The term “Pop culture” has become very popular in mainstream entertainment
The term “Pop culture” has become very popular in mainstream entertainment. It can be defined as an entirety of perspectives, ideologies, episodes, and images that are within the mainstream of culture. It is popular within western culture and perpetuated mainly by media. It spreads through every aspect of society. For instance, popular music, trends on social media, books, films, sports, celebrities, and fashion; this makes it a powerful phenomenon that is capable of impacting and dominating social norms. Today, Pop culture is everywhere, and many content creators are using it to develop their ideas. In this essay, I will analyze the film The Purge to show how it correlates with Pop culture.
The Purge is a 2013 American horror film produced by James DeMonaco. The film is based on societal issues such as class division, ethnicity, conflicts, politics, and economic agendas. However, I believe the main concept behind the movie is political and economic agendas. The Purge is set on a near 2022 to be specific, by the New Founding Fathers of America. During this time, the nation is undergoing a crisis; for instance, there is an increased crime rate and poverty. The idea of The Purge was to help “solve” these problems. The New Founding Fathers referred to it as “The night that served our country.” The film protagonist James Sadin comes up with the security systems that protect people during the night of the Purge. He does this by fitting every house in his hood with the highest impunity from the terror of the purge night.
When carefully, The Purge night was put in place to eliminate class division. The rich wanted to eradicate the lower-class people. It can be seen as a way of small-scale genocide. The Founding Fathers of America argued that The Purge allows people to release their pile up rage for twelve hours of unlawfulness. During this time, which lasts from 7 pm to 7 am, any crime murder is allowed. It was once a year chance to lash out at authority figures and resentful employers.
After successfully upgrading the security systems, James joins his family to watch a movie. Like any other dysfunctional American, his wife and children soon leave to deal with their consequential evening. James’ son, Charlie struggles to comprehend why America accepts people to inflict pain on each other. He is somehow obsessed with the purge night. Children’s notions on Purge are particularly unusual, considering the fact that they grew up in a permissive society where people are given excessive freedom during the purge night.
Economic meltdown and political motivation led to the institution of Purge. It was a way of eradicating non-contributing members of society. The rich are hunting the homeless for sport while the poor are taking revenge on the executives. In the film, the values of families are also analyzed in contrast with humanity; this made clear by Charlie’s outrageous actions. After the lockdown of their massive house, he disarms the security systems and lets in a wounded man who was begging for his life; this unleashes a series of events that cause trauma.
The film unearths every cliché in the modern world. Children disobey orders, adults panicking, and some characters split up due to fear. Suddenly everyone seems to gain unrealistic courage. The movie is a nihilistic reflection on the United States at its absolute worst. It shows a harrowing scene where people of color are dragged out of their homes and maimed by the fascists.
The Purge franchise helps to uncover the current concerns in the United States and fears from multiple perspectives that highlight the philosophy of the movie; that is when the basic tenets of society are disputed, and the general public is dehumanized. For instance, even the Sadin family is not safe in their ivory tower. The concept of the film is that no one can be safe or protected from the current problems facing the United States.