On June 16th, the people of the United Kingdom voted in favour of leaving the European Union. The referendum, popularly known as "Brexit," leaves not only Britain and Europe, but the whole world in a state of uncertainty about what is going to happen.
The outcome of the referendum has been an utter shock to the world. The moment the results were out, the sterling pound faced a drop worse than the one it had in the financial crisis of 2008. This was the first of many changes that the United Kingdom will go through because of its decision to leave.
Besides the financial consequences that the Brexit will have, the social and political impacts are yet to be seen. The ease to travel, work, and live in any country of the EU will be revoked in time. This majorly affects Britain's young population, who, unsurprisingly, voted to remain in the Union. In a world that is growing more competitive by the second, the ease of having a whole continent as a place to find a job and settle will slowly drift from the hands of the Britons.
These are just a few of the consequences of leaving the EU. The blow will also hit Europe's economy and politics in ways still to be seen. This decision might spark a series of referendums in countries that feel unsatisfied with their membership in the EU, creating further chaos in an already turbulent world.
So, why would Britons want to leave the EU? The answer is clear, and a bit troubling. The statistics show that the majority of people who voted to leave were white, middle-aged, working class people. What struck me about this information is that these voters are the British version of American Trump supporters. With further research, I found myself to be right.
The "leave" campaign was filled with hate towards immigrants, refugees, and anyone thought to be harming "Britain's culture and traditions". Sound familiar? It is not a new approach to use fear in order to achieve political goals. Nero accused Christians as the perpetrators of the Great Fire of Rome, Adolf Hitler blamed the Jewish for Germany's downfall, Donald Trump fingers Latinos and Muslims as the source of America's problems, and Nigel Farage made more than half of Britain believe that refugees and Brussels were what was killing Britain's power and sovereignty.
The Brexit is just a mirror image of what is going on across the pond. Just as the UK is struggling with the results of a referendum that never made sense, the US is facing what is potentially the worst presidential race in history.
Let the Brexit chaos be a reminder of how fear and hatred never benefit a society and sing Anarchy in the UK as you go vote in November's election. I truly hope that Americans learn from the British what they are learning the hard way this very moment.
