Eat the rich

The slogan originates from a quote that is attributed to philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau: "When the people shall have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich". Today, "Eat the rich" is used as a chant against wealth inequality in progressive political rallies and online spaces alike. However, it isn't only a condemnation of the economic system, but rather power in general. It can sometimes be heard in various social movements. It's also used to express outrage at how out of touch a wealthy person is being by flaunting their wealth. The slogan has been used in recent online movements that sought to strike at the wallet of the wealthy. During the GameStop short squeeze, calls to "Eat the rich" accompanied denunciations of the power of institutional investors and the desire to bankrupt the hedge funds who were shorting GME stocks. On Tiktok, "Eat the rich" accompanied a viral call to action that sought to decrease the follower count of celebrities and how much they were getting paid based on that following. The slogan is also sometimes used in jest by those who are aware of the privilege of their economic status, especially compared to people who aren't in developed countries. Though generally, the critic centers around extreme wealth and the corresponding political power that comes with it.