Death threats and attacks on writers for getting it wrong on gender identity or race (see below) is all part of  what Toni Morrison described as “othering”. “Othering” is about making the “other” less than me. It is choosing to build a house of straw while the elite prepares the wolf-pack to blow it down. Inside our house of straw, we polarise, bitch, judge,label, stereotype, patronise, matronise, exclude, oppress and attack the “others”, wishing them to be more like us and less like themselves. The wolf pack at the door huffs and puffs its message that the “others” are to blame for our misfortune. We clutch at straws and get stuck in accusing or defending black against white and miss the shades and shadows. We fall for the mythology of the existence of races – a pseudo-scientific creation to justify inhumanity. We fail to see the reality of racism and privilege,where our colours and diversity are used to manipulate our common vulnerability into inequality. We miss the chance to share the complexity of our history and the riches of resistance in our different cultures. We fail to join forces in resistance to elitism. We miss an opportunity to correct our mistakes and develop our consciousness. With a huff and a puff, the wolf blows our house of straw down.

 See https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jun/15/torn-apart-the-vicious-war-over-young-adult-books