around her head like a screen saver.

[@mr.centipedes]

honestly, she probably sees these movies as just fun spooky little slasher films without thinking twice about it. that’s the most likely explanation i can come up with

[@MrSmileyRay]

I’m guessing she probably respects the constitution

[@onemillionpercent]

people like her scare me. is it like, willing evil or something (no offense)

[@sophitiaofhyrule]

Why would she vote for someone who so obviously hates women?

[@TNoelani]

As an American, I just wanted to say you hit the nail on the head. America is an extremely broken system and doesn't feel like a democracy at all. The rich pull all the strings even if a majority of Americans want to see change. Well done.

[@SnoFitzroy]

it isn't and never was a democracy, no matter how the government identifies itself - its structure is identical to a pretty standard Republic, because you vote on representatives who choose stuff for you in general elections (bills are generally voted on democratically tho, save for all the voter disenfranchisement)

[@solaris4022]

​@@SnoFitzroy you can be democratic and a Republic.

[@SnoFitzroy]

@@solaris4022 I'm so sorry that you fell for american propaganda

[@flops1792]

@@SnoFitzroy the two concepts aren't totally opposite, but america definitely isn't democratic for another reason: your political range sucks. You have two options, that's not a dictatorship but it's still an oligarchy

[@icedmintchocochip]

and that's capitalism at its best

[@uselessalpaca6777]

Something occurred to me... imagine what would happen to the current mental health crisis? Like, would sucky parents desperately take their children to therapists a week before the purge in fear they would be killed? Would they kill the child themselves? It definitely would be an interesting perspective to watch if another purge movie ever came out

[@jooot_6850]

That’s.. a really good point lmfao. Would abusive parents even have the humility to think about that? That their child could do such a thing to them? Probably not.

[@nottheredelilah3757]

after what happened to Jordan Neely i'd argue that we are already seeing what the purge would look like for people struggling with their mental health.

[@someoneawesome8717]

"The Purge: Upgrade"

[@TheUnhousedWanderer]

A purge of social media would fix the mental health crisis.

[@nottheredelilah3757]

@@TheUnhousedWanderer it is not that simple, but i hope you have fun giving it a try

[@crimson4066]

It's kind of sad how many foreigners know more about the reality of America than many Americans Our political system has become so polarized people ignore evidence in favor of staying within their "group", but considering that 3% of our budget is spent on education compared to a whopping 55-60% on the military, it's not surprising Our budget is so fucked

[@kittykittybangbang9367]

Plus if you think about it, America doesn't even need that big of a military

[@shananagans5]

I totally agree, the US is seriously polarized and that is a huge problem but no, nowhere near 50% of the budget goes to military spending. Military is more around the 15 to 18% mark and much of that is because we are the world's police. Should we be doing that is an entirely different discussion.

[@rosenberg2497]

I do mostly agree with you, but only 10% of the budget goes to defense. Still too much, but not 55-60%.

[@estoyakula8525]

Well, one party is under the influence of _LOTS_ of money, and just general corruption, while the other, pretty much the exact same issue, except worse, and oh yea, represents a _pretty radical_ political insurgency, that wishes to upend any semblance of democracy we have left! Great, huh? Please remember, always better to _HOLD THE LINE,_ rather then lose you're head!

[@jebe4563]

@Crimson your 'numbers' are a bad citation of the US Federal Discretionary Budget, which doesn't really include education because education is funded on the local level. If you composite the local, state, and federal budgets to include what is understood when you say 'spending on education' the US actually spends more on education than the military, because there are far more children in k-12 than there are soldiers...

[@MiadasSchaf]

This was a wonderful series analysis for a series that is consistently overlooked and mocked. I'm glad you emphasized the way in which the series offer hope against the worst of odds.

[@kattishadow5684]

I adore this video! I remember reluctantly watching one of the Purge movies (which I couldn’t tell you) one day because I was bored and thinking “hey this is way more though provoking than I was lead to believe!” and promptly not thinking on that further. This video communicates exactly what I briefly noticed about that movie! I just love videos that break down how certain films and showd that are generally considered unrefined by way of containing gratuitous violence have merit beyond the blood and gore

[@blipe992]

I gotta admit, I'm one of those people that didn't expect any of these movies to have any depth, even more after the trailer of election year. I'm quite surprised at the dark irony they poke without any subtlety, which y'know, actually realistic. But, and I might be wrong since I haven't watched the movies, just some two other films about the franchise, but does The Purge have any white women as villains? It really looks like all white women in the franchise are either innocent or good, or they were mislead by someone, like the psychologist who created the concept. In a weird way I'm actually glad that in the new film they made it clear that just a one heroic white woman as president couldn't solve all the problems with the country. I might actually watch the next film, since the Forever Purge was already done before the pandemic, the next mvie might actually tackle the January Insurrection.

