''Baizuo'' (, Mandarin pronunciation: ; literally "white left") is a Chinese

neologism A neologism Greek νέο- ''néo''(="new") and λόγος /''lógos'' meaning "speech, utterance"] is a relatively recent or isolated term, word, or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but that has not been fully accepted int ...

used to refer to Western world, Western

leftist Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

ideologies primarily espoused by

white people White is a racialized classification of people and a skin color specifier, generally used for people of European origin, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, and point of view. Description of populations as ...

. The term ''baizuo'' is related to the term (; literally "Holy Mother") or (; literally "Holy Mother"), a reference to those whose political opinions are perceived as being overly driven by emotion.

Definition

"Baizuo" is a popular political epithet commonly used on the Chinese Internet. The literal translation is "white left" which refers to western white liberal leftists. According to Chinese political scientist Chenchen Zhang, the word "Baizuo" refers to those who "only care about topics such as immigration, minorities, LGBT rights and the environment", but lack a concept of "real problems in the real world". It is also used to describe those "hypocritical humanitarians who advocate

political correctness ''Political correctness'' (adjectivally: ''politically correct''; commonly abbreviated ''PC'') is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in socie ...

just to satisfy their own sense of moral superiority". Some used this word to indicate those "ignorant and arrogant westerners" who "pity the rest of the world and think they are saviours".

History

The term ''baizuo'' was apparently coined in a 2010 article published on Renren Network by user Li Shuo, entitled ''The Fake Morality of the Western White Left and the Chinese Patriotic Scientists'' (), initially used as a general critique of certain socialist values in the

American left The American Left consists of individuals and groups that have sought egalitarian changes in the economic, political and cultural institutions of the United States. Various subgroups with a national scope are active. Liberals and progressives b ...

. No further use of the term is known until 2013, where it enjoyed prominence in the Chinese forum

Zhihu Zhihu is a website where questions are created, answered, edited, and organized by the community of its users. Originally based in Chengdu, with creators being from Sichuan, China, its website, zhihu.com, was launched on January 26, 2011. The n ...

through 2013–2015. Substantial use in Chinese

Internet culture Internet culture is a culture based on the many way people have used computer networks and their use for communication, entertainment, business, and recreation. Some features of Internet culture include online communities, gaming, and social media ...

began in early 2016, at first at MIT BBS, a bulletin board system used by many

Chinese Americans Chinese Americans are Americans of Han Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans along with their ancestors trace lineage from ...

, during the

2016 United States presidential election The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket ...

. ''Baizuo'' was used there to criticize the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

's emphasis on the affirmative action policies perceived as discriminating against Asians. This term also gained some attentions in Germany and is used to criticize Angela Merkel's immigration policies. The term has been referenced approvingly by American conservatives, including

Tucker Carlson Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson (born May 16, 1969) is an American television host, conservative political commentator and writer who has hosted the nightly political talk show ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' on Fox News since 2016. Carlson began h ...

and

Rod Dreher Raymond Oliver Dreher Jr. (born February 14, 1967), known as Rod Dreher, is an American writer and editor living in Budapest, Hungary. He is a senior editor and blogger at ''The American Conservative'' and author of several books, including ''H ...

Similar terms in Hong Kong

A different term was widely used for similar effect in Hong Kong, called ''zo gaau'' (; literally "left dumbass" or " leftard"). The term gain popularity in HK in the 2010s, and became widespread after the

2014 Hong Kong protests A series of sit-in street protests, often called the Umbrella Revolution and sometimes used interchangeably with Umbrella Movement, or Occupy Movement, occurred in Hong Kong from 26 September to 15 December 2014. The protests began after ...

References

{{Reflist Chinese Internet slang Left-wing politics Linguistic controversies Political neologisms Political slurs for people Criticism of multiculturalism Criticism of feminism 2010s neologisms

Definition

History

Similar terms in Hong Kong

See also

References