bread and circuses theme

A government divert common people from paying attention to public policy issues by satisfying their most immediate or base requirements.

Examples

The two main parties of England formed a coalition government and encouraged the success of pop singer Steven Shorter to placate the masses and divert them from political activity in "Privilege" (1967).

3 total · 2 major · 1 minor

StoryLevelMotivation
movie: Privilege (1967) major The two main parties of England formed a coalition government and encouraged the success of pop singer Steven Shorter to placate the masses and divert them from political activity.
movie: Rollerball (1975) major World running corporate executives presumably used Rollerball to distract the public from political matters.
tc1983e07 minor Julius Caesar derived much of his power from bread and circuses policies in Rome, and said as much.