Bread and circuses

The fall of the Merican Roman Empire?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread_and_circuses

“In a political context, the phrase bread and circuses means to generate public approval, not by excellence in public service or public policy, but by diversion, distraction, or by satisfying the most immediate or base requirements of a populace,[1] by offering a palliative: for example food (bread) or entertainment(circuses). Juvenal originally used it to decry the "selfishness" of common people and their neglect of wider concerns.[2][3][4] The phrase implies a population's erosion or ignorance of civic duty as a priority.[citation needed]”

What’s the only difference between GOP and DNC political campaigning and support of our political industrial complex?  DIMS have more bread and better entertainment.

Why else would we be at a voting statistical tie?  Even if all the polls are bullshit

Bill Alstrom (MAtoMainetoMA)

…oh…excuse me…except for the ones that were strangely and strongly advocating a Clinton victory, or the ones predicting a Harris victory…or whatever is convenient.

For those too sensitive to see the parallels to Rome and desire to blame false equivalence in order to defend their chosen candidates should be reminded it’s not just about the reflection of the candidate, it’s also a reflection of us as citizens.  Et all…

Fascism has always had a certain familiarity in our country.  Today, tomorrow and yester-year.

Fascism today…

Fascism yester-year

Fascism tomorrow…

I previously wrote about our nation’s comfort with fascism:

https://open.substack.com/pub/darryllamarkwright/p/wowwelcome-to-the-revolution?r=wpdsx&utm_medium=ios

I am reminded I am not the only person appreciating political satire:

Dr. Seuss comics

The Forgotten Files

And of course American domestic policy needs the appropriate intersectionality with American foreign policy, right?  Enter the scent of our own narcissism as we turn to the Middle East and our spoiled cousin Israel, entitled Saudi royalty and Ayatollah stained Persians, where every xenophobic discomfort is enabled and allowed to be reflected in religious extremist expression (to include genocide), in order to justify hijacking territory as an extension of Apartheid and Jim Crow practices.  Because we all know that those whom have been abused make the worst abusers.

What’s the turning point, and what’s the cost?  It’s never cheap, fast or good.  The greatest generation finally entered world war 2 only because yellow racism trumped German Nazi complaisant familiarity…just as surely as COVID was the only thing that guaranteed a Trump defeat in 2020.

I hope I am wrong.  But wow…all the ingredients are there to make the 1984 pastry from fucking scratch.

Vote.  Vote for the DIMs.  They are clearly the least worst choice.  I would say they are the only choice, but then my words could be twisted again by false equivalence into double speak. But does binary math lie?

Have time for a #slowtravel pit stop?

More old movies? 

But of course. 

And with our favorite time of year, Halloween kickstarting the Fall season, celebrating would be incomplete without seeing the 1987 film, Lost Boys.

It was an extra treat to see it on a jumbo screen on the rooftop underneath the stars (well…as few you can see in LA) of the Montalbàn theatre Hollywood, CA.  Complete with love seat, my love, and a blanket to snuggle.