My friend asked me this the other day, I guess it has been floating around on Facebook too...

If every crime in the world was legal for the next 12 hours, would you survive?

Google "The Purge"--upcoming movie about this subject.

As for me: generally speaking, no! Human morality finds its foundation in empathy (a heritage from our primate ancestors). I have no interest in breaching boundaries established by empathy to satisfy base desires.

I'm more interested in maintaing healthy and nourishing relationships with others. I do not think that committing crimes, simply because of a legal stay on prosecution etc., would foster healthy relationships with my "tribe" (even if I reserved criminal behavior for those outside of my tribe).

Now, if I could make purchases within a 12 hour period without the need to pay legal fees, taxes, etc. (where not doing so would constitute a crime), I would be happy to break such regulations!

My friend and I looked at it the other way, as in people are crazy and would attack us lol! We established that we would barricade ourselves in the house and set up strategic locations in the house, armed to the teeth! I guess we are paranoid lol!

Just because it would be legal, does not mean it would be acceptable

There are quite a few people who really aren't worried about being accepted by others or society...

Remember Charlie Manson...

I think so. We have a good neighborhood with tons of active duty and veterans that are gun-toting. I think our hood could help each other out and survive a 12 hour onslaught of mayhem and debauchery.

I live in fairly crime-ridden place for such a small town, right next to the Rez, so it probably wouldn't be too much different, lol.

Is the law prohibiting murder the reason I do not murder people? No.

I think that is the same for most people.

In many cases, riots are things were laws are irrelevant, but those are driven by anger reaching a critical point, not because laws were suspended.

12 hours isn't long enough to plan anything but a bit of looting. Key would be whether everyone was aware that it's only going to be 12 hours, and after that they'd have to face consequences.

Most people would not take this as license to change their moral framework at all. I wouldn't. They'd band together to defend each other from those who do. Getting the sh*t kicked out of you for doing something that the majority doesn't want you to do might be a big deterrent.. And where I live, the "good" people would almost certainly shoot you. They have guns, lots and lots of guns. Even peace-loving rationalguy has a couple of seldom-used blunderbusses and sidearms!



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/2013 07:21PM by rationalguy.

This happens, yearly, on Beta III when they have 'festival.' They pretty much go 'g' rated nuts every year...

Ref: Original Star Trek series, Return of the Archons; season 1, episode 21... (Some times having an eidetic memory sucks)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/2013 07:51PM by John_Lyle.