Liberal elite, also referred to as the metropolitan elite or progressive elite, is a stereotype of 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 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. Because the label is a rhetorical device, it carries flexible meaning depending on the circumstances in which it is used. The concept arose in the United States, but has spread to other English-speaking countries, where the term metropolitan elite is more common because liberal can have the opposite meaning, depending on country. Usage Canada 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". 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". 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". China 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. 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 they are not offended. Hong Kong The term called zo gaau (Chinese: 左膠; Jyutping: zo2 gaau1) is widely used for similar effect in Hong Kong, which literally means "left dumbass" or "leftard". 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 a unrealistic way only to satisfy their moral superiority. Their ideas are too lofty and sometimes ignore the imperfections of the real