In his book Snobbery: The American Version Joaeph Epstein crafted the word "virtucrat" which he defined as "any man or woman who is certain that his or her political views are not merely correct but deeply, morally righteous in the bargain."18 Epstein used the word in other works such as Gossip: The Untrivial Pursuit, and the word has been picked up by other commentators on culture and society.