Many newspapers today will be reporting the news of Britain’s exit from the EU in statistics and facts. This of course is vital to our country’s understanding of the result, but I feel such a huge day for our society and our culture also needs to be seen through the eyes of the individuals who will have to live with it. So, here we go.
I understand that those who voted to leave the EU will be pleased today that they have made an earth-shattering move which has already ricocheted all over the world. I understand they had their reasons and I understand this is a democracy and we have to respect democratic decisions. However, for me, this is a day of sadness.
The EU to me seems an opportunity for people to better themselves; an opportunity for people’s human rights to be valued under a widespread continental code; an opportunity for people to feel safe, secure and respected.
I don’t think I, or many of my peers, expected this turnout to ACTUALLY happen. It was always Nigel Farage’s pipe dream. UKIP didn’t win the General Election, and yet we seem to be enacting his/their values. Something just doesn’t seem right to me there. Most of us can’t believe it, but at least there is some comfort in the knowledge that as students and young people we vastly voted to Remain, and therefore we are (mostly) all in this together. Shocked, gutted, worried.
Something that I (and I’m sure many other people globally) am terrified about is the thought of the true political horror hat-trick being enacted before our very eyes. Vladimir Putin – Boris Johnson – Donald Trump. In a few years time, this could be a very different world, and I just don’t know as our generation is really ready, or happy, to live in it. I can only see as we have the older generation to blame for that.
One of my friends pointed out to me yesterday that, if we were to leave the EU, we would be the metaphorical Michelle to Germany’s Beyoncé (speaking in Destiny’s Child terms, obvs). Our solo career, judging by the current state of the stock market, looks to be something of a Michelle. What a profound prediction that was.
So, although there is much sadness and fear circulating due to this result, at least we can all find amusement in the sheer ludicrousness of it all. And those old Brexiters will never understand that reference, so sucks to be them.
