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Liberal elite

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Liberal elite,[1] also referred to as the metropolitan elite or progressive elite,[2][3][4] is a term used to describe politically liberal people whose education has traditionally opened the doors to affluence, wealth and power and who form a managerial elite. It is commonly invoked pejoratively, with the implication that the people who claim to support the rights of the working class are themselves members of the ruling classes and are therefore out of touch with the real needs of the people they say that they support and protect.[4][5][6]

Usage

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Canada

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Canadian news outlet CBC reported on an event for supporters of Doug Ford (the premier of Ontario). A supporter described elites as "Those that think they're better than me".[7] Doug Ford also described elites as "people who look down on the average, common folk, thinking they're smarter and that they know better to tell us how to live our lives".[8] Alex Marland of the Memorial University of Newfoundland commented on Justin Trudeau's popularity with "liberal elites in metropolitan cities" in an article published on ResearchGate entitled "The brand image of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in international context".[9]

China

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The term baizuo (Chinese: 白左) is used to refer to left-liberal ideas commonly associated with White people in the Western world. This term depicts them as unrealistic, out of touch, and loving virtue signalling.[10] It has also been widely used in Taiwan; this term specifically refers to white people in the West who often have higher education levels, liberal views, unrealistic expectations of the real world, and obsession with standing up for minorities even though these minorities are not offended.[11]

Hong Kong

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See also: Socialism in Hong Kong

The term called zo gaau [zh] (Chinese: 左膠; Jyutping: zo2 gaau1) is widely used for similar effect in Hong Kong, which literally means "left dumbass" or "leftard".[12][13] This term began appearing in Hong Kong political discourse in the 2010s, first in traditional media outlets and quickly spreading to online communication. This term refers to those who advocate peace, equality and non-violence in an unrealistic way only to satisfy their moral superiority. Their ideas are too lofty and sometimes ignore the imperfections of the real world in pursuit of their unrealistic dream.[14]

India

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See also: Pseudosecularism

In India, the term 'liberal elite' is used to describe the English speaking, left-leaning establishment, aligned to Nehruvian socialism and Marxism, who have formed much of the mainstream intelligentsia and the ruling political class of India since its independence in 1947. The Indian National Congress, often referred to as the 'Grand Old Party' of India, is a left-liberal party, which has dominated Indian politics for much of the country's independent history.[15]

Malaysia

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In Malaysia, the term Bangsar Bubble is used to describe affluent Malay youth, usually highly educated and high-income groups (mostly T20 with M40 factions), notably in the Bangsar area of the Klang Valley. The term was initially used by leftists to criticize liberals who lack class analysis, but soon that term was appropriated to also refer to Malays who have embraced the Western left's progressive thinking. The group is usually associated with advocating some Western progressive issues such as LGBT rights (a taboo topic in the country), human rights, secularism, and racial issues. In terms of social media, they often use Twitter instead of Facebook, the latter of which is dominated by conservatives. The group usually endorses the Pakatan Harapan coalition or the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance.[16][17]

South Korea

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See also: 386 Generation and Gangnam (Seoul)

"Gangnam Leftist" (Korean: 강남 좌파; Hanja: 江南左派) refers to the highly educated and high-income class with left-liberal tendencies in South Korean politics and society. They are mainly composed of upper-class members of the 386 Generation. In South Korea, the term is used with the same meaning as "limousine liberal" (Korean: 리무진 리버럴).[18][19] They are sometimes referred to as "Gangnam liberals", after the wealthy Gangnam region of Seoul, and are differentiated from South Korea's traditional socialist and social democratic factions centered on the labor movement.[20][21]

Gangnam leftist is a political term in South Korea, but it is also often used to refer to liberal politicians in countries other than South Korea. For example, Emmanuel Macron and Joe Biden have been referred to as Gangnam leftists in South Korean media.[18][22]

