As we all think through the class tensions that have surfaced in Canada, it’s a good time to take a closer look at an ethos held by many of those shaping the dialogue.

This group of decision-makers and opinion shapers, which includes the media, is often referred to in leftist circles as the professional managerial class. Catherine Liu, professor of film and media studies at the University of California, Irvine, has recently published a book on the PMC, titled Virtue Hoarders: The Case against the Professional Managerial Class. It is a fierce and funny polemic, and one so sharp and insightful that I’ve gone back to read it several times now.

In our conversation today on the podcast, Liu touches on everything from mommy bloggers to land acknowledgements — and argues that we must insist on viewing society’s current struggles through an economic lens.

Listen at Lean Out with Tara Henley.