Bread and Circuses

Radio, newspapers and magazines are full of stories of celebrity misadventure, political malfeasance and generally bad behavior. “Hiking the Appalachian Trail” is the new catchphrase for the liaisons of political bedfellows and we’ve just lived through four days of the aftermath to Michael Jackson’s untimely death.

These stories can divert us from news that really matters such as the continuing global economic trauma and unrest throughout the Mideast, much of Africa and parts of Southeast Asia. Sometimes it seems there’s a magician whose fast talk and fast hands are distracting us so that the illusion will startle us. But the illusion needs to be exploded. We need to see the reality underneath.

I’m not blaming the media. Bread and circuses have distracted people since long before the invention of the printing press. Juvenal deplored the petty actions of politicians about 1800 years ago when he wrote about how the people were giving up their birthright of political involvement as Roman citizens for free wheat (bread) and costly entertainments (circuses). But a free society requires an active and informed citizenry.

Congress will be voting soon on healthcare reform and energy policy. If you haven’t called or written your Congressman about these issues, why haven’t you? If you haven’t called your NYS Senator’s office to deplore or applaud their recent actions—depending on your viewpoint—why haven’t you?

I realize that the bread and circuses have been even more appetizing and distracting than usual, but the real issues continue. In the current recession the bread is likely to become less tasty so the time to start noticing what’s happening in Washington and Albany is right now.