In A Bug’s Life, the circus ringmaster is a flea. It’s a flea circus.
Admittedly I had heard the term “flea circus” my entire life but only this morning looked up what it actually was. I mean it’s pretty straightforward, a bunch of fleas made to look like they’re in a circus, but I was missing the history and context.
The same phenomenon has been identified even in the UK where cultural divides and differences are present in media and often discussed in terms of accuracy or inaccuracy. Their use and abuse.
I can only imagine in a place like the US, which is on such a different scale, that the problem is going to be even wider, more pervasive due to the dominance of the media, and more infuriating given some of the passionate views people have on their home territory.