Bread and Circuses

It’s been a rough few years. We survived a global pandemic and an attempted insurrection. But did we really survive?

The never ending news cycle inundating us with negative political discourse has left us more divided than ever.  Many of us seem content to argue with each other 280 characters at a time, exchanging sharp witted jabs for a fleeting moment of notoriety. This practice might makes us feel good for a few moments, but the consequence is the continued fracturing of communities. Different factions continue lobbing occasional bombs, oblivious to the fact that they are damaging themselves just as much as others.
 
The most reasonable among us have retreated from social media entirely. Their departure has lulled many of us into thinking this very loud bubble we live in reflects the broader sentiments of our communities.

What if we’re wrong? 

The saying Bread and Circuses is often used in the political arena to signify when politicians opt for public approval through populist maneuvering instead of investing their political capital in well thought out and carefully crafted public policy. Politicians who engage in populist maneuvering temporarily satisfy the public with immediate and shallow solutions to help them retain their seats in their next elections. These shallow solutions typically wind up harming the people elected officials took an oath to serve, since they aren’t well thought out, are often unfunded, and steal focus away from potential solutions with a greater chance of success.

We invite you to help communities throughout Nevada move beyond where we are in this moment.