In ancient
Rome, bread and circuses were an effective way for Emperors to keep the great unwashed from
noticing that life was crap, democracy was something Greeks did and that
there were only so many orgies you could have.
And, dear readers, it appears that modern governments are doing the same in
2018 for the same reason, although this time the bread is gluten-free, circuses have been replaced by video games and there are definitely less orgies (although it could just be circles I move in). And, what have these delights been
replaced by I hear you ask? And the sad answer is, reality TV shows.
And it's working. Why? Because we have the collective attention span of the average goldfish. Gone are
the days of 15 minutes of fame. Migod 15 minutes is a modern-day
eternity for today's masses. Nowadays, you’re lucky if you can get
anyone to focus for 15 seconds.
Can you imagine a circus today? The hapless
lion would scarcely be out of the gates before people would shuffling their
feet and desperately looking up to find meaning in the flight of the swallows. By the time
the lions had cornered a prisoner, people would be holding up thumbs down
signals and leaving. Where was the drama? The smut? There was no
double-crossing, no guards selling illicit anti-lion spray, and no-one was
drunk. Except, perhaps, the emperor.
We watch people racing around the world doing
silly tasks, getting stranded and starved on islands; tattooing each other for
fun or revenge; marrying complete strangers; escaping Amish compounds, or
losing 5000 kg in less time than it takes your parents to find you a spouse.
And there appears to be no level to which we will not sink. Every week or month, there is something new that’s offered
to keep us tuned in – like sticking your face into a bowl of scorpions or driving
a car off a pier. There’s even a show that you can watch other people watching
television. Wait? What? Yes. It’s called Gogglebox and you can sit and watch
people’s reactions to whatever drivel they’re watching on TV. I feel confident
that they would never ask me because all they’d get was me drooling and the dog
snoring on the sofa. Or vice versa. Either way, it's hardly riveting stuff.
Your sex life, body parts, weird growths, pets and stupidity are tried and trusted ways for you to get your coveted 15 seconds, and the voters to forget that we're in a hand-basket that appears to be going one way.
It's a sad
state of affairs and if I’m honest, I’d be far happier with an old crust and a moth-eaten
lion.
