The “people are selfish” take is an outdated one at best, ignorant at worst.

Desperate people with major problems are often highly motivated to solve those problems, which often leads them, paradoxically, to seek out distractions that make their problems disappear, albeit temporarily. Psychologically this satisfies the brain the same as if the problems were actually solved; in other words, it’s a shortcut to the emotional end goal of satisfaction.

Is it selfish? Partly yes, but it’s not any more selfish than actually working to solve one’s problems in more permanent ways. Therefore it’s awfully reductive to ascribe this behavior to mere selfishness.

Thanks to centuries of research on human behavior & mental health that was done after Juvenal in Ancient Rome, it’s obvious that desperate & stressed people seek out distractions to self-soothe, so they can avoid burnout and continue being functioning members of society. Therefore to some extent this behavior can also be seen as selfless.

The idea of “Bread and circuses” as lavish distractions from reality is valuable insofar as it reveals the primary mechanisms deployed by governments and corporations to control the attention of the population.

By providing highly palatable mass-produced foods and entertainment, they take advantage of workers’ need to rest, recover and feel some amount of satisfaction in their daily lives. This sustains the working population just enough to put up with going to work day after day. And I haven’t even touched on how food and media are used to keep us going to the doctor and to influence our thoughts.