[@ellem8990]

There are white women as villains in the first two (Not 100% sure about the second one). They don't seem to be main villains tho, except maybe the neighbours in the first one. In the last two, where there are more poc, you can see more of them being shown as bad instead of white women.

[@bella-bond]

the psychologist in The First Purge was definitely not the good guy

[@lumatos5957]

I only watched the first two, but on those all the main villains are white rich people, that basically hunt the poor during the purge and use their money and privileges as a way to avoid anyone being able to get revenge. On the second one especially there are more poc and one of the main villains is this old rich white lady that pays people to bring sacrifices for her and her friends to hunt. Plus, most of the upper class people are shown as purge supporters even if they don't purge themselves

[@roza2633]

there's a few of those, watched the last purge movie yesterday and there are two that come to mind specifically. not to mention all the horrible rich ones in election year for example or the middle class neighbours from the very first movie

[@hawksrx5425]

Watching this after just starting the read of Mark Fisher's Capitalist Realism, which is talking about (at least up to where I am) how even in dystopias it has become impossible to imagine a reality outside of capitalism sure was a ride.

[@talithacrow7530]

As an indigenous trans woman, I'm shocked I haven't heard anything about indigenous actors or the systemic opression and murders of us specifically, though I'd be surprised if there was anything about trans people

[@talithacrow7530]

So you mentioned one character, which makes me think, in the purge universe are the rest of us gone!

[@little_flitter]

I'd wager thats more a problem of representation and because these kinds of identity groups are often ignored by Holywood etc. It probably wasn't a thought out choice, just something that wasn't focused on or talked about. Hopefully, especially with the more recent highlighting of indigenous and trans rights issues - the next movie (if there's one) discusses it. That said - the politics of the movie universe would probably suggest that the gov would go after some of these groups + hate crimes. That's my two cents tho ✌

[@emmettvictor]

A First Nations two-spirit here 👋 I always wondering in these dystopian films what we and our relations would be doing 🤔

[@talithacrow7530]

@@emmettvictor probably died off screen

[@emmettvictor]

@@talithacrow7530 or hiding in the bush 😉

[@Siennarchist]

I think that the last two films are the really good purge movies, politically. Whilst the message of election year is "just vote for whats right" the last two show that that simply isnt enough, and violence and revolution is necessary to destroy systems of classism, racism, and the cispatriarchy, taking the film from a liberal narrative to an outright radical one.

[@galarstar052]

eeeeeeeh, violence and revolution is still pretty bad. Like, killing people is a worse thing than being racist.

[@Siennarchist]

@@galarstar052 depends, talking in absolutes is dangerous. Hyper-pacifism has many flaws, being violent is sometimes justified, racism never is.

[@galarstar052]

@@Siennarchist right, i understand that. It's just that, on principle, most revolutions aren't very fun for anybody. You kill the bad guys, but then you kill any counter-revolutionaries and anyone who's not supportive of your new society, and it just gets messy. That's my main problem with it.

[@Siennarchist]

@@galarstar052 ah. It seems you havent heard of any revolutions run by people other than authoritarian weirdos. Admittedly that is most revolutions

[@dorianjumper8669]

If only they had intended the message to be that firearms and direct action is the solution to surviving the Hellscape that the NFAA created. It's very ironic and extremely laughable for the writers to even attempt to villainize firearms, whilst demonstrating that firearms are used in all the movies; To allow people to practice self defense, self preservation, and even to make safe havens. Anyone who watches the purge movies and takes away from them that firearms some how exacerbate or escalate the issue(while suggesting more laws at best, and bans at worst). Will have developed this line of logic from an unuainced/myopic prospective. I sincerely hope that no one watches these movies, and sees armed resistance to violent oppression. And honestly comes to the conclusion that laws that will keep firearms out black, brown, or the poor. Are the answer to making the purge better, especially for those that are it's target/victim. You will need to reevaluate firearms and the violence of self defense in order to live to see the next sunrise. The immense lack of self awareness in villainizing firearms, all while simultaneously portraying victimized/marginalized people and their communities as literally always looking to arm us even more; so that they can survive the night, and see the morning. And frankly the movies are just a soft "vote blue no matter who" sell out comprise. That only looks to critic the symptoms of racism, classim, imperialism, and colonialism; let me be clear, there is nothing radical about these movies. They need to instead look at how when it comes to defending others. Which is to revolt against the NFAA machine. Not demonize the tools the oppressed use to fight for their freedom/rights to live

[@amandasmith2740]

As a woman in Texas, I appreciate you showing us so much support and calling these laws what they are.

