Champagne Socialists

created by akf2000

(idea) by Thomas Miconi (4.8 y) (print) ? (I like it!) 1 C! Tue Jan 16 2001 at 17:36:47

In France they are called Gauche Caviar. You can see quite a lot of them in Woody Allen's movies as well (Everybody says I love you definitely rocks).

They usually (but not always) come from upper-class families, have a limited knowledge of the working class, but feel a strong empathy towards "the People". They are too blasé/lazy/intelligent to get into real politics, however - and if they do, it is usually with one single target in mind : the Top.

They are commonly loathed and despised, which I find somewhat harsh. Showing concern for your fellow men's living condition should not make you the ridicule of your contemporaries. Do you really have to utter stupid slogans or fight policemen in the streets to gain respect ? (However, note that being a hardened, cop-beating leftist in your early years does not prevent you from becoming an embodiment of champagne socialism at a more mature age - see Joschka Fischer of Germany).

As a crude summary : while a real socialist's pillow book would be Capital (although as we all know, nobody has ever read Marx's Capital - have you ?), a Champagne Socialist's would be The Grapes of Wrath.

PS: I tend to disagree with the list that was given by afk2000 - if Tony Blair is to be called a Socialist, then Lionel Jospin must be the result of some genetic experiment to melt the DNAs of Proudhon, Marx, Lenin, Stalin and Mao in one single man.

printable version
chaos

Limousine liberal	Chardonnay Socialist	Lionel Jospin	Ben Elton
The Grapes of Wrath	There is no such thing as society	Rage Against The Machine	Damon Albarn
capital	smoked salmon	Noel Coward	Tony Banks
hedonistic	Tony Blair	vat 69	Blasé
grass roots	discofever's Millennium Guide for Champagnes and Sparkling Wines	silly	self-righteous
sushi	Joschka Fischer	A Day in the Life of Glycerol and Potosi	Ebonics began with pirates

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