If you had the chance to electrocute someone to death on television to satisfy the bloodlust of a studio audience, would you do it?\u00c2\u00a0 French documentary “The Game of Death (Le Jeu Du Mort)” says, “Yep, you probably would!”<\/p>\n
The documentary led 80 participants into thinking they were shooting a French pilot for a new reality TV series called\u00c2\u00a0Zone Xtreme<\/strong><\/em> (not a real show). In the fake show, fake \u00e2\u20ac\u0153contestants\u00e2\u20ac\u009d played by actors were forced to answer questions. If they answered incorrectly, one of the participants would be asked to give the contestant an electric shock. No shocks were actually administered; the actor contestants pretended to get electrocuted. Egged on by the beautiful TV hostess and an apparently bloodthirsty studio audience shouting \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Punishment!,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d only 16 of the 80 participants stopped before reaching the final, lethal 460 volt shock. People apparently kept up the shocks even when the contestant appeared to be dead or unresponsive.
\n— Slashfilm<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nPUNITION!\u00c2\u00a0 PUNITION!\u00c2\u00a0 All I can picture is that informercial hosted by Shooter McGavin in Requiem for a Dream<\/a>.\u00c2\u00a0 Just rapid cuts and text flying all over the screen and chanting and people getting electrocuted to death. \u00c2\u00a0 “This… drives… most… people… crazy.”\u00c2\u00a0 Only 16 out of 80 people stopped!\u00c2\u00a0 Like, just ignore the fact that you’re killing an innocent person and the moral implications that come along with that<\/em>; at the very least, wouldn’t you be afraid that you’d be convicted of manslaughter?\u00c2\u00a0 With videotaped evidence?\u00c2\u00a0 On the other hand, maybe the participants were just living out their Emperor Palpatine fantasies.\u00c2\u00a0 Puissaaaaaaaaaaaaance illimit\u00c3\u00a9e!<\/p>\n
This does not bode well for the human race.\u00c2\u00a0 Only one man can get away with electrocuting people while still being an ok dude, and that man is Dr. Peter Venkman of Columbia University.\u00c2\u00a0 You may remember Dr. Venkman’s case study<\/a> wherein he analyzed the effects of negative reinforcement in relation to ESP ability.\u00c2\u00a0 Using a set of specialized playing cards marked with various shapes, he asked his test subjects to focus their ESP ability and guess which shapes were present on the cards.\u00c2\u00a0 If they guessed incorrectly, he administered an electric shock.\u00c2\u00a0 If he wanted to bang the subject, he’d tell them that whatever they guessed was correct and charm the pants off them.\u00c2\u00a0 Following his work at Columbia, Dr. Venkman went on to pilot the Statue of Liberty using an NES controller and fight an evil painting with happy slime.<\/p>\n
But back to The Game of Death, the French documentary that for a few minutes made me upset for mankind, and then just made me think of movies that featured people getting electrocuted (The Green Mile, Faces of Death IV, Ernest Goes to Jail). \u00c2\u00a0Would this fly in America? \u00c2\u00a0Wouldn’t we be all, “Git ‘r dun” and then try to overthrow the maniacal game show host? \u00c2\u00a0We’re Americans! \u00c2\u00a0We’re not gonna let some fake game show host tell us who should live or die! \u00c2\u00a0Like, “Let’s roll,” or some shit! Right? \u00c2\u00a0Guys?<\/p>\n