What The Reactions Of Brexit Losers Tell Us About Liberals

On Thursday, June 23rd, Great Britan had a historic referendum to decide whether to stay in the European Union (EU) or leave. The majority voted for “Britsh Exit” or Brexit. The vote took place after months of a high-pitched and emotional campaign. As an immediate consequence, the pound crashed, the global markets went on a tizzy, and the British Prime Minster David Cameron announced his resignation.

It was a major event in Europe, which was followed keenly by countries across the world. As an Indian, I watched the drama play out as neutral observer. The vote did not impact my life fundamentally. However it was a revelation to see the reactions that followed. This article is not about the long term-implications of Brexit, on which I have little to say. This is about the responses to the vote, and what they imply.

As expected, there was jubilation in the “exit” camp. Those who wanted to remain in the EU were shocked. They seemed completely unprepared for the verdict. As the news sunk in, pundits made various predictions. Many doomsday prophecies were pronounced. There was much teeth gnashing and mourning.

What is disconcerting was the utter gracelessness of some people in defeat. Almost immediately after the results, opinions started floating that those who voted for Brexit were bigoted, xenophobic, illiterate and/or stupid.

Initial studies indicated that the working class and elderly people voted to exit, while the young and more educated voted to remain. This set off a series of derogatory comments on the less educated and the elderly. I will illustrate this trend through a few screenshots:

Here is a headline in The Economist:

The implication is unsettling. A democratic outcome is pronounced anarchy by a highly regarded magazine. Are we to surmise that a democratic decision is invalid if it reflects the opinions of the “unwashed masses” instead of the educated elite?

He suggests excluding the elderly voters as they voted to leave. What is the message here? Those who disagree with one’s views should be shut out of the system and disenfranchised? As many commentators pointed out, where does this line of thought end? Next, should we ban the poor, illiterate, disabled and others sections based on our whims?

The Brexit debate has now taken a strange turn as over two million citizens have petitioned to have second referendum. This essentially means that the losing team wants a re-match. How Britain choses to deal with this will reflect on many core principles and have far reaching implications.