At the height of their power, the Romans engaged in a practice they called “Bread and Circus.” The idea was that as long as they kept their own citizens wellfed and distracted by staging spectacular spectacles, then the leaders could get away with doing whatever nastiness they wished in the shadows — and thus the gladiatorial games of legend and lore came to be.
I have been selling Real Change for almost six years. Up until the Feb. 4 issue, I was proud of my product.
I regularly boast how effectively Real Change educates people about an issue that everyone thinks they know all about when actually it is an issue that hardly anyone knows anything about.
For a small circulation niche newspaper, Real Change has managed to collect a staff that is brilliant, passionate and truly talented.
And — up until that issue — I could count upon Real Change to keep its eyes on the prize and bypass frivolous irrelevancies.
However, for several decades I have been working as an activist on social justice issues, and I’ve seen dozens of organizations that beat their heads against walls for years and yet accomplish almost nothing because they lack the personnel and the money.
Part of the reason for this is that so many plow all of their time, energy, passion and money into our annual extravaganza known as the Super Bowl.
While I am rather ambivalent about the sport itself, the real problem I have with it is the vast over-importance that our culture places upon these games.
I have often wondered what would happen if people took even a fraction of the time, energy, passion and money that they spend on some game that is nearly meaningless and spent it instead on something that actually matters.
Another activity that at least one Roman emperor allegedly engaged in was fiddling while Rome burned.
I view the Super Bowl in a similar manner.
While this is a minority view, it is not an uncommon view. And, because of this, people like us need a refuge from such irrelevant distractions as football games.
As with the original Roman Bread and Circus, these games are intentionally meant to distract us.
Dana Walker | Olympia