#bread & circuses

[callmeizukunotdeku]

I was a kid with a Hunger Games hyperfixation and, from time to time, I'll get reminded of the books. With Trump's inauguration and the TikTok ban and unban, I can't stop thinking about a political tactic called panem et circenses, or bread and circuses.

In Mockingjay, Collins writes "'It’s a saying from thousands of years ago, written in a language called Latin about a place called Rome,' he explains. 'Panem et Circenses translates into "Bread and Circuses." The writer was saying that in return for full bellies and entertainment, his people had given up their political responsibilities and therefore their power.'"

In Collins' world, the Hunger Games was the entertainment. In ours, it's social media. Twitter, Meta, TikTok, are all controlled by political powers. Musk, Zuckerberg. TikTok is owned by Yiming and Rubo, but with the ban and unban, the content it shows in America is filtered to fit Trump's political agenda.

It's entertainment at the cost of information.

[trek-tracks]

kidnappers of outer space, beware

[skybson]

My Top 25 Costumes from Star Trek : The Original Series

10. When Spock Wears a Beanie

[spirk-trek]

"it was the 60s!!! they had to stand that close to each other to be in frame!!!"

uh huh sure buddy whatever you gay- i mean gay- i mean gay- i mean say

[purpleenma]

Same energy

Bread and Circuses s02 ep25

[apodemus-sylvaticus]

Wow, this moment is so explicitly spirk-y.

Here's Bones being unreasonably nasty to Spock, as he often is:

As soon as Spock challenges Bones' statement about Spock's inability to feel, Bones like "good point, there's that whole thing you have for Jim, my bad". And Spock doesn't even pretend it's not correct, doesn't roll eyes or lift eyebrows or anything, because that is what he meant by the "Really?".

[starberry-cupcake]

out of context bread and circuses selection

meanwhile, jim:

[lichqueenlibrarian]

*incoherent screeching*

[annierosaart]

many arknights fans are scarily susceptible to laterano's propaganda

[t0ast-ghost]

What’s so interesting about star trek tos is that all this crazy batshit stuff happens but it’s never brought up again. BUT not only that, the characters still gradually change. Their relationships with each other grow. Stuff evolves. It’s not like, ‘well that happened, time to reset!’ It’s more like, ‘things happened that are never going to be mentioned ever again but we have still changed.’ And it’s fucking baffling

[spockeveryday]

[davidaugust]

The problem with relying on bread and circuses to keep the populace pacified is you need to actually provide the circuses and lower the price of bread.

[trek-tracks]

A life

[gunstreet]

he's so pretty I hate him so much

[spirk-trek]

S2E25: Bread and Circuses ⋆.˚ ✧ · ˚⊹

[puppyfail]

this truly is THE picture of spock. it's my absolute favorite. every time i see it i stare at it for like a good 5 minutes. the lighting, his beautiful features and physique,,,sighs dreamily