0

In the film The Purge, the rule says:

In 2014, the New Founding Fathers of America, a totalitarian political party, are voted into office following an economic collapse. They pass a law sanctioning an annual "Purge": for 12 hours each year all crime, including murder, arson, theft and rape, is legal during the period, except against government officials, and all emergency services are unavailable until 7 am.

If you're a hacker and build a program to execute in these hours that gives you total control of the country, creating a new government role like "emperor" above the rest of the party, you aren't doing anything to government officials and, because you're a government official yourself, no-one can attack you.

Is that possible?

Improve this question
3
  • I have a feeling that the government would classify this as treason, which is a crime against the government.
    – F1Krazy
    Mar 4, 2021 at 12:08
  • 1
    yeah but the explanation says except against government officials, not goverment, you cant kill him but maybe can do you one
    – Nicolas Oñate
    Mar 4, 2021 at 12:15
  • 1
    It feels unfeasible. A government is not a program that can be hacked. Changing the constitution to make you the BDFL above all the government would take more than a program. If the government runs anything like the US does today - an amendment to the constitution requires 2/3 approval from the House and Senate, then 3/4 of the individual states to ratify. Changing documents to say that you are the Emperor Over All might be doable, but those changes are not legal or permanent and won't have any effect after the purge is over.
    – iandotkelly ♦
    Mar 4, 2021 at 18:36

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
3

Laws aren’t made of zeros and ones: they only have electronic copies, which is the first problem. The second problem is that the Purge only lifts the punishments from crimes committed within the timeframe. It doesn’t give anyone any special power to change laws.

Additionally, considering what the New Founding Fathers of America are like, it seems like the legalese of the Purge law would be designed to eliminate as many threats to their rule as possible. The Purge is, after all, a political tool to keep the poor in their place (revealed in The First Purge) and even eliminate political threats (as they removed the clause about officials in Election Year to try to spur the murder of an anti-Purge politician). Even the rules themselves may have an ulterior motive: the punishment for breaking them is public hanging and the actions that remain illegal are those that pose a threat to the government (attacking officials, using high-class weapons).

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .