‘Hunger has great positive value to many people. Indeed, it is fundamental to the working of the world’s economy.’
Think that’s a joke? Nope, it’s from a 2008 essay by Professor George Kent of the University of Hawaii.
He goes on to say:
‘Hungry people are the most productive people, especially where there is a need for manual labour… How many of us would sell our services if it were not for the threat of hunger?… More importantly, how many of us would sell our services so cheaply if it were not for the threat of hunger?’
This essay was published in the UN Chronicle, which bills itself as ‘the magazine of the United Nations, since 1946’.