Keepin’ it real

Heather D’Cruz writes: Re. “The media’s obsession with tapping into the culture of ‘Real People’ is dumb” (yesterday). Helen Razer yet again references class inequality as the explanation for the upsurge of demagogues, populists, predominantly of far right extremism/racism world-wide.  I don’t understand why it is so difficult to be able to hold the idea of class struggle alongside the possibility of racism. It could be either; it could be both. With regard to Brexit and support for the Leave option, many reputable sources reported the upsurge of racism in Britain following the Leave outcome. I usually find Helen Razer’s essays thought-provoking. However, as a person of colour, I am left uneasy as this persistent denial of racism as an explanation for the current state of politics world-wide.

Peter Smith writes: The concept of ‘real people’ or the average Australian is fraught with problems. There is no such thing, and anyone who claims to know who these people are should not be taken seriously. The latest iteration of this idea is the ‘silent majority’; those who don’t make their opinions public and who seem to want less immigration, no marriage equality and jobs in the mining industry. If they’re so silent, how do the media and politicians know what they are thinking?