16. Did She Really Say Let Them Eat Cake?
Marie Antoinette and Hillary Clinton have both been criticized for seeking out international political alliances, mostly to further their own ambitions, while ignoring the pressing needs of their people. One of the most often-quoted lines attributed to a historical figure is, “Let them eat cake!” and has been assigned to Marie Antoinette as a scathing type of epigraph on her life.
The story is that while the queen was living in the lap of luxury, partaking of old rituals, and splurging on her excessive wardrobe and hairstyles, her people were starving; this much is not disputed. When peasants gathered outside her window demanding bread, she famously yelled at them, “Let them eat cake!” Apparently, the queen was so out of touch with her people that she had no idea that there was no money for their daily bread.
However, the line’s origins are about as dubious as the fate of the Lindbergh baby. The line had been in print since at least the time when Marie Antoinette was a 10-year-old girl in her native Austria. That she never said the line most famously attributed to her, the one that supposedly sparked the French Revolution, is not unlike many of the criticisms that Hillary Clinton has faced throughout her political career.
Where Did We Find This Stuff? Here Are Our Sources
“Marie Antoinette,” from Encyclopedia Britannica. June 22, 2018.
“The French Revolution,” from Encyclopedia Britannica. February 7, 2018.
“Marie-Antoinette,” by History.com Editors. The History Channel. August 21, 2018.
“What’s behind the claim that Hillary Clinton got ‘$84 million of potentially illegal campaign contributions?” by David Weigel. The Washington Post. December 27, 2017.
“US Debt by President by Dollar and Percent,” by Kimberly Amadeo. The Balance, September 8, 2018.
“Hillary Clinton emails – what’s it all about?” by Anthony Zurcher. BBC. November 6, 2016.
“US mid-term elections: Women break records for nominations.” BBC. August 8, 2018.
