It’s Not Just ‘The Purge’ in Baltimore — There’s a History of Linking Violence to Pop Culture

A building on fire as protests following the death of Freddie Gray continue in Baltimore, Maryland. John Taggart/EPA

By Allison Pohle @AllisonPohle

Less than a minute to read

Baltimore city school students used social media to circulate a flyer that referenced a “purge’’ scheduled to take place Monday afternoon. Released in 2013, the film The Purge chronicles the one night a year when there are no laws.

While USA Today showed most people who cited the movie were comparing scenes from the Baltimore riots to the movie, CNN reported that the rioting might’ve been inspired by the film.

This isn’t the first time violent films, songs, and pieces of pop culture have been cited as inspiration for violent events.

Here are some other instances when people have linked violence to pop culture:

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