'preference' : yes
The whole entertainment industry can go away over the next month, it wouldn't matter much. But most would prefer it didn't. There's also more than enough movies/tv shows/sports recordings/music etc for anyone's lifetime, but most would prefer to see newer ones. Enough people can afford their preference to have new ones produced every day.
So, I am happy to put entertainment in the category of need.
It was meant maintain a docile public that's easily manipulated, taken advantage of and ordered around, as long as it was given enough food to eat and BS arena shows to distract it.
Rioting against scum like Nero (and modern equivalents) would have been the good and democratic option.
But surely this is not a universal truth and can changed with time and effort?
It wasn't about "one simply killing Nero", it was about the people revolting and restoring the republic, which Rome once was.
>Easy manipulation of "docile" public is an inseparable part of democracy, actually. Most people have little to no political education, not to mention the understanding of methods and processes.
They don't need to. Democracy, as defined by the ancient Athenians, is not about "political education" or understanding of fancy "methods and processes".
It's also not about what's "best" (always defined by some narrow "experts" or partial interests). It's about representing the will and interests of the majority, good or bad.
Distracting the people with with "pan and circuses" is not part of the democracy (and of course at this point Rome wasn't a democracy, not even a republic).
I'm not sure where this goes though. Our thing not meant to be understood good, nor bad. It is just a fact.
I am satisfied with how that went.