Bread, Circuses, and Food Stamps
In the days of the Roman Empire, you got free food if you just showed up for the circus.
The divide between rich and poor was extreme. Rome had no middle class to speak of. The majority of citizens lived in what we would now call ghetto apartment complexes, drank free water provided by the public aquifers, and eat what ever food they could steal or get from the government. There were no farms in Rome. In fact, a lot of farms in Italy became overrun by cities. Rome was an empire dependent on outside food sources. While Gaul provided some commodities, Egypt was the true bread basket of the Empire. Hence the whole Cleopatra / Julius Ceasar / Mark Antony mess.
I'm not sure who coined the phrase, but at a certain point the government knew the only way they could stay in power was to keep the masses of Rome both fed and entertained so the masses wouldn't riot and bring Rome down. "Bread and Circuses," not in a Barnam & Bailey style, but grand theatrical events at the Colosseum. Only a few of these events actually involved lions and Christians or single combat by gladiators. And while people were being entertained, they were being fed. At least once a week, men would also roll out huge wagons full to the brim with bread for everyone.
Why am I mentioning this? Well, I'm commenting on a little thing called the modern day welfare system. And, FYI, this doesn't just happen in the United States. Lots of European countries, and even Japan, have some version of a welfare system even if they don't call it that. But the U.S.A.? Apparently, we've overly complicated the issue. See this article on Food Stamps.
So where do I get my Colosseum tickets?
The divide between rich and poor was extreme. Rome had no middle class to speak of. The majority of citizens lived in what we would now call ghetto apartment complexes, drank free water provided by the public aquifers, and eat what ever food they could steal or get from the government. There were no farms in Rome. In fact, a lot of farms in Italy became overrun by cities. Rome was an empire dependent on outside food sources. While Gaul provided some commodities, Egypt was the true bread basket of the Empire. Hence the whole Cleopatra / Julius Ceasar / Mark Antony mess.
I'm not sure who coined the phrase, but at a certain point the government knew the only way they could stay in power was to keep the masses of Rome both fed and entertained so the masses wouldn't riot and bring Rome down. "Bread and Circuses," not in a Barnam & Bailey style, but grand theatrical events at the Colosseum. Only a few of these events actually involved lions and Christians or single combat by gladiators. And while people were being entertained, they were being fed. At least once a week, men would also roll out huge wagons full to the brim with bread for everyone.
Why am I mentioning this? Well, I'm commenting on a little thing called the modern day welfare system. And, FYI, this doesn't just happen in the United States. Lots of European countries, and even Japan, have some version of a welfare system even if they don't call it that. But the U.S.A.? Apparently, we've overly complicated the issue. See this article on Food Stamps.
So where do I get my Colosseum tickets?