In the 18th century, the phrase ‘let them eat cake’ encapsulated the aristocracy’s unparalleled apathy towards the plight of common citizens in French society, leading to an historic and bloody revolution for the books. 235 years later, these four words have come to define a revolution brewing on the opposite side of the Atlantic.
‘Feeling French’
Ever-clever and discerning when it comes to voicing their opinions, Gen Z has had an interesting, and effective, response to the inequities they face in today’s America.
As a demographic, they are certainly marginalized. They carry the highest-ever student debt. The prospect of owning a house has become little more than a farce, and with it, the prospect of one day having a family. Wages have remained stagnant in the face of extraordinary leaps in the cost of living. They have watched on as a handful of America’s elite have grown their wealth at unprecedented rates by raiding the coffers of their constituents. They face the highest levels of diagnosed mental illness of any generation, and their outlook on life as a whole is decidedly grim. If that weren’t enough, they are confronted with generational problems with no identifiable solutions - climate change, war, inflation, and widespread social injustice, to name a few.
For the first time in modern-American history, the future is decidedly bleak for America’s youth, and the nouveau riche not only seem to lack empathy, but seem genuinely puzzled when confronted with these grievances.
So, Gen Z has collectively decided that it is time to fight back.
A Tale of Two Economies
At last week’s Met Gala, a well-known influencer by the name of haleyybaylee posted what she must have thought to be a harmless clip capturing her excitement for the event. It would soon become a rallying cry across social media.
In the video, the camera pans in on a close-up of Baylee’s face as she mouths the words ‘let them eat cake’ over an audio from the 2006 film Marie Antoinette starring Kirsten Dunst, a callback to the phrase that has come to define the French queen’s legacy. Within hours, the video was trending, and sparking outrage with each successive view.
In a time when a purported 60% of members of Gen Z are living paycheck-to-paycheck, the video came off not only as tone-deaf, but incendiary. As the seemingly endless stream of celebrities entered the Gala, enrobed in decadence, many of their fans and patrons were at home, worrying about how they were going to afford basic necessities, like groceries and rent.
Tickets to this year’s Gala cost a staggering $75,000, 25% more than the average American earns for an entire year’s work. However, it was not only the cost of attendance that drew the ire of viewers, but the sheer self-indulgence on display. A particularly noteworthy example was Camilla Cabello’s $22,500 ‘ice purse’, which was visibly melting in her hands, further emphasizing the staggering exorbitance rampant in entertainment and ‘high society.’
Baylee’s fiscal faux pas is not the first of its kind in recent months. Monoliths the likes of Starbucks and McDonald’s have seen sharply declining sales, and executives appear genuinely befuddled as to why customers are choosing to forego their morning latte despite skyrocketing prices. Just weeks ago, the CEO of Kellogg’s smugly suggested that, in the face of rising food costs, Americans should try eating cereal for dinner, resulting in a boycott of one of America’s most-prolific consumer brands. Well, Mr. Pilnick, maybe you should consider a cake-themed breakfast cereal? Marie would be proud.
Harnessing the power of social media, Gen Z went on the offensive, organizing another anti-establishment boycott, urging their peers to block celebrities and other influential people, effectively cutting off a primary source of income for these wealthy members of society - advertising royalties. Within 24 hours, Kim Kardashian, an undeniable symbol of American extravagance, lost a reported 3 million followers, with many other A-listers, like Lizzo and Taylor Swift, quickly following suit.
It was a small victory for an enraged cohort of Gen Z disgruntled by the elite’s uncanny ability to remain out-of-touch with the reality that average Americans face each day.
Make It Count
A majority of the younger generations feel that their concerns are not being considered by their elected officials, and rightfully so.
In 2024, the United States, the richest nation in recorded history, has sent a mind-blowing $175 billion to Ukraine. The recent passing of a bill that secured an additional $15 billion for Israel has also been widely criticized, and even sparked nation-wide protests of what many Americans have openly declared a genocide of innocent Palestinians. To cap it off, the Department of Defense budget came in at a jaw-dropping $850 billion, with further increases looming on the horizon. With over a trillion in taxpayer dollars going towards America’s perpetual war machine, it is no wonder that US citizens have begun to believe that they have been abandoned by their own government in a time when the essentials for survival - food, healthcare, housing, employment - are consistently under-funded and overlooked.
This excessive spending is not only present in the public space, but across many other facets of American society. Shohei Ohtani, a Japanese pitcher with the LA Dodgers, recently signed an unprecedented $700 million contract, which will see him earn 11,666 times that of the average American worker annually. At the same time, professions critical to society, like teachers and social workers, are undeniably and grossly underpaid, and their quality of life is suffering for it.
It seems unfathomable that, as a society, we cannot afford to treat educators, healthcare providers, and public servants with the proper dignity.
Hunger Strike
The wealth gap in America has never been higher, and even exceeds that which precipitated the French Revolution. So, is it any wonder that Gen Z feels that accepting their fate is no longer a viable option?
In the face of it all, these courageous members of the younger generation have developed a taste for something other than the ‘cake’ offered by the wealthiest members of our society.
They have made it their goal to ‘eat the rich,’ and, if their tenacity is any indication, when they’re done, there will be no crumbs left.
