In the case of politics, the phrase is used to describe the generation of public approval, not through exemplary or excellent public service or public policy, but through diversion; distraction; or the mere satisfaction of the immediate, shallow requirements of a populace,[1] as an offered "palliative." Its originator, Juvenal, used the phrase to decry the selfishness of common people and their neglect of wider concerns.[2][3][4] The phrase also implies the erosion or ignorance of civic duty amongst the concerns of the commoner.
Huh? Did I miss something?
Have I dropped some popcorn?
No, you're good. "Bread and circuses" is a phrase meaning that people want and are satisfied by huge spectacles and free food.
Wikipedia page for Bread and Circuses
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