Bread & Circuses… Why the Obsession with Media Trivia As World In Turmoil – Are People Stupid?
Westminster Fly emails – 22 May…
Talk about ‘bread and circuses’ [Definition: entertainment or political policies used to keep the mass of people happy and docile]…
The world’s going to hell on a handcart and yet the headlines screaming from just about everywhere for the last three days have been about ‘Holly and Phil’ from daytime TV. Who watches this stuff anyway? I should think most of the population is already at work when it’s on…
Editor writes…
Is this obsession with media trivia related to the spiritual blindness which was essentially foretold at Fatima? Is such nonsense proof of the diabolical disorientation in the world and the Church foretold in those apparitions?
Today, Feast of Feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians, is a timely reminder of the importance of the Fatima prophecies, but if this latest media madness is not evidence of diabolical disorientation – what then? Your thoughts…
Comments (34)
I always think that the modern media is distracting everyone away from what is happening in the real world. Everywhere you go, you see people on their mobile phones, scrolling away, they are playing games and listening to music, and the same on Facebook where they are constantly distracted into focussing on the trivia in this world.
CS Lewis in The Screwtape Letters writes about how the devil uses distractions to take us away from God. Even if we are in a spiritual frame of mind after reading a holy book or whatever, the ordinary everyday things of life make us forget any good resolutions we’ve made.
It’s important to be aware of this and guard against it. I am trying to keep my children from mobiles etc for as long as possible to give them a good grounding in the spiritual life and the dangers of all this but I am surprised at the Catholic parents who just allow their children to indulge in modern communications without maybe realising the dangerous bad habits they are letting them get into.
Catherine you make a great point but you also know that Modern Media has its good as well as bad .
I mean just think of the Pope would we have known half of the Evil He does to the Church and Faith if not for MSM.
Then of course their is good Sites such as Catholic Truth. I agree with you though about Facebook Etc but even on there their are Good Sites . One such is A Million Strong Traditional Catholics .
Catherine,
I agree with you. I cannot understand why anyone would give a child a smartphone. It’s like handing them a loaded gun. My older children have cheap, plastic mobile phones that look that they came from the Ark! They can do two things – call and text. There are only 5 or 6 family members’ numbers and they are not permitted to give their phone number to anyone. Same goes with tablets. They have no access to the internet whatsoever, apart from my oldest son who is doing Highers right now. Even then, he uses my device and only in company. It really is like handing children a loaded gun.
Catherine,
I agree with you. Some years ago, I knew a family and the (Catholic) mother didn’t even have a TV in the home (internet / smartphones weren’t on the scene then). Her children didn’t miss what they never had, and were well balanced and more concerned with outdoor and sporting activities. They were coming along nicely. Then the (non-Catholic) father decided that he’d had enough and he wanted a TV, so went out and bought one. He became a TV couch potato and in my opinion, the children went downhill from there.
Catherine,
Sadly, there are several families in our traditional parish whose teenagers have been given the latest cell phones, and who thus are unable to put them down for more than two minutes at a time, in-between texting their friends or God knows what else that requires some vacuous response. You might think this would be an ideal mortification for Advent and Lent, but I haven’t noticed any such withdrawal.
RCA Victor,
Well said. I am just astounded to see the majority of young people out and about who are glued to their phones and I do wonder at the mentality of their parents. What’s that saying again… Stupid is as stupid does!
Personally I don’t try, I do avoid anything like these 2 so called Prema Donnas .But look at anything that goes as News and these 2 are Top of The Bill .
Who actually cares about these 2 and as you say who watches them on TV anyhow ,I don’t even know or care which station their on .
Diabolical is correct, am sure these 2 arnt looking at their Gas or Electric Meters practically daily. Grossly overpaid just like the rest of them. Not only that they of course do adverts and voice overs. If their on the BBC surely it’s time for that Licence to be scrapped. Am now paying that forced £164 a year Tax and as we say – It sticks in my Craw- to even give them a Penny.
FOOF
Phil and Holly were on ITV a morning show called This Morning which I never watch. I’ve seen clips of it on YouTube but that’s all. They are all grossly overpaid these celebs and as you say won’t be worrying about their energy bills like most ordinary people are.
Well I’m not usually known for quoting Karl Marx, but he described religion as the ‘opium of the masses’ because he claimed it “distorted reality and numbed the pain of the proletariat’s oppression”. Of course, Marx’s claims were false, but if there is an ‘opium of the masses’ today, then it must surely be the mainstream media – and that includes everything from TV to radio to things like smartphones, social media and ‘playstations’. It’s just fiddling while Rome burns. The majority of people (certainly in the West) frequently gravitate towards this rubbish as an antidote to their empty and meaningless lives. Also, even when the genuine turmoil in this world gets a look in on MSM (you know, maybe squeeze in 30 seconds between ‘Holly and Philgate’ to discuss a potential WWIII situation), even the facts of the genuine turmoil are nearly always misrepresented to suit the New World Order agenda.
westminsterfly,
Well said. And here’s an interesting little glitch: as I was researching articles to post and link to this topic, my internet connection went off several times. Hmmm….
