You don’t really have to know who the hell Klaus Schwab is and what his World Economic Forum (WEF) does when it meets every year in Davos, Switzerland to discuss so called global issues to rock out and have your mind blown by “Eat the Bugs,” the latest incisive sociopolitical single by Michael Belkin and his wildly defiant powerhouse band the Refusers.
But just for shits and giggles, and so you can better appreciate the brilliant, biting satire of the tune, here are the basics. In Belkin’s view, it’s a punked out, heavy metal guitar fired put down of the WEF and their agenda manipulating governments and the masses into bizarre, shapeshifting pseudo-communist behavior. A clever play on Marie Antoinette’s infamous quote “Let them eat cake,” the song’s incendiary hook “Eat the Bugs” almost sounds like it’s got to be a metaphor – until you Google just a bit and learn that Schwab – a Germany engineer and economist Belkin accurately describes as a “rich deluded political leader” – reportedly said those words, foisting an absurd dietary dictate on struggling common people.
Belkin, disgusted with the hypocrisy of hedge fund billionaires, celebrities and top government officials flying into Switzerland on private jets yet lecturing the world about green energy conservation, believes that Schwab and the WEF are puppet masters who seek to manipulate people into behaviors that the WEF advocates. He adds that “Eating insects is one of the WEF’s proudest policies. They want to replace animal protein with bugs.”
So besides being a wildly entertaining two and a half minute jam, the idea behind The Refusers’ “Eat the Bugs” seems to be to make people realize how laughable and absurd this is – so they can resist this BS at all costs. You may alternately laugh or get pissed when you hear some of his lines – “You’ll own nothing and be happy . . .”Klaus Schwab says it's clean and lean/Do insets tempt your tongue, or will they taste like dung?”. . .”Maggots and mealworms are the food of the future” – but for sure you won’t forget this song and you’ll probably sing the infectious hook for a long time.
To drive the track’s many essential points home, Belkin has created an unforgettable, dark and haunting video with images of a fire breathing Schwab and regular people consuming bugs like potato chips. Belkin and The Refusers are nothing short of geniuses in the political musical satire realm. You can check out their back catalog starting with their incendiary 2020 album Freedom Fighter.
Check out the video here: