A place to meme about the glorious ROMAN EMPIRE (and Roman Republic, and Roman Kingdom)!
Explanation: It is commonly said that the common people of Rome cared little for the withering of their political power, so long as they received Panem et Circenses - bread and circuses (or races, or games). The reality is more nuanced, but it is certainly true that Roman authorities used free (or reduced price) food and public entertainment to tamp down on unrest in the city of Rome.
I always interpreted panem et circenses as a short-hand for "keep your people fed and happily distracted" rather than literally using bread and circuses to distract them.
I mean, you are less likely to change a status quo if you aren't hurting for anything and/or have the ability to drown the hurt you do have in simple, easy distraction.
Certainly the modern usage! But the phrase originated with the Roman satirist Juvenal, who meant it both in the metaphorical sense, and in the literal sense - funding free bread and public spectacles were major expenses of Roman Emperors.