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not couriered immediately to Pilot ’ s Palace , but it seems that in the intervening years , that that message had been superseded and that the Juvenal Diet was the norm in first century Rome .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