RCA Victor
LOLOL! Have a peep out your window and see if there are any men there wearing white coats (or worse).
WF . Your correct about Computer Games . I walk my Dog every evening and go through 3 Football Parks.
When I was young on good night’s weather wise the 3 of these fields would have been Full with us all playing Football.
Most young ones would now rather play it on a P.C.
Without a Doubt the Biggest Health problems in Scotland is Obesity. Their were no Fat Kids in my Youth.
I go into my local Town to shop and it’s plain to see the results of this with young Men and Women using Zimmers.
Westminsterfly
Yes, I agree entirely. The enemies of God and man have control of all things media and they use this vehicle to push the atheistic materialist agenda. The young in particular have been raised in this poisoned atmosphere. I see young people everywhere walking around with those ear buds stuck in their lugs blasting horrendous noise they call music – rap with a silent ‘C’ and other such banshee rackets. Then there’s the noise of the gaming consoles and the depressing noise of TV and radio. Everywhere is noise and atheism, there’s no peace and no tranquility amidst any of it for the mind and soul to repose and reflect on God. It’s quite deliberate, as are these daily scandal stories that drag on – Philgate, Harry & Megan and a host of other meaningless distractions from goodness and virtue.
Athanasius,
Your post reminds me of CS Lewis description of hell: the kingdom of noise.
I’d say that the sensational, the lurid, the lascivious and the horrific (i.e. the stuff of the media) are guaranteed to draw a big audience – whereas truth, spoken in that “still, small voice,” will draw few.
Years ago I read information to the effect that not long after TV was invented, its potential for mass mind control was immediately explored and implemented. Having just searched for more information on that subject, I found much more than I bargained for. Here are two examples, both rather lengthy:
Brainwashing the cybernetic spectator: The Ipcress File, 1960s cinematic spectacle and the sciences of mind: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5528197/
Television Scientifically Proven to be a Tool of Hypnosis/Subliminal Control; Confirmed by US Patents: https://stillnessinthestorm.com/2020/02/disclosure-television-scientifically-proven-to-be-a-tool-of-hypnosis-subliminal-control-confirmed-by-us-patents/
(this second site seems to be a little new-age wacky, but contains some interesting information)
RCAVictor
I was a TV service engineer for 5 years in my younger days. I remeber being taught at college that mind control had been tested early on with Television, early 60s if I recall correctly. The subliminal experiment was so frighteningly successful that the government at the time forbade any further experiments of that sort on the population. Of course, different types of governments today and the subliminal messaging is rife.
It’s not just the constant stream of false narratives we should fear, it’s the subliminal stuff that they transmit to the subconscious mind. The tragedy with th elatter is that most folk don’t even know it’s happening to them.
Athanasius,
Yes, the Covid scam demonstrated just how effectively this mass hypnosis works. Truly frightening, but also, I hope, the cause of much red-pilling. I hope this topic will also cause some red-pilling….
Athanasius, and not for the first time, hits on something essential which is how we are unconsciously manipulated by the media. The rise of so-called gay and, more recently, trans culture, for example, is a function of media manipulation which has been going on now for the better part of four decades. Anti-Christian sentiment is the same. People can, it seems, be manipulated over time into believing anything, even that a man can turn himself into a woman just by saying that he is such, something which would have been almost unthinkable even ten years ago.
So many of us don’t realize that we enter a hall of mirrors when we surrender ourselves to the mass media, ending up out of touch with reality and out of touch with ourselves. It is, in my opinion, the main reason in our age that people fail to mature spiritually. People need truth. They also need silence in which to listen to God who speaks to them through their consciences.
The Hollys and Phils of this world are ciphers, i.e. worthless in themselves but used by higher-ups to project and maintain the collective narrative. In other words, they have sold their souls. It is not by chance that such people are often deeply unhappy and troubled, because the devil pursues a ruthless logic of diminishing returns on a huge investment. For him. it is all about letting you think you have your cake, but not quite giving it to you and never letting you eat it.
Want to grow spiritually? Drastically reduce your exposure to the likes of Holly and Phil.
RCA Victor,
I’ve just taken a read through your first link and it’s fascinating. I copied this here to share:
Within the history of ‘brainwashing’, as with the histories of hypnosis and mesmerism, it is possible to trace the interweaving of at least three threads: the popular imagery of mind control; scientific discourses on what makes a human mind vulnerable to influence; and the era’s favoured forms of mass media for communicating these images and ideas.
The words “mind control” and “influence” jumped out at me. We do need to be on our guard all the time – nothing is what it seems to be.
Josephine,
I’d say the media world is nothing but a house of mirrors.
