Let Them Eat Babies

If someone were to propose to solve the hunger issue with the killing and consumption of young human flesh, the world would be in an uproar. Media outlets would be covering it, various celebrities would be creating charities to destroy the thought, and musicians would write a loving ballad in solidarity to stop it. Yet, before such a terrible thing was said, not a thing was done. The starving child left by its mother in the gutter was simply ignored because it was just too sad or not fitting into one’s day. What was the difference? The solidarity of a scapegoat, which is exactly what Swift did in his essay “A Modest Proposal.”

Swift’s essay is written in a very matter-of-fact tone, explaining all of the wonderful ways in which the Irish people could solve all their issues by simply eating the youth. He even goes at great lengths to describe how the children could be procured, butchered, cooked and served. Nothing about this proposal is ethical or even possible. So why even write it? Swift gave the people a common enemy to hate. No longer would the wealthy blame the poor for not doing their part or vice versa, but rather everyone would look to him as a deplorable man who wants to eat babies. By giving the people a common enemy, they now have a common ground on which to solve their issues with others pooling in for support.

The outlandish rhetoric and satire has been a device well used for some time, especially within politics, in order to bring about a change to the current system. Many politicians use this tactic to this day, though not perhaps to this degree. Swift in no way felt the need to consume human flesh but did feel rather exhausted by the Irish state of affairs and the total lack of progress to change things, whether from the masses or the government. This modest proposal was simply a modest way to open eyes to absurdities that were truly relevant and give the common spring board that was need to make the change.