Meaning of champagne socialist | Babel Free

Definitions

A person adhering to socialism or supporting socialist policies while enjoying a lifestyle that is ostensibly in conflict with their political beliefs, or whose status would shield them from negative consequences of said policies.

derogatory, sarcastic

Equivalents

Examples

“"The champagne socialist wants everybody to be equal upon the higher plane that suits him, utterly ignoring the fact that there are not enough champagne, green turtle, and truffles to go round."”

“People deploy the phrase 'Champagne socialist' a lot online. They smirk at their computer screens, shrewdly slipping around comment boards imploding egalitarian arguments with a single phrase.”

“Being soft on crime is fashionable among champagne socialists. Within their circles, there are few easier ways to win social clout than to declare that the police ought to be literally abolished, or to rhapsodize that what criminals need, more than anything else, is more leniency and understanding.”

“As a consequence of these opinions, a close friend calls me a champagne socialist. He says I’m conflicted and self-contradictory. He mock-quotes me with "redistribute wealth, just not mine."”

CEFR level