These sapheads have read People magazine religious and watch all the awards shows. The 'wear a ribbon' mentality has filtered down to the hoi polloi. Empty gestures like this 'fast' are interpreted as 'doing something about it' and treated with reverence instead of the ridicule they deserve. I'm no fan of the IRA but Bobby Sands & crew would certainly not classify what they're doing as a hunger strike.
religious s/b religiously