白左 / "white left" - what are the precise connotations of this term?

[NoXion]

I've seen this one used in the wild twice now. Once by a person with shit politics, and the other by someone whose politics are unfamiliar to me. The Wikipedia article is rather brief, but points an article on OpenDemocracy.net which suggests that it originates from China's equivalent of those people who post frothing comments below the line of Daily Mail articles. I wonder to what degree

Would anyone have any other sources or commentary on this? I would be particularly interested in Rimbaud 's take on this term.

 

[Rimbaud]

I've seen this one used in the wild twice now. Once by a person with shit politics, and the other by someone whose politics are unfamiliar to me. The Wikipedia article is rather brief, but points an article on OpenDemocracy.net which suggests that it originates from China's equivalent of those people who post frothing comments below the line of Daily Mail articles. I wonder to what degree

Would anyone have any other sources or commentary on this? I would be particularly interested in Rimbaud 's take on this term.

It is basically used because "left" in China today is associated with values we'd associate with the right, for instance hard nationalist/authoritarian views are considered leftist and it is usually used as synonymous with conservative. (I'm simplifying a bit - there are still some Left-Maoists who are not Conservatives, but they are small in number and persecuted by the party, especially under Xi, because the organised Maoists were big supporters of his rival Bo Xilai).

The term "white left" came about due to a growing realisation, especially amongst Chinese students studying overseas, that the connotation of "left" in the west is extremely different to that in China. Hence the need for the prefix "white" to distinguish it.

It is usually used disparagingly by Chinese rich kids who may have experience overseas and don't like left wing ideas of taking away their privileges and are racist against brown people.

I've also seen it used to attack liberal Chinese voices, e.g. Feminists and LGBT advocates, as being "白左", with the implication that they are traitors in some way.

 

[toblerone3]

That's really confusing.

 

[Rimbaud]

ht tps://medium.com/@dylanleviking/social-darwinism-and-the-stigmatization-of-white-left-fang-kecheng-on-the-white-left-a2315c2d7a38

This is the best article on it I've seen - a translation of a talk on it by a Chinese academic, with some additional commentary by the translator.

Edit - For some reason that wasn't working when I included the URL, so I broke up the https bit.