Brexit, part 2. Regrexit?
Over the past 48 hours, ever since preliminary results started pouring in for Britain's stay-or-leave referendum (see my Brexit! post from yesterday), I've been scouring the news for additional insight on why the vote tilted toward leaving the EU. So far I've seen four basic ideas repeated across hundreds of tweets and dozens of articles:
1. Racists
2. Old people (who shouldn't be allowed to vote)
3. People who voted "leave", not expecting it to win
4. Millions want a do-over.
Wow. Just wow. If ever there were a clearer self-indictment that the mainstream media is out of touch with the actual mainstream, I don't think I've seen it.
Let me take these postulates one at a time.
First, yes, some people are racists. But 52 of the UK%? Please. There are many principled objections, having nothing to do with racism. Tossing around blanket accusations of racism is intellectual laziness and, worse, erodes the value of the term in cases where racism truly is a significant factor.
Second, yes, the demographic breakdown of the vote shows younger age groups voted in favor of staying while older age groups voted in favor of leaving. Many of the young express resentment at this and argue that older people shouldn't have been allowed to vote on an issue like this. Their argument goes, basically, "Old people shouldn't be allowed to vote on the future as they're likely to die before experiencing it." As if that kind of ageism weren't alarming enough on its own, consider that many of the people making that utterly bigoted argument are the same labelling the whole other side racists. The irony is breathtaking.
Third, I have little sympathy for people who voted to leave and didn't mean it. What were they thinking? Yes, I understand the concept of a protest vote, but anyone planning to vote that way must consider the possibility that it will win. Given that polls showed opinion on the matter evenly divided for weeks before the vote, anyone who thought it would be safe to vote "leave" while expecting "stay" to win was clearly moronic and deserves the unintended consequences twice over. Screw their "Regrexit".
I suspect, though, that there are very few actual Regrexit voters. The stunningly lopsided coverage in the media tells me that they are grasping for straws to explain the mindset of the majority. A "sour grapes" rationalization is a common way to rationalize away cognitive dissonance.
Then, finally, there are the 2,000,000+ who've already signed a petition calling for a new vote with different, highly stilted rules. Sorry-not-sorry, you don't get to rewrite the rules after you lose and you don't get do-overs.
By the way: I'm not expressing an opinion for or against the referendum. I'm just noting the fatuousness of the media and the irony of those decrying presumed bigotry turning around and actively advocating it.
1. Racists
2. Old people (who shouldn't be allowed to vote)
3. People who voted "leave", not expecting it to win
4. Millions want a do-over.
Wow. Just wow. If ever there were a clearer self-indictment that the mainstream media is out of touch with the actual mainstream, I don't think I've seen it.
Let me take these postulates one at a time.
First, yes, some people are racists. But 52 of the UK%? Please. There are many principled objections, having nothing to do with racism. Tossing around blanket accusations of racism is intellectual laziness and, worse, erodes the value of the term in cases where racism truly is a significant factor.
Second, yes, the demographic breakdown of the vote shows younger age groups voted in favor of staying while older age groups voted in favor of leaving. Many of the young express resentment at this and argue that older people shouldn't have been allowed to vote on an issue like this. Their argument goes, basically, "Old people shouldn't be allowed to vote on the future as they're likely to die before experiencing it." As if that kind of ageism weren't alarming enough on its own, consider that many of the people making that utterly bigoted argument are the same labelling the whole other side racists. The irony is breathtaking.
Third, I have little sympathy for people who voted to leave and didn't mean it. What were they thinking? Yes, I understand the concept of a protest vote, but anyone planning to vote that way must consider the possibility that it will win. Given that polls showed opinion on the matter evenly divided for weeks before the vote, anyone who thought it would be safe to vote "leave" while expecting "stay" to win was clearly moronic and deserves the unintended consequences twice over. Screw their "Regrexit".
I suspect, though, that there are very few actual Regrexit voters. The stunningly lopsided coverage in the media tells me that they are grasping for straws to explain the mindset of the majority. A "sour grapes" rationalization is a common way to rationalize away cognitive dissonance.
Then, finally, there are the 2,000,000+ who've already signed a petition calling for a new vote with different, highly stilted rules. Sorry-not-sorry, you don't get to rewrite the rules after you lose and you don't get do-overs.
By the way: I'm not expressing an opinion for or against the referendum. I'm just noting the fatuousness of the media and the irony of those decrying presumed bigotry turning around and actively advocating it.