Bread and Circuses

The scenario is somewhat reminiscent of the Hunger Games trilogy: Some conspiracy theorists claim that the world‘s popula- tion is secretly being steered according to the principle of bread and circuses. Allegedly, the elites would use their omnipotence via the mass media and the entertainment industry to distract people from important issues such as political corruption or social injustice with trivial and superficial offerings. The constant stream of mindless content (such as sports, reality shows, and celebrity gossip) is an attempt to infantilize people to control them more easily. However, the theory is implausible simply because there is no all-encompassing universal media empire, but rather a multitude of independent media groups with different interests and stances.