So what<\/em> does \u2018white left\u2019 mean in the Chinese context, and what\u2019s behind the rise of its (negative) popularity? It might not be an easy task to define the term, for as a social media buzzword and very often an instrument for\u00a0ad hominem<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>attack, it could mean different things for different people. A thread on \u201cwhy well-educated elites in the west are seen as na\u00efve \u201cwhite left\u201d in China<\/a>\u201d on Zhihu, a question-and-answer website said to have a high percentage of active users who are professionals and intellectuals, might serve as a starting point.<\/p>\n Baizuo. Photo: HKFP remix.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The question has received more than 400 answers from Zhihu users, which include some of the most representative perceptions of the \u2018white left\u2019. Although the emphasis varies,\u00a0baizuo<\/em>\u00a0is used generally to describe those who \u201conly care about topics such as immigration, minorities, LGBT and the environment\u201d and \u201chave no sense of real problems in the real world\u201d; they are hypocritical humanitarians who advocate for peace and equality only to \u201csatisfy their own feeling of moral superiority\u201d; they are \u201cobsessed with political correctness\u201d to the extent that they \u201ctolerate backwards Islamic values for the sake of multiculturalism\u201d; they believe in the welfare state that \u201cbenefits only the idle and the free riders\u201d; they are the \u201cignorant and arrogant westerners\u201d who \u201cpity the rest of the world and think they are saviours\u201d.<\/p>\n Stumped! This is frightening because their are many young people in the US like him.#Electionfinalthoughts<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/HdS5NGgaI0<\/a><\/p>\n — Michael Keyes (@michaelkeyes) November 7, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n![\"baizuo\"](\"http:\/\/www.hongkongfp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/POWERPNT_2017-05-15_10-38-39.jpg\")
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