Some of you older bloggers (excluding Editor, of course, who does not identify as “older”) may remember the TV shows of Rod Serling: “The Twilight Zone” and “The Outer Limits.” Serling was actually an outspoken, highly intelligent political activist whose views often got him into trouble with “them.”
Here he is talking about “pre-censorship,” a process that affects media writers (or used to, at any rate):
https://jjmilt.substack.com/p/twilight-zone-creator-rod-serling
Scroll down about a third to view his interview with Mike Wallace, from the 1950s. The whole article, however, is well worth reading, as it gives insight into what areas (i.e. truth) the media must not stray.
RCA Victor,
You got THAT right – I identify as 29, not a single day over 😀
LOLOL re RCA and editor.
RCA Victor,
You talking about The Twilight Zone reminded me – there’s nothing wrong with a bit of TV, especially if it’s innocent and helps you to relax for an hour or so. I’m a sucker for all the old 1950’s black and white box sets from the USA and the UK: Alfred Hitchcock’s Half Hour; The Four Just Men; Gideon’s Way; The Untouchables; Dial 999; Maigret; The Edgar Wallace Mysteries; The Fugitive; The Saint etc. Things like that. I’m interested to learn what other people like to watch in order to avoid the mainstream trash.
WF,
I’ve just this minute seen your post of May 25 at 3.54pm and it was in the “trash” folder in admin! I have no idea why it went into that folder, so my sincere apologies for only now seeing/releasing it.
Worth the wait, though because I’ve been hoping for a very long time to find Dial 999 on one of the TV channels – please point me in the right direction…
Editor,
Yes, I wondered what happened to that comment. I’ll be claiming damages. Just add it to my WELL overdue pay cheque. The whole series of Dial 999 is available on DVD box set, https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dial-999-Complete-Robert-Beatty/dp/B08YF11YTK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1GHKVXXF9AX8B&keywords=dial+999+the+complete+series+dvd&qid=1685474721&sprefix=dial+999%2Caps%2C297&sr=8-1 for under £30, and it is also shown occasionally on Talking Pictures TV channel (Freeview Channel 82 in England – not sure if it’s the same in Scotland) along with most of the other series I mentioned. The Talking Pictures TV schedule is put on the internet a month in advance and can be printed off:- https://talkingpicturestv.co.uk/schedule Happy viewing!
WF
Just let YOUR avatar contact MY avatar and we’ll sort something out to recompense you – it’s only fair, I accept that.
As for “Dial 999” – I can now see that we are talking about two different “Dial 999s”. In fact, my mistake; it’s an entirely different film. I was thinking of Sorry, Wrong Number. NOT Dial 999. What am I like?
For the removal of all doubt, that last is a completely rhetorical question 😀
Talking Pictures have a lot of good old 40’s/50’s/60’s films as well – in fact, I think that ‘Sorry, Wrong Number’ might have been on it already. But don’t worry, they show films more than once. There was a brilliant film on the other day starring the same actress, called ‘Crime of Passion’. I won’t ruin the plot in case you see it in the future . . . (incidentally, they do show films from the 70’s/80’s/90’s sometimes, but I don’t really care for those too much).
WF
Thank you for that – I will search for Talking Pictures in due course.
Westminsterfly,
On the subject (sort of) of old TV shows I’ve gotten into the habit of finding old WWII movies on YouTube to watch on Sunday nights, when I’m ready to veg after a hard week of slaving over a hot computer keyboard to keep Editor happy with my pontifications.
One of my favorites is “Twelve O’clock High,” starring Gregory Peck. One reason I like these so much is that they portray Western civilization defending itself with incredible determination, heroism and self-sacrifice, as opposed to the servile surrender to perversion and the various globalist mirages of modern times.
RCA Victor,
A friend of mine watches old films on YouTube as well. I believe there a quite a few full-length films on there. The sort of films you can watch without cringing – you know, in the days when men were men, women were women, right always triumphed and wrong was defeated. It’s interesting to note the subtle but definite societal changes in some of the 60’s/70’s/80’s films on Talking Pictures, as opposed to the earlier decades, where moral issues start to become a bit blurred in the later decades. Now of course, they’ve been completely inverted. By the way, for those across the pond with no access to UK TV, you can see some (not all) of the Talking Pictures schedules on their free film website:- https://www.tptvencore.co.uk
RCAVictor
I watched the interview with Mike Wallace and I think it safe to say that “pre-censorship” is still very much the practice. The only difference today is that writers are not permitted to write anything favourable to Christian culture or virtue. It has to be left wing Socialism or it doesn’t get published.
Holly and Phil are of the devil. Pure poison for the soul and to be avoided at all costs.
Just a we comment on Brainwashing. When I watch Football on TV most of the programs are sponsored by Bookies or what are now Modernly called Betting Firms .
It always says Gamble Aware
If people Gambled Aware their would be no money to sponsor TV programs. Anyhow their is as big gap from a Betting Man and a Gambler.
It is akin to a Heavy Drinker and an Alcoholic.