[@amandam5773]

The Purge tv show is also incredibly interesting and goes a lot into religious imagery, I enjoyed both seasons a lot even though most people dislike the first one. The ending in the second season is incredible, I was hoping you would talk a little bit about it throughout the video, but this was an amazing essay on The Purge movies. It's unironically one of my favorite franchises and I could never put a finger on why before, this was an amazing watch, thank you for the hard work you put into this video!

[@onemillionpercent]

oooh i should watch it

[@Curly_479]

I want to see a purge closing film about what happens in hospitals and be focused on disabled people, but also gives Dante a happy ending because damn he’s earned it

[@minerva_luna]

I've always wondered what it would be like to see the aftermath

[@guylikestuff]

also would love to see them explore the experience of people that need prescription drugs for any reason or medical aquipment, as a person that needs my meds to keep sane my first stop would absolutely be a drugstore to stock up my meds cuz they are most of my expenses that could also go into eugenics and how it affects disabled people, people that defend our extermnation 100% would go to hospitals to kill those they deem "too much of an expense of resouces" or simply undesirable to keep around

[@Smoking_Man]

Yes! Hospitals, psych wards, retirement homes, orphanages, prisons, maybe even army barracks.

[@obliviousfantasy633]

Oh shit I wonder how many workers in hospitals do heinous stuff legally compared to the normal. Or ppl breaking in to eradicate those they deem useless :/ That has to be a rlly fucked up place

[@nottheredelilah3757]

@@guylikestuff i feel like having a scene (or even a full movie) with someone working at a pharmacy closing the place up before the purge only to return and try to raid the place for their and their purge cohorts' medications (they'd applied for the pharmacy job with this in mind, of course) only to get in and realize that the chain pharmacies all evacuate their stock to an unknown warehouse and they've all risked their lives for nothing would be very in-line with the purge franchise.

[@rynthorn1551]

RE: American Gun Control. I dunno, dude. To many of us here, even in conservative areas, it seems so obvious that we need much more strict gun laws and sweeping reforms with the way we talk about guns in general. But then someone pops out of a trash can and yells "but my freedoms!" and the whole conversation is derailed. It's extremely disheartening.

[@danielwilliams693]

@@davidribosome4326 yeah dude you're right, people need the guns in case there's a zombie apocalypse

[@sprky-_-]

@@danielwilliams693 fr

[@sarahdodge2866]

@@davidribosome4326 if you're at risk of having your guns taken from you, it would only be because you've failed a background check. We are talking about putting restrictions in place, not taking away everyone's guns.

[@sprky-_-]

@@sarahdodge2866 there are already restrictions aren't there?

[@niffirg1113]

@@sarahdodge2866 see: beto o’rourke

[@leegoodridge1467]

Boost Boost Boost this was great, my only request would be another video but with the socio political lens put on the UK more in depth as 'at least we're not as bad as Americans' is just not true and that tid bit about the famine at the start really highlights this.

[@khazermashkes2316]

Yes! The UK has the NHS but so many of my friends can't get dental care or primary care due to budget cuts.

[@namangoy]

Yeah there's so many countries (most of Europe, Canada, Australia) who use "better than USA" to deflect very fair critiques

[@iantaakalla8180]

It’s also funny how it’s only because of 2016-now that the US is the scapegoat simply because their problems were the most public and wide-reaching. Certainly, America is the worst. But especially for England, it’s not like England historically and even now haven’t committed atrocities anywhere and everywhere, and every type of atrocity. And this is in a world where Brexit itself, and its consequences, got major news time.

[@saltydinonuggies1841]

@@iantaakalla8180 and thats mainly because the internet is heavily american skewed. I know theres different stuff for each country but from what i hear from those outside the us, a good chunk of the internet is american.

[@2u6qiyj1]

Watch the movie the nightingale. Fair warning... it's dark.

[@islab2458]

I had a boyfriend pretty into the kind of movies you’d expect the Purge franchise to be, so we watched the first one together when it came out. I was So surprised that I genuinely enjoyed it, Loved the commentary and signed up to watch the second when I heard about it. The sequel was So much better than the first as well, and to this day I’m not even remotely a horror/slasher/gore fan (as a late teen I liked paranormal horror a bit, but even that’s too much for me now). It was the fans and the haters alike that made me want to stop following the franchise, so I’ve only seen the first two films. Everyone I’d admitted to that I’d greatly enjoyed the films were shocked and actually pretty demeaning - clearly the commentary either went over their heads or was deemed too on the nose. I was just grateful someone was making these kinds of films within the genre at all at the time. Great to see people finally starting to properly discuss the franchise in the ways it so clearly deserves.

