A lot of language, especially political language, is about signalling.
Politics, as certain roguishly handsome commentators have said in recent times, is tribal and the shock election of Donald Trump in the US has put a real spring in our wildly unpopular leaders' steps as they desperately try to use the same language that got him into power.
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Two pronged ABC attack
While appearing on different ABC shows, PM Malcolm Turnbull and his deputy Barnaby Joyce have criticised the broadcaster for being elite and out of touch. Courtesy ABC.
The problem with doing this is twofold: one, that Australia and the US use different code words; and two, that neither of our leaders can convincingly pull it off.
What's far more ridiculous – not to say downright hilarious – was watching Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull attempt to dismiss the media as "elites", as he so condescendingly did to Leigh Sales on Monday night's episode of 7.30.
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When Sales asked Turnbull why he was spearheading an inquiry into the Racial Discrimination Act despite having emphasised on multiple occasions that it wasn't a priority for him or his government, he took the opportunity to take aim at the real hypocrites: the "elite media".
"Leigh, this is a question you should address to your editors at the ABC – very seriously," he tutted. "[Section] 18C [of the Act] is talked about constantly on the ABC, talked about constantly in what's often the elite media."
And the term was no accident. "On the elite media like the ABC I often get criticised or sent up … for catching public transport a lot," he bafflingly continued.
"I would have thought, after this last election in the United States, people might focus less on the polls and less on the opinions of commentators on the ABC or other elite media outlets and focus more on what people are actually saying."
Get the message, Australia? Your enemy is the elite media, and definitely not the people actually determining things like whether or not you deserve access to maternity leave.
The problem for Turnbull is that he's uniquely ill-placed to frame himself as a working-class hero since he's the least working-class leader the nation has ever had.
Tony Abbott was a child of well-off family that went on to enjoy the patronage of the powerful, yet successfully presented himself as a normal bloke that liked normal bloke things like beer and surfing and not recognising what a Rolex looks like when given one by a Chinese billionaire.
But Turnbull is the fancy-pants archetype of wealth and privilege, so it's downright galling to watch him talk about "elites" as though he's actually some sort of renegade cop set to deal rough justice on the mean streets of Australian politics.
He really can't convincingly suggest that he's a loose cannon that plays by his own rules but by god he gets results, unlike those effete pencil pushers down at City Hall. Especially since as Prime Minister, he IS City Hall.
Seriously, Malcolm. When you're a multimillionaire occupying the highest office in the land, you don't get to pretend that you're battling the elites.
When you attend Sydney's most prestigious school, study law at its most prestigious university, and then begin a business career thanks in no small part to the mentorship (and money) of Kerry Packer, you don't get to pretend you're battling the elites.
When you're declining to move to the official prime ministerial residence because it'd be an unacceptable downgrade from your lavish waterside mansion in Australia's most expensive suburb, you don't get to pretend that you're battling the elites.
When your own election campaign was based in part on a heartstring tugging commercial which emphasised that you'd known hardship as a child, which turned out to be living in a rented property for a bit before your dad made millions in real estate which he'd later bequeath to you, you don't get to pretend you're battling the elites.
When you have enough cash on hand to whip out a cheeky million or so to cover shortfalls in your party's election campaign – a shortfall due in part because of funding being withheld due to unlawful donations from property developers – you don't get to pretend you're battling the elites.
When the party you represent has overseen a Medicare rebate freeze that has forced prices for health services to rise, cuts to funding for higher education courses, and brought in punitive policies that force hardship on jobseekers (including the ones made jobless by the Coalition's decisions to cease support for manufacturing and slash jobs from the public service), you don't get to pretend you're battling the elites.
But Malcolm's right about one thing, at least: the elites are unambiguously the problem.
And heck, he should know.
Andrew P Street's new book The Curious Story of Malcolm Turnbull: the Incredible Shrinking Man in the Top Hat is out now through Allen & Unwin, and book now for The Double Disillusionists live at Giant Dwarf talking Has Trump Doomed Australia with Fairfax's Jacqueline Maley and BuzzFeed's Mark di Stefano on Thursday 24 November
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