By Claire Bernish

Yet another document from the treasure trove WikiLeaks has been releasing of Hillary Clinton campaign chair John Podesta’s emails has caused an uproar by appearing to lament the fact the American populace has grown ‘non-compliant.’

In this particular exchange, Bill Ivey — Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts under President Bill Clinton — wrote to Podesta in apprehension Hillary Clinton “is not an entertainer” and thus won’t be able to compete with bombastic reality star Donald Trump.

Ivey queries Podesta how they could “offset” this unexpected flaw in Clinton not being a “celebrity in the Trump, Kardashian mold.”

But what Ivey states next in this lamentation characteristic of 2016’s surreality has become the subject of hushed debate — because if his words are to be taken literally, they portend a possible methodological collusion to keep Americans docile and submissive — perhaps in the vein of panem et circenses.

Ivey wrote on March 13, 2016, with emphasis added:

I’m certain the poll-directed insiders are sure things will default to policy as soon as the conventions are over, but I think not. And as I’ve mentioned, we’ve all been quite content to demean government, drop civics and in general conspire to produce an unaware and compliant citizenry. The unawareness remains strong but compliance is obviously fading rapidly.

While it has indeed been posited the presidential debates have devolved to little more than bread and circuses — the ultimate intoxicating distraction for the masses — the tone of Ivey’s email does connote a darker subplot to the now veritably proven rigging affected by the DNC in conjunction with Hillary’s campaign.

And not just the rigging of elections, alone, but any one of several leaks of documents from Guccifer 2.0, Wikileaks, disclosures through Freedom of Information Act requests, FBI Director James Comey’s abrupt announcement not to recommend charges against the former secretary of state, and multiple allegations of fraud stemming from the nascent presidential primary season should — for their blatant evidence of at least something untoward — should by now have convinced the nation this is all pure theater.

Theater, that is, tasked with keeping the distraction infinitely more attention-snatching than even the flagrant corruption, arrogance, ignorance, and general brutishness displayed — quite honestly — from both parties.

But, perhaps in desperation not to see either one of the most despised candidates in decades take a seat in the Oval Office — coupled with the reality-TV spectacle of scandal on display — voters have indeed gone a bit rogue in their outrage.

Ivey bemoans Trump’s literal status as entertainer while apparently ignoring the equally ratings-grabbing specter of Clinton’s past. He wrote:

Well, we all thought the big problem for our US democracy was Citizens United/Koch Brothers big money in politics. Silly us; turns out that money isn’t all that important if you can conflate entertainment with the electoral process. Trump masters TV, TV so-called news picks up and repeats and repeats to death this opinionated blowhard and his hairbrained [sic] ideas, free-floating discontent attaches to a seeming strongman and we’re off and running.

For those old enough to remember many other elections, this cycle has veered unequivocally toward the bizarre, as Ivey somewhat rhetorically asks Podesta,

How does this get handled in the general?

The wise among us could answer simply, boycott the vote — this rotten, broken system is rigged for its own demise. Lead yourself. Don’t be compliant. Subvert and work outside this box intended to sculpt your obedience.

Because, if what Ivey discussed about an unaware and compliant citizenry is to be interpreted in the literal, the more hell and awareness you raise, the better someone will hear you.

Claire Bernish writes for TheFreeThoughtProject.com, where this article first appeared.