onenerdykidThe Vietnam War definitely showed the world that when certain people (and by no means all people, as you rightfully noted) at least think they can get away with murder, they can and will take advantage of it. There are many well known examples of our military executing and killing random civilians because they simply could and thought they could get away with it in the name of war. The Vancouver riots were, in the grand scheme of riots, fairly tame. But even still, it shows that when people at leas think they can get away with it, they will (if only a small percentage in that particular case). Many people in Vancouver thought they would still be caught if they acted illegally and for sure acted legally still. In the case of the film, 12 hours is over quickly. Some people would probably even sleep through it and not know it happened. If it were an extended period of time, for sure there would be more "laws" broken. With that said however, I do believe that people would soon realize the self-defeating nature of our natural inclination to act however we want when the fear of punishment is removed. It is not a long term plan that works as a rule for everyone to follow but rather only as an exception. So I think pure lawlessness would subside, but the majority of people would begin to operate on the "might equals right" principle where whoever is strongest or has the better weapon wins the argument.
definitely yes, some people will take advantage of getting away with murder if they think they can, but again, a very small percentage in the grand scheme of things. im not sure if it entirely has to do with people being caught as the deterrent against acting illegally/immorally/etc as much as it is the morals and notion of right versus wrong that has been instilled in us as a modern civilization.
if there was an extended, or even indefinite period of lawlessness, perhaps in the beginning there would be violence, looting, theft, etc, but I believe it would also subside, and if anything, a new albeit different form of justice and order would eventually be instilled. I think the shows "the walking dead" or the (now cancelled) show "revolution" are good examples of this, although they are fiction, I think they are at least somewhat accurate examples of how the world would definitely change, but new order and justice systems would form.
S.J.WThis is an excellent point. I remember watching a video about how humans act differently in crowds. And one of the points was how crowds dehumanize people. So in a riot no one really has an issue with smashing a window, but alone they would. Same goes for the purge, alone no one would do any crime, but put them in a situation where they are dehumanized and they would. And to another point, even though the majority of people in the war wouldn't fire their weapon. Those same people would stay inside and not purge, however the people that enjoy death would go out and purge.
Yes and no, a small percentage of people would take advantage, anecdotal evidence of the 2011 vancouver riot, I was in the downtown core for game 7, I was standing 15 feet away from the car/truck that was lit on fire, I was downtown when the whole area was locked down, I absolutely did not take part, nor did I have any desire to take part in any of the rioting, destruction, looting, etc. as did many who were there. I wandered the streets, I was hit with tear gas because I was in the wrong area at the wrong time, I watched a stampede of people run past being chased by the cloud of tear-gas. If anything, I was helping people who needed help, and then I called up my dad who was at the game (who actually was at the '94 final riot who did exactly as I did), we went to one of the many restaurants, sat down, and had a beer.
While things would definitely change, I do not believe that most would entirely abandon their morals and their sense of right versus wrong, even if the lawlessness was indefinite. Senseless violence, destruction, theft, and similar actions are just that, senseless, and I feel that most people recognize that.