Bread and Circuses

Mass Culture and Social Decay

Morning Comrades.

Another morning of waking up and no matter where you looked, you were inundated with a fever pitch of US propaganda, bewildering especially if you are not living in the US and yes, I am referring to the Super Bowl. Monday morning I rode my bike into town to meet with a friend and I saw 5 massive billboards, digital advertising spaces that promoted the super bowl, the narratives spun and what not. In Hamburg, Germany. There are a handful of people that play American Football here and yet it felt like a major German sporting event had taken place. I am not even going to get into the abuse of public for this sort of nonsense, and yet, here I was in town, with a friend, talking about a brutal propaganda show for the US ruling class’ narrative.

I am not a sports fan, I enjoy sports but the spectacle around these sort of events eludes me. Sport to me has always been very practical, fitness, mental health and being able to slap the shit out of nazis, or, and this happened just as often, being able to outrun these knuckleheads. It would then appear obvious that I see these events with disdain, but there is more to it. Granted, and this just as important despite singling out the Super Bowl, the same has to be said for Football tournaments as they organized by FIFA etc. Yet, the Super Bowl has to be singled out for the sheer density of narrative control it represents and aims to achieve, and the distractions it aims to create by the ruling class. One dares to remember last years Super Bowl and how Israel’s invasion of Rafah coincided.

The phrase "bread and circuses" encapsulates a concept deeply rooted in the political and social landscape of ancient Rome. Its origin can be traced back to the satirical writings of the Roman poet Juvenal in the late 1st and early 2nd centuries AD. In his satires, Juvenal criticised the Roman elite for pacifying the masses with superficial entertainment and material goods, rather than addressing the underlying issues of poverty, inequality, and political corruption.

The phrase itself, "panem et circenses" in Latin, refers to the provision of free bread (panem) and extravagant public spectacles (circenses) such as gladiatorial games, chariot races, and theatrical performances. These were employed by the ruling class as a means of distracting and placating the populace, diverting their attention away from the realities of their daily struggles and grievances.

The provision of free bread, distributed through state-sponsored programs like the "annona," was a form of welfare intended to alleviate hunger among the urban poor. It served not only as a means of subsistence but also as a tool for social control, fostering a sense of dependency on the government and discouraging dissent.

Meanwhile, the lavish spectacles held in arenas like the Colosseum served multiple purposes. They provided entertainment and diversion for the masses, offering an escape from the harshness of everyday life. They also served as a display of wealth and power by the ruling elite, reinforcing their status and authority in the eyes of the public. Additionally, these spectacles served a political function, as emperors and politicians used them to cultivate popular support and legitimize their rule through public adulation.

However, Juvenal's use of the phrase "bread and circuses" was not merely a critique of the Roman aristocracy's manipulation of the masses. It also conveyed a deeper commentary on the erosion of civic virtue and the decline of Roman society. Juvenal lamented the loss of political engagement and moral integrity among the Roman people, who had become passive and apathetic in the face of corruption and tyranny.

Let’s get into it.

Modern Sporting Events as a Tool of Capitalist Distraction