Bread and Circuses

Warning: May cause awkward conversations with football diehards and those still in Plato's cave.

"Bread and circuses" (Latin: panem et circenses) is a phrase originating from the Roman poet Juvenal in his Satires (circa 100 AD). It refers to the strategy used by Roman politicians to maintain public approval by providing free grain (bread) and extravagant entertainment (circuses, such as gladiator games) to distract citizens from political and societal issues. The term has since become a critique of superficial appeasement tactics used to pacify the public through consumerism and spectacle instead of meaningful reform.