Hunger Quote by Greg Gutfeld
““There are also hunger strikes. Hunger strikes are noble and sometimes necessary. If you’re a political prisoner in China or North Korea (where the entire country is on a hunger strike, not by choice), I get it. For you, it’s life or death. But at Harvard, it’s about a press clipping and maybe getting a better grade or a higher class of hand job. So when an undergrad adopts a hunger strike in order to get someone to divest from oil, I say, let the twerp starve. Most of them are overfed, pudgy masses of soft tissue—it wouldn’t hurt if these sad sacks lost a few pounds. They might even understand the plight of the average Venezuelan, who operates under conditions American activists see as utopian, when they’re really nightmarish. How about the next time one of our coeds feels a hunger strike coming on, we exchange her with someone who’s genuinely starving?””
About This Quote
Source TV Show: The Greg Gutfeld Show, 2020
The speaker mocks student hunger strikes as performative, contrasting them with genuine suffering in authoritarian regimes, and suggests swapping activists with truly starving people.
In simple terms: He ridicules activist hunger strikes as superficial compared to real famine.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the difference between genuine need and symbolic protest.
Themes
activism
ethics
politics
social justice
Mood
sarcastic
critical
provocative
Type
satire
commentary
political.
When to use this quote
- college campuses
- political activism
- authoritarian regimes
- media commentary
Key Concepts
performative protest
moral relativism
human suffering
Questions to Reflect On
- Is symbolic protest ever effective?
- How should we respect genuine suffering while critiquing performative activism?
A Different Perspective
The comparison trivializes real famine and may dismiss legitimate protest tactics.
![“Recently, [Diana Wilson] went on a hunger strike to protest Dow Chemical's refusal to accept responsibility for a 1984 chemical disaster in Bhopal, India, caused by a company they now own, Union Carbide. In the past, Diane's hunger strikes had been lonely affairs, but this time friends and…” quote by Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f51/frances-moore-lapp-4271_accepting_recently-diana-wilson-went-on-a-hunger-s_1970678.jpg)
![“Leigh [Bowery] would make up stories about people committing suicide or going on hunger strikes because they were refused entry at the door.” quote by Boy George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/831/boy-george-1385_committing-suicide_leigh-bowery-would-make-up-stories-about_697128.jpg)
![“I gave my mother a matching set [of mugs] for Christmas, and she accepted them as graciously as possible, announcing that they would make the perfect pet bowls. The mugs were set on the kitchen floor and remained there until the cat chipped a tooth and went on a hunger strike.” quote by David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e0a/david-sedaris-333_accepted_i-gave-my-mother-a-matching-set-of-mugs_1135011.jpg)
