A Good Question

I got an email from a friend this morning with a question.

“In your opinion, what happened in the UK?”

Here is what I answered. 

In the United States there is a demographic: predominantly old, mostly white, mostly male, usually undereducated, frequently lacking anything resembling creativity or imagination; that demographic cleaves unto females similarly configured and in union they beget progeny of also mostly similar characteristics.

Their lack of anything to offer in the world that has evolved over the last century has caused them to lose jobs – the jobs have ceased to exist (see the words to A Pirate Looks at Forty by Jimmy Buffet) and they believe that some sinister group or force have caused them to lose “their place” (decent god fearing white people). 

The thought that “their place” really never existed, or if it did it has been eliminated by the need to be informed, educated, and, maybe even, smart does not pass their minds: their misery has been caused by some plot or plan which has singled them out for marginalization. 

Electing a black President became the flash point of no return for this demographic. 

In 2010 they started shouting that they were going to take their country back.  

Once taken back, they believe, that moldering Chevy plant, closed since the 1970s, will re-open and they can all return to the spot on the floor where their fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers all turned the same bolt with the same wrench on exactly the same floor tile; and America will be great again.

It turns out that in the rest of the highly developed European heritage world the same demographic lurks.

And it is mad as hell and not going to take it any more.

Specifically to your question, that demographic in Britain all voted and the people who are the “other” – young, educated, diverse, etc. etc. etc. all went to Starbucks.