There is a Chinese curse which states “May you live in interesting times.” What with no end to the Syrian Civil War in sight, tensions still high between the West and Russia, and now the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU in the wake of an economic and immigration crisis, we certainly do seem to be living amidst interesting times. And in these interesting times, I'm observing an interesting phenomenon: the rise of what I'd like to refer to as the 21^st century demagogue.

The term "demagogue" emulates from the Greek dēmos ‘meaning the people’ and agōgos meaning ‘leading’. The term today is defined as "a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument."

Demagogues are not a new kind of person. In fact, they date back to the earliest days of Antiquity, and many can be found in Greek and Roman history. More contemporary examples include Benito Mussolini, Adolph Hitler, and even Joseph McCarthy. Demagogues are born out of societies wracked with uncertainty and usually undergoing some sort of economic and social distress.

And with economic and domestic insecurity on the rise, we've witnessed the emergence of 21^st century demagogues in the form of Donald Trump, and to a lesser extent, Bernie Sanders.

On the one hand you have Donald Trump, a man with little political experience who's managed to become the Republican party nominee without the help of party leaders or the political support usually needed for a run at the presidency. And on the other, you have Bernie Sanders, a self-proclaimed Jewish socialist.

If Bernie could somehow win the Democratic nomination, there is no doubt I'd vote for him. But to be honest, I doubt any of his economic policies would work or even be allowed on the Senate floor due to the Republican monopoly on Congress.

But I'd vote for him because of his character, his ideals, and his genuine nature. Although Bernie doesn't fit the mold of a traditional demagogue, his rallying cry for economic equality appeals to the working and middle class as well as the millennial generation, regardless of its actual feasibility. In this way, Bernie Sanders could be classified as a 21st century demagogue.

Donald Trump, on the other hand, is the textbook definition of a demagogue. While there are several reasons why Trump has succeeded in garnering support for himself, the main reason is he's a man who seems like he has answers in an age when no one else does.

Trump is an opportunist feeding and channeling the desires of a select group of people who can't stand the rising culture of political correctness and sensitivity in America and indeed, the world. Because with sensitivity and empathy comes the realization that your way of life is not the only way of life. Now for some people, this realization is dizzying and strikes at the core of their being.

Now along comes someone like Trump who seems to have it all figured out and these people gravitate to him like flies on day old fish. To take the other person's perspective is difficult and requires you to question your own actions as well as theirs. To shut your eyes and move with the fat, blind inertia of group think is easy.

Leaders like Donald Trump are strewn throughout the pages of history. His tactics aren’t new by any stretch of the imagination. He totes a message of returning to past glories (Make America Great Again), he plays on the dreams of others by making fanciful promises without clear cut plans, and he's selected an alien minority scapegoat for the country to rally against.

But why do people love him so much? Why do his views resonate with such a broad audience? Because they have their basis in truth. While they are gross generalizations, he plays on the fears of the American people, claiming everything will be great again if they just support him.

And it works. Why? Because the country is sick of career politicians. But not just that, they are sick of facts. They're sick of hearing from the experts, pundits, and the "beautiful people." And at the end of the day, when the myths met the facts in an open debate, they were as useless as bullets in an HG Wells novel.

Along with the rise of the 21^st century demagogue we're seeing the return of the policy of isolationism. Human nature dictates that people will instinctively avoid pain before seeking pleasure. So when times of uncertainty and danger come along, societies are more likely to adopt a policy of isolationism rather than cooperation.

These kinds of policies were most popular during the early 20^th century, particularly in America before both World Wars, and fell off in the post war 50s. This trend can be attributed to a confidence of both economic and domestic security in the country during the 50s until about the 70s after the debacle that was the Vietnam War. But now, isolationism is making a comeback in America, as well as across the world. Yesterday, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union and adopt a more isolationist foreign policy.

With the immigration crisis reaching a peak as countries like France, Germany and Sweden groan under the strain of supporting these refugee's, it's really no wonder why England chose to remove themselves from an ailing union of economic failure, mass unemployment and low growth.

What makes all of this worse is whose running on the other side of the aisle. The incompetence, inauthenticity, and bold face deceits of Hillary Clinton are frankly sickening.

So if you're looking for answers or a strong opinion in this article, I'm sorry to disappoint, but I've got nothing. I'm just simply sharing my observations as both a student of history and a man concerned for his future.

And even after everything I've said about Trump, I kind of agree with Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independent Party and the foremost supporter of and English departure from the EU. When asked about the US Presidential election he stated that he "had reservations on the views and character of Donald Trump, but would vote for him to prevent Hillary Clinton from becoming President."

So you have people claiming they're voting for Hillary to stop Donald Trump, and people voting for Trump in order to "stop the pantsuit". But rare is the man who is actually voting for someone because they like the candidate and agree with their views. Well certainly do live in interesting times.