It was the Roman poet Juvenal who wrote of his nation, a failed republic that had deteriorated into empire: “The People have abdicated our duties … [the People] now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: bread and circuses.” He saw that merely giving people bare necessities and entertainment was all that was needed to make them docile. The common adage of “history repeats itself,” holds true, as in the modern day, there is another nation on the precipice of a fate like that of the Romans. Americans have given up their power. They are consumed by distractions; they are watching a circus.
Ask yourself, reader, when was the last time you thought about a policy. Not about an election, not about candidates or parties, but about policy itself. I would wager it has not been recently, if at all. And even if you say to yourself “Well, I have,” then consider when you last heard a conversation about it.
So, how have we spent our time instead? Well, sports, reality TV, social media, celebrity drama. I mean, who would watch a boring Senate hearing when you could be watching the Real Housewives throwing wine on each other? The majority would take the latter option. I admit I indulge in a YouTube rabbit hole time-to-time myself. To be clear, there is nothing wrong with these, and it is perfectly natural to indulge in distractions. The issue comes when they take over the totality of our disposable time.
The freedom to vote, to influence and shape the very institutions that govern us, is something that generations of Americans have fought for, even given up their lives for. Yet many of us here at the University of Connecticut do not take the time to vote each year, let alone in a primary. The act of voting, of exercising our freedoms, is seen as too much of a hassle. Excuses of “I am really busy right now,” “I don’t have the time” and “There are no good candidates” are commonplace.
If you want the country to change, how can you expect anyone to care if you don’t vote? There is one thing politicians care about most, even more than money, and that is votes. From local to federal elections, they know who turns out and they cater to those people. But many of us do not vote, preferring instead to dedicate our time to our various distractions and then complaining when the country goes in directions we did not want.
Of course, the onus falls not just on the people. We have been influenced heavily by the media machine, created by some of the biggest corporations and billionaires in this country to make us dumber and more easily manipulated. When looking at the original television networks that took to the airwaves in the 1940s, there is a common throughline. They were all major corporations from the start that were in the hands of a few rich elites. As the years passed, the landscape of television changed,but the throughline of rich elitist control stayed consistent. Cable television emerged and was used to control not just the American people’s purchasing habits, but their voting habits as well.
The biggest and most prolific offender of this phenomenon is Roger Ailes and Fox News. In a Nixon administration memo entitled “A Plan For Putting the GOP on TV News,” Ailes wrote that, “People are lazy. With television you just sit — watch — listen. The thinking is done for you.” Two decades later, when Ailes founded Fox News, he created a news network that did just that. Opinionated hosts spun narratives in favor of one party over another and selected stories that skewed the viewer’s perspective. And you know what? It worked. For two decades now Fox News has dominated the ratings. As private companies, what did the other networks do? They adapted and followed suit. But it is not just companies, politicians did too.
Consider modern American politics. The president, rather than spending time at the White House, is holding regular campaign rallies for an election that he cannot even run for, rallies he has never stopped holding since 2015. Every politician, on both sides of the political spectrum, is constantly vying for that viral social media post, the next “covfefe.” Even our Congressional hearings are turning into a circus. Just look at Pam Bondi’s recent performance in the House: carrying a burn book holding prepared insults towards congresspeople, answering nonpartisan questions with shouting and accusations. Frankly, all she was missing was a glass of wine in hand and it would have been “The Real Housewives of DC.”
Politics has turned into a spectacle, a circus. It is no longer about who has the better policies or the interests of the American people in mind, but rather about who can be the loudest, say or do the most outrageous thing or drum up the media machine more. We are so dazzled by the show that we fail to see the truth of our government for what it is: rampantly corrupt, elitist and in service of big money rather than the people.
Do not worry, there is hope. If you really do care, gather together with other like-minded folks. Form a coalition and take action.The curse of apathy and deference to the circus in this country can also serve as a blessing. It only takes a group of 50 people to call a congressperson to really get their attention on an issue. Step by step, little by little, Americans can take back the reins and become the ringmaster rather than just a spectator. And remember … VOTE!