[@thepeopleslast2579]

It's weird to hear that it was meant to be almost laughably impossible because where I grew up we all kinda took it as something that would happen. I grew up where 98% of the population was latino and 82% were below poverty (although not anymore iirc). Our cities were also the ones chosen for the cages. Our life was kinda full of brutality and how cruel people will be knowing they can get away with it (border patrol, law enforcement, teachers) so the purge never seemed impossible. The purge ironically is one of my comfort series because it shows how we feel validated on screen ig? Its great to see things we're scared of being shown as scary as they feel. or should I say things I'm scared of cause I can't speak for anyone else's experiences.

[@theladynim2]

Wholesome how excited you are every time Dante comes back

[@onemillionpercent]

she represents us all hehe

[@LouisOnAir]

I'd like to see a cross between The Purge and Fargo where it's a group of Minnesotans trying to escape to Canada during the forever purge.

[@Princess_May]

I did not expect to watch a video about the social commentary of the purge when I woke up this morning. I'm pleasantly surprised

[@nerpsforjerks]

This is an amazing breakdown of these movies, and will actually get me into watching them... as I hand-waved them as Hobbesian fantasy originally. My own personal critique is that it's not just Trumpian America, as was certainly explained in the video as a general history of the U.S., those kids are still in those cages as of me typing this out, with the Democrats in control of the every branch of the federal government outside of the Court. This awfulness covers both parties of our two party system.

[@guy-sl3kr]

Agreed. People use Trump as a scapegoat a lot but really, he mostly just made the problems inherent to our political system impossible to ignore. Like, the concentration camps were created by Obama and have been expanded by Biden. The war in Afghanistan had bipartisan support from the beginning til the end. Democrats are in power _RIGHT NOW_ and we're still dumping money into our police and military instead of healthcare, education, welfare, or literally anything else. Let's be real, our "democracy" is a sham and it always was.

[@nerpsforjerks]

@@guy-sl3kr I mean, there is a special place for Trump. He certainly took already bad systems and used them even further, while helping dismantle some things that actually might do some good.

[@guy-sl3kr]

@@nerpsforjerks True, but he was too incompetent to do as much harm as he could have. He didn't do anything catastrophic like start a new war, commit a genocide, or criminalize political dissent (more than usual). If this sounds like I'm defending Trump, I'm really not. It's just that by American president standards, he was pretty middle of the road. If he had done the exact same things but with a polite demeanor I'm confident that most Americans would remember him fondly.

[@iantaakalla8180]

To that extent, I’m embarrassed by the attempt of the federal government to clean up their image. It is very clear that they just hate Trump collectively; they will not do anything that will actually help the people further than that. Why else is there such a rush to expand healthcare and denounce any bigotry and remove troops from Afghanistan publicly? This is merely an announcement that Biden is opposite Trump, despite the fact that this future Act that is supposed to help all families will come heavily nerfed, Biden botched the Afghanistan withdrawal (and showed no care for ever fixing the fallout that a withdrawal from Afghanistan caused) and still hasn’t ended the concentration camps.

[@saltydinonuggies1841]

Yeah its not really a two party system. Just the same people with different labels. Biden is just quieter Trump. Politicians in general are pretty bad.

[@chestersnap]

On the subject of prescription costs, I just picked up a prescription today for the Zyzal which is an allergy medication you can get over the counter. I thought it was a different prescription my doctor had written for me and wasn't paying attention in part because I didn't even realize she wrote one for that medication since it can be got over the counter for the same strength. The over the counter stuff cost $22 for 35 pills. The prescription cost $25 for 10. I am going to return it and I'm strongly considering just not bothering with prescription medications anymore if that's how much they overcharge Edit: I should also state that the most expensive prescription I ever get is the one for my inhaler - the thing that helps you breath

[@flops1792]

as an european it's baffling to me that no one keeps corporations in check in america, of course they will be unhinged like this if we let them

[@nottheredelilah3757]

my allergist appointments are like $230, and my epinephrine injector is like 100s without insurance. when i tell you a pharmacy is the FIRST place i'd go!!!!! (ofc the pharm companies would probably do a take-back plan or hire mercenaries in the first place)

[@nikotina899]

Great video, I've been telling people to give The Purge a fair shot for years and you highlighted most of the reasons why. I really recommend the series too, there's two seasons and both are pretty good, if I'm not wrong it was done by the same people

[@Gunbomber]

I always enjoyed the purge movies for their political subtext. Same for battle royale and all the other murder games that are popular in asia. There is also a Purge live action serie, which is far weaker, but still interesting to watch.

[@TheCommunistColin]

Excellent video, though one aspect I think could be added (and I don't blame you for this, since you're British and not American) is the increasing political instability in the US in the years since the franchise began. The Purge: Election Year ended with a presumably liberal candidate winning an election and being met with armed unrest from NFFA supporters who challenged the election results. That hits extremely different after January 6th of this year, and in general SHOULD make people worried about where the US is headed over the next decade, and beyond.