Philippines

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The Tagalog term dilawan, which means 'yellow ones' in reference to the color of liberalism as an ideology and movement (cf., pulahan for 'Reds'),[23] is used to describe a "discredited brand of transactional reform politics" en vogue since the 1986 People Power Revolution (EDSA I).[24][25][original research?] EDSA I, also known as the Yellow Revolution, has been disdained by detractors as a "revolution of mere elites rather than a revolution of the whole people",[26] and one which "ignor[ed] the existence of the toiling masses and peasants in agrarian Philippines".[27] The term's usage originated in the 1980s as a pejorative for Liberal Party loyalists and politically aligned groups or individuals,[28] often associated with the genteel English-speaking elite.[29][30][31] It gained renewed currency during the 2016 Philippine presidential election among hardline supporters of Rodrigo Duterte.[a] In the country's English-language political-economic discourse, liberal elite is the term employed.[34][35][36]

More than a decade prior to Duterte's election, in January 2001, the EDSA II protests, which have been denounced by critics as unrepresentative and elitist,[27][37][38] culminated in the resignation under pressure of then-president Joseph Estrada and the installation of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as his successor. Arroyo, educated abroad and fluent in multiple colonial languages, was highly regarded in liberal elite circles in contrast to Estrada,[39] a university dropout whose proficiency in English was wanting.[40][41] Populist protests against Arroyo would erupt three months later in what came to be known as EDSA III.[42]

Duterte, while fluent in English, has similarly run afoul of the liberal elite,[43] which repeatedly draws attention not only to his questionable antics—deplored by no less than his daughter Sara—but also to his frequent use of gutter language.[33][35][44] This aversion, in turn, to gutter language has been criticized as indicative of a socioeconomically privileged upbringing that renders one out of touch with general society.[43][45][46] Such attitudes have been described as a desire on the part of the liberal elite to "demonize" detractors by portraying them as somehow morally or intellectually deficient,[47][48] as well as incapable of critical thought.[49]

Estrada has since come out as a supporter of Duterte,[50] expressing concern that the latter, like himself,[42][51][52] might be driven out of office by whom he had referred to years earlier as the "rich and perfumed".[53] Others have echoed Estrada's depiction of those who had deposed him,[54] notwithstanding Estrada's own membership in albeit another section of the broader Philippine elite,[55] or have similarly denounced what has been described as the moralism and sham decency of the liberal elite.[56] Ultimately, Duterte's rise to power has come to be seen as the "people's verdict" on both the failures of the liberal order and what has been felt as the glibness of its domestic champions.[57][58][59]

United Kingdom

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The liberal elite is referred to by various terms in British political discourse. Hampstead Socialist and Hampstead liberal have been used, referring to the North London area of Hampstead.[60]

The term Hampstead Socialist was regularly used by Nick Griffin, the former leader of the British National Party[61][62][63] and the phrase "North London metropolitan liberal elite" has been used by Home Secretary Priti Patel. Due to the high Jewish population of this area, references to "North London" elites have been accused by some, such as the Jewish Labour Movement, as a form of coded antisemitism.[64][65]

Another term that has gained currency is Islington set. Emily Thornberry, Labour Party MP for Islington South and Finsbury, resigned as a member of the Shadow Cabinet on 20 November 2014 during the Rochester and Strood by-election, in which she tweeted a picture of a house draped with England flags and a white van parked outside with the caption 'Image from Rochester', thought by many to be a snobby jibe. Simon Danczuk, the then-Labour MP for Rochdale, commented that Thornberry's tweet furthers the perception that the Labour Party "has been hijacked by the north London liberal elite".[66][67][68]

United States

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See also: Progressivism in the United States and Social liberalism in the United States

In the United States, the sterotypical lifestyle of the liberal elite is often referenced in popular culture. Columnist Dave Barry drew attention to these stereotypes when he commented, "Do we truly believe that ALL red-state residents are ignorant racist fascist knuckle-dragging NASCAR-obsessed cousin-marrying roadkill-eating tobacco-juice-dribbling gun-fondling religious fanatic rednecks; or that ALL blue-state residents are godless unpatriotic pierced-nose Volvo-driving France-loving left-wing communist latte-sucking tofu-chomping holistic-wacko neurotic vegan weenie perverts?"[69]

A 2004 political advertisement from the right-wing organization Club for Growth attacked the Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean by portraying him as part of the liberal elite: "Howard Dean should take his tax-hiking, government-expanding, latte-drinking, sushi-eating, Volvo-driving, New York Times–reading, body-piercing, Hollywood-loving, left-wing freak show back to Vermont, where it belongs."[70]

