Our 21st Century Colosseum

First off, I have watched none of the Casey Anthony trial, as a matter of fact I had to go look up the girl's name before I started writing this. I am not going to talk about whether she is guilty or not either. What I want to observe today is the people who are worked up over the verdict against her, and how it parallels to first century Rome's Colosseum. Here is a brief rundown about what the Colosseum is:

Capable of seating 50,000 spectators, the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, dramas based on classical mythology and the deaths of many early church Christians.

Our society here in the 21st century is truly not that far from where Rome was back in the first century. We live in a time now where we are ever drawn into the drama that unfolds on our television screens. Whether it is a movie, sitcom or reality show, the population of America hardly goes a day without watching something on t.v. We actually have three televisions in our house, not to mention computers too!

A few minutes after the verdict was read in the Casey Anthony trial, Facebook literally blew up with posts about it. (And I'm not going to go into that here, just the fact of all the posts on Facebook.) In just under one hour I counted 59 posts about this trial. That's just on my Facebook account, and there are now millions and millions on Facebook, so I think that it is fair to say that this trial has been watched by many, many people.

We no longer crowd into the Colosseum to watch the blood sports which distracted that first century populace. They weren't aware that their leaders were trying to seize more control. You see, if you are in power and can effectively divert people's gaze onto something other than what you are doing, then before the people realize it, they have lost a little bit more of their freedom.

The interesting thing about the television (And don't get me wrong, I love to watch t.v.) is that it has enslaved more people than any of the Caesars ever thought about. Willing slaves too, who allow themselves to be shackled, and more often than not lock those same shackles with their very own hands.

I think what has bothered me the most about this trial, is the fact that all it has really done is work men and women up, and put money into the pockets of the owners of the news media outlets. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but have any of these news shows reporting on this case done so without commercials? I don't think so. The news people see something here that will capture the hearts of the population in a way that will force them to come back time and again to see what the latest information is. I saw one person post on Facebook, "I'm on the road, please let me know what the jury says."

Whether this is a travesty or not is not the real story in my opinion. The real story is how the media has once again worked up something to such a fevered pitch that they can sell advertising space and get a premium dollar for it. That's what the news media is really about after all, money. Oh the reporters may in fact have gone to school with a desire to report the truth, but if you've watched any news lately it is all about the dollar. And the news stories are just the vehicle to get you to their true purpose...the advertisements, which line the owner's pockets with cash.

The Bible tells us to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. (Matthew 10:16) Don't be fooled into thinking that the media is presenting this national court case because they think we need to know about it. They are doing it because their bosses want more money in the bank. This is the same reason that we have the never ending election cycle now, but that is a whole different story.