[@Jamandabop]

Either there's going be a VERY sudden transition or the second ace rep video is coming later 🤔

[@HeyRowanEllis]

haha yeah it's coming later!

[@acemagalor2519]

@@HeyRowanEllis Uber excited!

[@mandipandi303]

This was really interesting. I'm not a horror movie person, but I'll be referring this video to people I know who are.

[@dnikkithatsame5990]

Within the first 10 minutes you touched on one of the reasons why I watch Kdramas. The collectivist vs individualist worldview. Whether it’s writing decent supporting characters or focusing on systemic corruption, Korean media talks about this in a way Hollywood can’t or won’t.

[@oliviasc8964]

As a Latina although I loved the message of the Forever Purge I couldn’t get through it because it was too triggering

[@luctus666]

This has nothing to do with the video but... “Harsh abortion laws take away bodily autonomy for those who can get pregnant” The fact that you didn’t just say “women” hit me in a way I didn’t expect. It made me so happy, I was fighting the urge to cry for several minutes. I watched the video yesterday, but I had to come back to write this. Stupid, I know, but I just wasn’t expecting you to phrase it like that. It really meant a lot.

[@camelopardalis84]

It's not stupid.

[@luctus666]

@@camelopardalis84 Thank you.

[@camelopardalis84]

@@luctus666 * hug *

[@alim.9801]

I agree that it isn't stupid, people don't say it like that as much as they should and people being seen and understood even a little is extremely important 💜💜

[@spicytaker]

Afab people love ralsei. that’s how i clocked you

[@MeTalkPrettyOneDay]

I kept getting distracted while watching this and then couldn't tell whether we were talking about the movies or real life most of the time. That's concerningly telling.

[@thema1998]

My younger brother has never liked how none of the Purge movies ever show people commit crimes that aren't related to killing. He says that a lot of people would realistically take advantage of it by robbing. I'm sure that he brought up other things but I don't remember any of them! 😅 Also, the upcoming sixth Purge movie will have a *worldwide* Purge! I wonder how it will progress the themes of the previous five Purge movies. 🤔

[@moviesiveseen7408]

I was reluctant to watch the Purge movies, and they are great! I did a podcast episode about the first 3 a few years ago, where I touched on the larger issues, and also gushed about the brilliance of the writer/director. I waited on him once, and we talked about the Purge movies, and it was amazing.

[@deadlymelody27]

Just managed to watch the forever purge so i could finish watching this video without spoilers 🤣 i honestly love this series for the political allegory and its great having all the stuff i may have missed laid out neatly in a video.

[@gabrielapierattistellato7030]

Honestly am a big fan of the series, I hope the next one focuses on LGBTQIA+, hopefully with a transfem protagonist, considering the current campaign against Trans people in the US.

[@ryanoneal8480]

Why? Doesn't sound very compelling. Stories based around identities usually suck.

[@Cabaret_Cadaver]

@@ryanoneal8480 thats literally all of the purge movies. Did you not watch the video. Also also there’s a bunch of purge movies not all of them have to be for you. Us queer people should be allow to see ourselves on the big screen. I hardly hear people complaining about yet another white cishet lead. The purge movies would be far more boring and surface level if it didn’t allow for diverse identities. Hell all leads in media have identities it’s just that people see white straight and cisgender as the norm so it doesn’t count as an identity and anything that’s different is seen as unnecessary because it’s not about them.

[@someflipnotes87]

@@ryanoneal8480 yeah plus a trans fem protag would never survive They be like "omg those guys are yelling at me and cat calling me! That makes me a real woman" and then get shot :/ they just aren't bright

[@detleffleischer9418]

@@ryanoneal8480 The last film featured a protagonist who was a Mexican immigrant who fled Michoacan because of the war between the cartels, the government, and the Autodefensas citizen militias who openly made multiple references to the American Dream, and the ending to that film had them reversing the border situation with the Mexican government offering total asylum to all fleeing American citizens. It's always been openly about specific identities.

[@ryanoneal8480]

@@detleffleischer9418 yea and it won how many awards? just cause you liked the pandering doesnt mean it was a good movie

[@Lycandros]

I find these types of movies very difficult to watch. So happy for this video, as I don't think I'd otherwise know about what these movies were communicating.

[@AMVactivists]

I now need to watch these movies! That's October sorted ❤

[@beccamarshmallo]

Absolutely great video! The Purge series is one of the few film series that actually gets better with each new installment

[@camelopardalis84]

No, don't say that! I've considered watching the first one for a couple of years now and thought that I would find out that the following ones are worse and not really worth seeing once you've seen the first. Now all I am left with is my hope that there aren't too many installments.

