Anon
Bread and Circuses or Loaves and Fishes: A balanced Diet?
It was Juvenal who wrote that“ Give them bread and circuses and they will never revolt.”
Those suggesting that the masses can so easily be rendered compliant tend to be regarded as cynics. but then isn’ t a cynic what an idealist calls a realist?
Of course, Warburton’ s and Chipperfield’ s don’ t cut it today, but can’ t they be updated to read Royal Birth / Wedding etc.
For month’ s ahead of the most recent events, we were swamped with every conceivable( pun intended) scenario, every piece of mindless trivia, endless speculation about the sartorial nature of bridal gowns, christening robes and – of course- baby’ s names.
Sadly, all around the country, people who could ill-afford to do so were sending gifts that would never be received, to people who would never open them and whose privileged positions rendered such presents utterly superfluous to the new parents or the couple embarking on a life together.
Then there were the merchandisers who flooded the market with tasteless tat – no doubt with considerable commercial success.
Still, it did seem( albeit inexplicably) to engender some happiness in the givers, despite the indifference of the recipients.
The Loaves and Fishes went to those in need and were not couriered immediately to Pilot’ s Palace, but it seems that in the intervening years, that that message had been superseded and that the Juvenal Diet was the norm in first century Rome.
Of course, it would be neither fair nor accurate to suggest that only the Royal Family fills this role in our current civilisation.
We have music, sport and the innately comforting feeling of knowing that there are always people, in our case most people, who are worse off than you are!
The establishment got it wrong with Saddam Hussein’ s Iraq and should, perhaps, have looked closer to home for ……………………
Weapons of Mass Distraction!
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Anon