How manufactured distraction masks elite power grabs
“The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.” — Steve Biko
We’re not fighting each other.
We’re being told we are.
While billionaires rig markets, write laws, and extract more than ever before, we’re fed a diet of distraction: who wore what, who said what, who to cancel, who to worship.
Culture wars and celebrity scandals dominate the headlines. Political rage becomes entertainment. Reality is replaced with performance.
Meanwhile, real decisions get made in rooms we’re not in.
Distraction is strategy.
Bread and circuses is policy.
The phrase comes from ancient Rome. Give the people food and entertainment, and they’ll ignore the empire crumbling around them.
Today’s version isn’t lions and gladiators. It’s 24/7 news cycles, viral beef, televised outrage, algorithmic dopamine, and the myth that “both sides” are the problem.
But both sides serve the same class.
The one you’re not in.
“The purpose of the modern media is to make the public passive and distracted, not informed and engaged.” – Glenn Greenwald
Who benefits from distraction?
Follow the money.
Culture wars don’t threaten capital.
They serve it.
If we’re busy hating each other, we’re not organizing. If we’re bickering about bathrooms, we’re not taxing billionaires. If we’re glued to gossip, we’re not watching the war profiteers, the surveillance state, or the bought politicians signing our futures away.
Distraction is not a side effect. It’s the point.
Manufactured chaos is cover.
Power prefers shadows.
The more noise, the less clarity.
The more conflict, the less unity.
The more fear, the more control.
Every celebrity trial, every TikTok feud, every political theater act keeps us from looking up. Keeps us consuming, not questioning. Arguing, not organizing.
“The press is not a watchdog. It’s a tool used by the powerful to manage public opinion.” – Matt Taibbi
We don’t need more sides.
We need more sight.
Start with the question: Who does this serve?
When the story goes viral, when the talking heads scream, when the rage is addictive—ask it again:
Who benefits from our attention being here?
Because the real theft isn’t always money.
Sometimes, it’s focus.
“You are being made to focus on the sideshow, while the tent burns down.” – Edward Snowden
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