[@AlexanderJWF]

To any non-Americans that thought the Purge concept too ridiculous or blatant to be realistic - I was adverse to seeing the first two films because: 1, I really don't enjoy murder/gore porn. 2, For the first film specifically, it was seemingly simply about yet another wealthy white family (mostly) surviving in an otherwise realistically cruel world. 3, And for the second film, I didn't need to spend $15 bucks on a movie ticket to watch the same violence I could see walking down the street on a Thursday. Today, I adore this franchise. And the only reason I haven't watched the The Purge series was because I can only afford one subscription service at a time.

[@89visionartistry89]

A white male that doesn’t enjoy murder/gore porn. I really need to leave the mid south. If not for the internet I wouldn’t even know there were any of you out there.

[@ItsAllNunya]

i stopped watching the purge movies bc of how people kept reacting to them. i always knew how they would go, i always saw the vibes. its so hard for me to watch them. i guess i should finish the series. its stupid how "normies" treat these movies as cheap thrills to the point i gave up on enjoying my gory political commentary movies. every time i told people i thought they were good i got a weird look. like i was a child or something.

[@JaymesArielYoung]

It's usually by people who have no knowledge of the films beside their main concept or only watched the first which is by far the weakest of the films. They're just being ignorant in a way that amounts to film snobbery, you get the same with music and literature as well. I used to work with a guy who always read Empire magazine and had worked in television, so he thought his cultural tastes were some how better informed then mine, when really they were just more mainstream and critically approved by other white middle aged men like him. A lot of people take critics at their word and fail to appreciate less discussed films as they're not critically praised as much and then you have the opposite of that which is to dismiss something when it's popular such as superhero movies. Our life experiences are all a bit different and so we're drawn to different things accordingly. These films were never about cheap thrills, contrary to what many people who haven't watched them believe in the same way Idiocracy was not just a cheap comedy.

[@saltydinonuggies1841]

@@JaymesArielYoung i can attest to this. Ive only seen the first one and thought it wasnt that great. Now i wanna watch the rest.

[@onemillionpercent]

exactly exactly if people only formed intelligent conversation around them instead of trying 2b edgy fans like "i wish this would happen" (literally showcasing privilege right there) or haters who just didn't understand that there was a deeper message, or think that the message was worth-it/relevant... which it very much is. but idk

[@choosecarefully408]

You _like_ political commentary, but don't know *why* your friends don't? Heh. From 2018 through 2019, no less a governing body than the U.S. Congress itself REMINDED US​ that peddling one's influence for a quid pro quo while in office was a conflict of interest SO CRIMINAL, it's even illegal for a president to commit it. So right there, you have people in government and MSM themselves telling us that lobbying is not only happening, but that it is 100% illegal. Your friends lie to themselves. Daily. One cannot accept the premise of this movie & continue lying to themselves about what truly motivates their Gods, so they don't want to talk about it or its implications. This isn't hard to figure out.

[@stickperson286]

Okay, not exactly related to the video but autoplay going from a video talking about the live action Scooby Doo movies to "so he proposed literally selling poor Irish babies." spooked the shit out of me

[@Raya-xw5ud]

I'm fascinated by these movies and thought there was more to them, but I don't like horror, so I've not watched them. Thank you for this brilliant breakdown!

[@mhawang8204]

I don’t watch horror movies, so thank you for this wonderful breakdown of the series and a bonus history lesson in the beginning of the video! 🙏🏼

[@boudicaastorm4540]

Excellent video analysis. Also, as an unemployed, disabled American, I would utilize every second of the allowed "Purge" time to steal as much medical equipment, prescription drugs, and other resources as possible, and if there were a way to get free medical treatment from a doctor's office during that time without being an asshole to staff members, I'd do that as well. Also, I would steal as much non-perishable human and pet food as I possibly could. Because that's the kind of country we are living in for real. Going out and killing people (if you were someone who wanted to) would be far less valuable than obtaining survival goods that are engineered to be difficult to get if you're not upper middle class. I think you'd mentioned at the start of the video that we're considered a "flawed" democracy by some sort of study- that's one hell of an understatement.

[@oddballlucy]

Wow, just discovered that Dante's actor, Edwin Hodge, is the brother of Aldis Hodge from Leverage! Neat!

[@elskabee]

wow, i always assumed the purge movies were kind of dumb and never watched them (and still won't lol) but I'm kind of happy to be proven wrong. I'm sure they have their flaws, but it's nice to know the creators put a lot of thought and effort into telling realistic stories even if it has a seemingly extreme premise

[@chicliac]

Huh, who would've thought? I'm actually goin' to watch those movies now.

