Qatar calling its critics racist opens a debate that may be worth having

Increasingly prevalent line may sound dubious, but talking it through sensitively could have unexpected benefits

People gather around the official countdown clock showing remaining time until the kick-off of the World Cup 2022. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File)

The film Triangle of Sadness, released last month, features an “extreme vomiting” scene that has divided opinion among viewers. The film’s setup – vacuous moneyed people on a yacht – is intended as a satire on the super rich and those who fawn over them. The big food-poisoning set piece is used to express disgust at the vapidity of these hyper-spoilt lives.

Some have walked out in shock. Others have objected that the vomiting conveys revulsion and nothing else, that billionaires are people too; that to dehumanise these people in return is an ignoble response. The overclass also have feelings. This should be our starting point.