The Problem With Billionaires And True Net Worth

What does “pitchforks” mean in American English politics?

A pitchfork is a long farm tool with sharp points. But in news and politics, “pitchforks” means something else: the deep anger of ordinary people who feel the wealthy have too much. The image comes from old stories of angry crowds carrying torches and pitchforks against the powerful. Today you see the word with no crowd at all — just as a sign that the public has had enough. “That gap is why there are pitchforks.”

In this clip, a Forbes journalist argues that the richest billionaires give very little to charity. He says the gap between what they own and what they give “is why there are pitchforks” — meaning that gap explains why so many people are angry at the ultra-rich. You will see this pattern often in political writing: “If wages keep falling, there will be pitchforks.” It does not mean a real weapon. It means people are close to rising up against the powerful. The image comes from old pictures of angry crowds marching on the homes of the rich. Today writers use it as a quick way to say: the public has had enough. The literal meaning still exists — farmers use pitchforks every day. But when you read “pitchforks” in a news article about inequality or protest, the non-literal meaning is almost always what the writer means.