[@nottheredelilah3757]

as someone who has always been a scardey-cat who hates gore and jumpscares & just got into horror through socio-political commentary horror films, i now have to see these movies. i am so scared

[@KarolYuuki]

I love the Purge movies (and the 2nd season of the series). It's interesting how I got into it just by the concept, but stayed because of the social critique, but also by the potential to tell a million different stories, showing how the Purge can affect people in different places in society.

[@PrattlingPyre]

The first movie feels half baked in the ideology but already by the 2nd they realized they had to be completely clear about its stance and how the purge isn't "real" and they don't genuinely think everyone wants to kill people

[@annetheelf8174]

Love how I’m also learning about the famine, all I really knew is that that’s when my ancestors left Ireland

[@ellesontlabete2669]

I have to say the last ad I would expect on one of your videos: the "we can teach you to kill" one for the US army I got when i started the veiwing.

[@impartialghost]

Stellar video! I especially love the way you wrote your script, making it concise enough so half the video isn’t exposition but long enough so the main themes of the movies are explained thoroughly.

[@NoirValkyrie]

You ate this up 👏🏿👏🏿 everytime you said something I said "I bet she won't mention..." then you came through! A very educated, honest, and thoughtful analysis!

[@artofescapism]

great video looking into the sociopolitical themes of the purge. I've enjoyed the movies and their messages, although less recently as everything around us seems to be more and more in line with some worrying trends in that direction. i particularly liked that you discussed in depth the impacts of US immigration policy in the movie, and I encourage anyone interested to read 'the land of open graves' by jason de leon (the same person interviewed in the radiolab series mentioned). it's a very eye-opening look into how brutally america treats people crossing the southern border, and as a forensic anthropologist myself, i can say that this is one of the great crimes against humanity of our time, and i'm glad the series addressed it in some way. great analysis- i always look forward to your videos.

[@halfchiangel88]

I've only watched some of the 2nd Purge movie so I'm surprised there's actually so much depth and commentary the series makes about US political, financial, and economic issues and the effects they have on minority populations and the poor I really appreciate the video, fantastic job!

[@cesarecuzzola]

I decided to watch every film one by one after you posted this. I returned to this video every time I finished one to listen to your commentary. Insightful as always! Thanks, Rowan!

[@spandaumole]

Great video, I really enjoy this franchise and often get confused expressions when people find out, as so many people write it off as mindless violence. I remember when The First Purge came out lots of people (probably in red hats) complained about being 'tricked' into seeing a film which had big BLM vibes, lol.

[@edenis_gay]

This was on my watchlist for ages and I think it was a much needed watch

[@riotbreaker3506]

I actually met Brittney Mirabile, who played Candy Bar Girl in Election Year, very recently, she's honestly such a cool person, and we talked for hours about dinosaurs. I really recommend supporting her in her new upcoming show, especially during the writer's strike, which I actually learned was happening from her.

[@niamh7047]

That moment when you click on a video and are meet with the horrific history of the famine. Ngl it still shocks me when some British people actually are knowledgeable about this history. Really liked this video though and now I'm curious to watch the purge movies

[@gabrielmaroto18]

I’m ADOS American descendent of slavery I cannot watch these movies they terrify me they’re too close to reality they’re too real

[@ryanoneal8480]

Imagine being this sensitive lol I'm fully Irish but I can handle movies about actual atrocities committed against gaelic ppl. You can't watch a movie that is only tangentially connected to slavery. How bitch-made are you?

[@LadyPinkster]

@@ryanoneal8480 you sound sweet...

[@ryanoneal8480]

@@asum7213 lol you thought my comment was about watching movies and not about mocking someone who has adopted a fake aesthetic of martyrdom and victimhood. Your reading comprehension sucks

[@gabrielmaroto18]

@@LadyPinkster thanks sweetheart

[@moveslikemacca]

i love listening to your longer videos while i'm going for a walk or doing household chores, your voice is very nice to listen to

[@airohtheenby]

Wow! I’ve never seen the purge and I had no idea just how political it was. Thank you for opening my eyes to this!

[@kaycings9844]

We had to read that Jonathan Swift essay in my AP English class junior year of high school and it took us an embarrassingly long amount of time to understand that it was satire

[@Dukeofnachos]

Relevent and thoughtful commentary on current events affecting marginalized groups I belong to? Too scary for my blood. I'm gonna go back to creepypastas and Game Theories about FNAF.

[@lavender.lemonade]

The purge insurance storyline in election year is so brilliant.

[@phelllandborn6478]

I don't say it (or anything) enough, but absolutely everything she just said. That's generally speaking what I think when I watch these videos. Bravo!

[@FizzyMcPhysics]

Thank you so much for doing this. I hate horror films and would never watch this series, so you've given me a view into these thoughtful find without needing to be too horrified.

[@itsalladream5559]

24:00 its notable that in american public schools, when the history teacher prompts us "What's America's type of government? " the correct answer us not a Democracy but a democratic Republic.

[@ryanoneal8480]

If you were taught that you went to a shit school. A democratic Republic is still a democracy.

[@Illegiblescream]

I like how they portray the corrosive nature of violence in the final movie. It started with some people thinking ‘violence is good actually’ and ended with a failed state.

[@atomichearts9332]

wow this was an incredible analysis!! love ur work ❤️

[@gs3029]

This is legit the best video I’ve ever seen on KZbin. Thank you so much for your work Rowan!!

[@EannaWithAFada]

Finally a decent account of the Irish famine from an English youtuber most of the time people will act like it was the Irish's fault or just a sad accident rather than the genocide it was

[@camelopardalis84]

Not sure if English youtuber Tom Nicholas has ever talked about it, but he does talk about history in many videos (be it that the main subject is historical in nature or not) and he's too good (in regard to his character and his abilities) of a youtuber to speak so incompetently about something like the Irish Famine.

[@MrHousecup]

Something else I noticed about the purge series. In spite of taking place, 10, 20, 30 years into the future, most of the technology, clothing, and music is identical to what we have now. The only innovation I've seen is the contact lens cameras. It's like the best that America's government can do is stagnation, and their purported prosperity is a total sham.

[@thingslaurasays9995]

As a scaredy car - I can't handle most scary movies. YOUR videos about them though - I will watch over and over and again. I didn't realise how much is in these movies and how the sequels actually ADD to the political and social world instead of repeating the same ol'.

[@brittanybertolin8693]

The first movie I think really did a good job of highlighting the all American ness of the protagonists and antagonists. Like it was a good use of the "innocent schoolgirl daughter with dangerous older boyfriend" and the "gifted son" trop

[@FlyingWonderGirl]

This was an amazing deep dive! I’ve never watched them and I had an outside view of it just being a slaughter fest with no real substance but it seems that it has a deep well of symbolism and culture.

[@jesserivera2043]

It's very telling how obsessed that girl was with wanting her candy bar. At first I thought it was just terrible acting, but after rewatching it we kind of get the sense that she was pretty much raised to believe in this system

[@wheresyouraloha]

I watched this movie, I had horrible nightmares because I see it coming… This was done here in Hawaii, spreading measles and smallpox among the native people who had zero immune system against these viruses. Old idea gaining momentum

[@EpicCocoaQueen]

As someone who lived through a specific protest capitol in the US in 2020, I want to point out that many of these things did actually happen during the BLM protests, just to a somewhat "lesser" degree... "Enforcement" in my area were not only caught on film during the day putting out piles of bricks on the sides of the roads in hopes that people would use them to do property damage, but even looting themselves and starting public fights undercover in order to declare "lawful unrest" and arrest/brutalize people. They used military tactics like weaponized sound devices mounted on vehicles to control protesters sleep patterns in lower income areas. They used discontinued and excessive gas munitions on a lung-disease-ridden population, many out of work and without access to healthcare. They paralyzed reporters who were live-tweeting and streaming them. They tear gassed art rallies. They tear gassed children. They stopped doing their jobs during the day so when a black family up the street from me got their house sh*t up (likely by the same supremacist groups that they were protecting at night if they weren't actively a part of themselves) they NEVER RESPONDED. Like, sure, doofy Donald didn't declare the Purge legal, but the words he used surrounding the city I live in directly contributed to legitimate horror I still suffer PTSD from to this day thanks to a certain law enforcement group that is still settling out court cases from these events to this day.

[@EpicCocoaQueen]

Not to mention that many local news channels, such as the major one in my area, are all owned by Fox. Like Fox News Fox. So very few if any of these events made local news, despite my actual apartment roof I was sitting on at the time being displayed publicly (thanks for that Fox), and if any events actually did make the news they were wildly spun out of context and/or belittled as if people weren't being kidnapped into vans on the street by DHS and not being allowed medical care or bathrooms for 12hrs or more. It was so much worse than people seem to think it was, even people who were a few neighborhoods away from mine, and that's all thanks to Fox News Corp.

[@emmagrace289]

I think you’re right about Squid Game, the main message I got was one of Class solidarity. . . . . Minor Spoilers: I think it’s so interesting that throughout the show the characters believe that can be more than one winner. That they can all take the money home and spilt it. When in reality there can only be one winner. I think it shows something of the way that the upper classes violently discourage class solidarity, through propaganda that promotes individualism. We’re so primed in capitalism to be individualistic that it almost seems naive that they even thought more than one person could win.

[@TheKrispyfort]

I think comfortable people forget just how much Luck has gone into their lives. "but by the Grace of God, there go I" A phrase applicable across the entire spectrum