Those Americans who equate intellectual pursuits and careers with elitism often point out American intellectuals, most of whom are upper-middle-class not upper-class,[71] are primarily liberal. As of 2005, approximately 72% of professors identify themselves as liberals. At Ivy League universities, an even larger majority, 87% of professors identified themselves as liberals.[72] People with postgraduate degrees are increasingly Democratic.[73][74][75][76][77]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Duterte's own party, PDP–Laban, had nevertheless itself been at "the forefront of many of those [EDSA I] demonstrations carrying yellow flags with the word[] LABAN and faced water cannons, police batons and threats of arrests".[32] Sara Duterte has argued that, despite claims to the contrary by high-ranking members of the Catholic Church hierarchy—in particular, Archbishop Sócrates Villegas—her father had indeed appreciated the significance of the 1986 revolution right from the beginning.[33] Duterte Carpio recounted, "On the evening of Feb[ruary] 25, 1986, I was playing in dreamland when my father interrupted my slumber and told me to get dressed because we ha[d] to go downtown [to the metropolitan cathedral]," adding that, "While we were huddled in the car, he told us, 'Remember this night. Do not forget it.'"[33]

References

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  1. ^ Frost, Amber A'Lee (November 2019). "The Characterless Opportunism of the Managerial Class". Vol. 3, no. 4.
  2. ^ "Speaking as a member of the liberal metropolitan elite…". Daily Telegraph. 8 February 2015. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014.
  3. ^ Chakelian, Anoosh (13 June 2014). "'The party's been hijacked by a metropolitan elite': Labour MP Simon Danczuk". The New Statesman.
  4. ^ a b "Progressive Elites Hate the Middle Class". 29 April 2012. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  5. ^ Silber, N. F. (2019, July 1). Why we're socialists, not "progressives". Jacobin. https://www.jacobinmag.com/2019/07/socialism-progressives-liberalism
  6. ^ Hedges, Christopher Lynn (7 December 2020). "The Collective Suicide of the Liberal Class". Scheer Post.
  7. ^ "Canadians say country split between ordinary folks and elites. But what is an elite?". CBC. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  8. ^ "The brother of infamous Toronto mayor Rob Ford is running for office — and he sounds a lot like Trump". Washington Post. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  9. ^ "The brand image of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in international context". ResearchGate. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  10. ^ "这个词，让中国向西方逆向输出了一次价值观(组_加拿大家园网". www.iask.ca. Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  11. ^ "「白左」的美麗與哀愁｜葉家興／吐露台客｜獨立評論". 獨立評論@天下 (in Chinese). Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  12. ^ "SUN奇古怪：Sun潮語【和理非非】". 太陽報 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  13. ^ 香港01記者 (6 September 2016). "BBC教你「港豬」、「熱狗」、「左膠」英文點講". 香港01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 28 November 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ "翌 晨 | 蘋果日報 | 果籽 | 名采 | 20131109". 24 June 2015. Archived from the original on 24 June 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  15. ^ Shekhar Gupta (5 December 2014). "Saving Indian liberalism from its left-liberal elite". India Today. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  16. ^ Kanagaraj, Poovenraj (23 June 2020). "Bangsar Bubble Is Trending On Twitter & Liberals Are Getting Triggered. Here's Why". liveatpc.com. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  17. ^ "Mengenal Siapa itu 'Bangsar Bubble'?". The Patriots. 3 April 2020.
  18. ^ a b "바이든은 '강남 좌파?'···수백억대 저택서 연휴". 서울경제. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021. 바이든 대통령은 자신이 상원 초선 의원이던 1975년부터 낸터킷에서 추수감사절을 보냈다. 하지만 대통령이 된 이후에는 처신이 달라져야 하는 것 아니냐는 지적이 나온 것이다. 공화당 전국위원회(RNC)는 "미국인이 인플레이션으로 굶주리는 와중에 바이든 대통령이 낸터킷에서 파티하며 흥청망청하고 있다"며 바이든 대통령은 리무진 리버럴이라고 했다.
  19. ^ "진보의 분화 … 리무진 리버럴 '강남 좌파' 뜬다". JoongAng Ilbo. 8 March 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  20. ^ "Wider Image: No money, no hope: South Korea's 'Dirt Spoons' turn against Moon". Reuters. 26 November 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2021. Cho acknowledged he was a gold spoon and a "Gangnam liberal" motivated by social justice, but the approach backfired and he stepped down in October after only a month in the post. His wife is facing trial on allegations of forgery and financial fraud.
  21. ^ "The Gangnam liberal". Korea JoongAng Daily. 23 August 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021. The disgrace of Cho Kuk, nominee for justice minister, is beyond a personal tragedy. He has brought down the left of Gangnam – a district in southern Seoul and home to the haves in Korea. The ultra-liberal from an elite background is teetering towards his doom. He has set himself apart from the traditional concept of a leftist in Korea.
  22. ^ "꽃길만 걸은 '프랑스판 강남좌파'…출마 위해 중도로 변신". Kyunghyang Shinmun. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  23. ^ Adams, Sean; Morioka, Noreen; Stone, Terry Lee (2006). Color Design Workbook: A Real World Guide to Using Color in Graphic Design. Gloucester, Mass.: Rockport Publishers. pp. 86. ISBN 1-59253-192-X. OCLC 60393965.
  24. ^ Angsioco, Elizabeth (19 July 2014). "Politics of the Color Yellow". Manila Standard.
  25. ^ Flores Bello, Walden. "Meet the Filipino Socialists Challenging Rodrigo Duterte's Right-Wing Rule". Jacobin.
  26. ^ Magsalin, Simoun (31 March 2020). "Towards an Anarchism in the Philippine Archipelago". Southeast Asian Anarchist Library.
  27. ^ a b Doronila, Amando (28 August 2006). "Time for paradigm shift". Philippine Daily Inquirer. pp. A1.
  28. ^ P. Contreras, Antonio (1 February 2020). "Labels and Political Tagging". Manila Times.
  29. ^ Estrada Claudio, Sylvia (21 March 2016). "In Defense of English in the Philippines". Rappler.
  30. ^ Webb, Adele (9 September 2016). "He May Have Insulted Obama, but Duterte Held Up a Long-Hidden Looking Glass to the US". The Conversation.
  31. ^ Flores Bello, Walden (26 February 2021). "How the US Derailed Philippine History in 1986". Rappler.
  32. ^ S. Cruz, Elfren (16 August 2017). "Story of LABAN". Philippine Star.
  33. ^ a b c Nawal, Allan; Alconaba, Nico (25 February 2017). "Sara Duterte Fires Back: My Father Understood Spirit of EDSA".
  34. ^ Flores Bello, Waldern (29 June 2016). "The Left under Duterte". Jacobin.
  35. ^ a b Chua, Ethan (29 August 2020). "The End of Liberal Democracy in the Philippines". Lausan Collective.
  36. ^ Álvarez, María Khristine; Macalintal, Joshua; Docena, Herbert (1 March 2022). "The Philippine Left Has an Opportunity to Break the Country's Political Mold". Jacobin.
  37. ^ Mydans, Seth (5 February 2001). "'People Power II' Doesn't Give Filipinos the Same Glow". The New York Times.
  38. ^ "7 Years after Ouster, Erap Bares 5 Conspirators". 12 March 2008.
  39. ^ Maestrado La Viña, Antonio Gabriel (18 May 2013). "Rejecting Elitism in Philippine Elections". Rappler.
  40. ^ C. Robles, Alan (22 November 2000). "A Joke of a Presidency". Hot Manila.
  41. ^ Àger, Maila (1 December 2015). "Rodrigo Duterte Is like Joseph Estrada, Donald Trump —Lawmakers".
  42. ^ a b "Duterte Is Right, Estrada Insists". Manila Standard. 23 October 2016.
  43. ^ a b "Something for Bleeding Hearts". Daily Tribune. 2 March 2022.
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  67. ^ "Emily Thornberry: How one tweet led to her resignation". BBC News. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  68. ^ Michael Rundell. "Political incorrectness gone mad: the myth of the metropolitan elite". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  69. ^ Barry, Dave (19 December 2004). "An Off-Color Rift". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  70. ^ Tierney, John (11 January 2004). "THE 2004 CAMPAIGN; Political Points". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  71. ^ Thompson, W. & Hickey, J. (2005). Society in Focus. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, Pearson.
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  77. ^ "In Changing U.S. Electorate, Race and Education Remain Stark Dividing Lines". Pew Research Center. 2 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

Further reading

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