False Idols: How Diversion is Destroying Democracy

The ancient Roman poet and satirist Juvenal stated that people were distracted by "bread and circuses" rather than engaged in their civic duty. Juvenal argued these bread and circuses, or basic needs and entertainment, consumed the thoughts and lives of the average Roman no matter what was happening in the Republic around them. The powerful political forces in society used many different forms of distraction to enable them to do what they wanted unimpeded by the masses.

'False Idols: How Div...