Eat the rich (slogan)

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]

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

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]

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. 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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