3 ms·

I think you are onto something. There is an argument to be made that entertainment is a comfortable rails, which you can use to appropriately guide the populati

I think you are onto something. There is an argument to be made that entertainment is a comfortable rails, which you can use to appropriately guide the population in a desired direction ( propaganda does not always have to be overt ). Unstructured time not only does not result in money changing hands, but could also result in unpredictable thoughts that may be unpalatable to the system. It is no small wonder the default perception is captured by 'idle hands' proverb.

bonoboTP 6y ago
Right. After more thinking it's not that new, it's "panem et circenses" all over again, just way more scalable. Also, I think Americans are culturally just much more market-thinking and transaction-oriented. In many other places it's a much higher threshold for people to give out money for something. Now, surely this is a function of disposable income as well, but "paying for stuff left and right" is just a basic thing for many Americans, while e.g. Germans would much rather save up. So marketing also has to adjust to local circumstances: Germany has very cheap supermarkets (discounters) because brand loyalty is lower and price weighs in stronger. This also means that innovative people much rather go to the American market, because there's just more willingness in normal people to try and pay for new things there. It's both good and bad.