The “Bread and Circuses” Aren’t All That Distracting

Super Bowl Sunday doesn’t distract us from societal ills, it reminds us of them.

“Give them bread and circuses, and they will never revolt.”

Juvenal, Roman poet

What happens when politics enters the coliseum? Bad Bunny’s halftime show was polarizing because racists decided to conflate celebrating Latin culture with being anti-American. The Kid Rock-starring Turning Point “halftime show,” pre-recorded and botted to hell, was a reminder of the white nationalists who’d rather be petty and pathetic than normal. Gambling, AI, and surveillance tech dominated the commercial breaks; even when we just wanted to sing Backstreet Boys, the moment was ruined when Coinbase pulled the mask off. On Sunday, we couldn’t evade our collective dystopia at any point of the night. These days, even the segments of society supposedly meant to sedate us into a false sense of comfort are unnerving. But deeper reflection reveals that Super Bowl night has always been a political propaganda tool.

The NFL Super Bowl telecast had three nationalist songs performed, an air force jet flyover (after Trump previously said he wouldn’t allow one to fly because Bad Bunny), and a random shot of saluting air force soldiers in “the Middle East” (that a party guest of mine surmised may have been the cadre of soldiers aiming at Iran). I’m curious how many of us pause to think about how bizarre it is that we commence games with the national anthem, and that we’re expected to laud military personnel and their imperialistic weapons when we just wanna see some guys shoot hoops or run into the endzone.