Eat the rich (slogan)

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Woman with slogan and a Hammer and sickle symbol with a fork instead of a hammer (Madrid, 2012)

Eat the rich is an abbreviation of a saying attributed to Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778). It is used in radical and anti-capitalist circles, gaining wider traction at the beginning of the 21st century in response to increasing income inequality.[1]

Origin[]

According to historian Adolphe Thiers, the President of the Paris Commune, Pierre Gaspard Chaumette, gave a speech to the city on 14 October 1793 (during the Reign of Terror), in which he said:

Rousseau était peuple aussi, et il disait: Quand le peuple n'aura plus rien à manger, il mangera le riche.[2]

Rousseau, who was also one of the people, said: When the people shall have no more to eat, they will eat the rich!

Modern usage[]

The phrase is often used in reference to opposing wealth inequality and is associated with socialism.[3]

The phrase was used by the crowd at a rally for progressive democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren in 2019, in response to Warren's position on the need for systemic change and a wealth tax.[1]

The phrase "Eat the Rich" is used by a South African political party, the Land Party, as its campaign slogan for the 2021 local government elections.[4]

In popular culture[]

The phrase has become popular on TikTok, where trending phrases such as "POV: we're eating the rich" are typically followed by something relatively normal which displays the relative wealth of the target of the TikTok, such as studying abroad or paying for a Spotify subscription.[5][6]

The phrase has been used for the name of a 1987 film, a Motörhead song[1] (written for the film) and an Aerosmith song.

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Lavin, Talia. "How "Eat the Rich" Became the Rallying Cry for the Digital Generation". GQ. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  2. ^ "The Project Gutenberg eBook of Histoire de la Révolution française, tome V, by A. Thiers". www.gutenberg.org. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  3. ^ "'Eat the Rich' Graffiti Spells Tough Times for Chilean Tourism". Bloomberg.com. 2019-11-04. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  4. ^ SA, Land Party (2020-08-22). "It is time to "Eat the Rich"". Landparty. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  5. ^ "The 'Eat The Rich' TikTok Trend Pokes Fun At The Little Signs Of Wealth No One Ever Talks About". Junkee. 2020-12-07. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  6. ^ "Eat The Rich: This TikTok trend will have you unfollowing celebrities". The South African. 2021-02-19. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
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