What is common between Hozier and Swift? No, I am not talking about the recently-turned-billionaire Taylor Swift but Jonathan Swift — an acclaimed 18th century writer and satirist famous for his works such as Gulliver's Travels. Hozier's song 'Eat Your Young' is amazing and thought-provoking. It turns out that the cannibalistic name is derived from Jonathan Swift's 'A Modest Proposal' (1729). Mind you, it was anything but modest.
In this classic essay, he audaciously argues how Ireland's absolute poverty can be alleviated if poor families sell their children to wealthy aristocrats to be eaten. "A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends," he insists. While this is outrageously absurd, some of his arguments for the proposal shows how forward-thinking his satire was when put in today's context.
Xenophobia and nationalism
It would greatly lessen the number of Papists, with whom we are yearly overrun, being the principal breeders of the nation, as well as our most dangerous enemies...
Swift satirically understands the prejudiced nature of British anti-Catholic sentiments against the Irish 'Papist' Catholics. That is why he is criticising British xenophobic attitudes by describing how dehumanising their policies were. In contemporary settings, this shows how distorted nationalist sentiments shape immigration and religious laws. I cannot think of a more relevant example than the situation in India under the BJP government and the marginalisation of Muslims. With the ongoing elections, it is a scary time to be a minority and this is happening all around the world. Eight out of the world's ten most populous countries will have national elections this year, and the rise of populism brings a rise to marginalisation to unify the majority.
Economic exploitation
The poorer tenants will have something valuable of their own...
Swift understands how greed capitalism and the inequality-breeding mindsets of the elite have been making the poor mere economic assets. Today, we are still far from eradicating exploitative practices that support utilitarianism. Today's rampant consumerism in capitalist systems often exploit labour, evident in fast fashion sweat shops and gig economy jobs. Living in a fast-paced world where we are apparently more connected than ever, it can feel like we have never been this disconnected before. The waning of humanity can lead to economic value being prioritised over human dignity.
Growth-first mindset and Consumerism
The nation’s stock will be thereby increased... and the money will circulate among ourselves, the goods being entirely of our own growth and manufacture.
While countries need to prioritise their economies, it should go without saying that this "growth-first" mindset should not be at the cost of human lives. (If it isn't obvious by now, Swift has been using sarcasm as a consistent rhetoric.) This is a problem that is visible during times of military conflict which provides critical economic stimulus. Countries like the USA and Russia have undergone terrific military accumulation over the past few years, and I need not go further on the human costs this has had. The hunger for capitalism has led to economic growth being pursued while ignoring the moral, ethical and sustainability implications.
Bottom line: it is absurd to reduce humans to numbers and economic statistics. I shouldn't have to write so much for something this simple, right? Every rise in the death toll in conflict-stricken regions makes me disgusted and resentful towards the people who are responsible for such destruction. Vicious consumerism is a rampant epidemic that few address. Global capitalism mongers wars by prioritising profits over peace. Real economic progress—a sustainable one for the people, planet and politics—cannot be realised if we continue on this path.
I missed blogging. Exams are nearly over and it's been a great past couple of months exploring many new interests. One of them is listening to Hozier—his EP (also titled Eat Your Young) is amazing especially because of the dark underlying message. I hope to write more soon, so watch this space.
PS: Yes, I used AI to create the cover image. I hope you got the irony.
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