The last month has been hard for sane Americans. The last six months have been hard for friendly British people.
The results of the election and the Brexit vote, in a lot of the media I consume, at least, have left people confused, scared and wondering what lies ahead. While I can't offer anything concrete on either issue, I feel that I am well placed to explain the British to Americans and vice versa.
So, without further ado let's bust some exaggerated but not entirely inaccurate preconceptions....
The Results
Yes, in my opinion the US election result was driven by madness and the Brexit result was a sign of incredible arrogance. I feel mentally fatigued by all the stuff Trump's done, and yet he prevailed. The EU Referendum was Britain's chance to show the world that it had moved on from its xenophobic and self serving past, and yet the people decided to do just the opposite.
Despite these results, I still think there is a lot of hope on both sides of the Atlantic. Here's why:
America's Grip on Sanity
Craziness isn't necessarily a bad thing. Think of all the geniuses that have been completely stir crazy. America is like a mad genius if it were a country. It gets by among other nations perfectly well, but definitely has a reputation for being a bit “out there.” America knows that other countries talk behind its back about its crazy obsessions (Finland: “That sure is one worrying gun collection.” China: “That's nothing. You ever hear how much fast food that they can get through?”) But it's ok, as America's undeniably respected for all the great stuff they've produced and will produce, despite their questionable habits and unusual choices.
Americans aren't as wacky as most people make out. It's just that, as with history's most respected eccentrics, they have their own way of doing things, even if it defies all logic.
True, sometimes something utterly perplexing happens, like Trump's election, but hey, what's a four to eight year bad mood between friends?
Britain's Arrogance
The Brexit vote wasn't as surprising as the Trump victory. Euroscepticism has been around for as long as the EU. Indeed, Britain spent most of the preceding 1000 years at war with many of today's EU member states. In some ways it was surprising that the EU result shocked anybody. I was expecting it.
An argument I've heard for the result is that British arrogance won through. People think the British want to emulate their former empire by bringing in closer ties with English speaking nations. People may want this, but I think ignorance as much as arrogance is to blame.
I can't say for sure that Britain's education system is hugely flawed, but I can say that my education was. A very selective version of history was taught to me throughout school. It basically went Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, 1066, Tudors, WWI, WWII. Notice any kind of empire shaped hole in that chronology? I came out of school kind of getting that Britain grew a huge empire, but didn't get any details of its rise, its actions or its decline.
I know many people who, like me, were state educated and who got taught only of the good things Britain did throughout history. I've also heard otherwise perfectly nice people state things like “We should really take India/America/Australia back.” People don't seem to realize that many places Britain used to control involved brutal invasion, devastation, suppression and economical wreckage. It's also true that people are to some extent joking when they say this (although to what extent varies.)
I don't think the British are so arrogant that they realistically want to start invading former territories and impose martial law any time soon. The British recognize that other people want their independence just like they do.
At the end of the day, the British are just big headed and don't fully realize the offense they can cause when making proto-colonial statements or insults to members of other nationalities. It isn't good, but it's something that won't go away for some time. Prince Phillip's demeanor is the perfect example of this, but then again he is a Greek that wants in on our glory.
Any Conclusions?
I think the world won't end any time soon, hopefully. It would have been nice to see some progression. For people like me, it's ok to be disgusted at Trump's statements, and disappointed in Brexit, but not blame people too strongly. Americans have voted for smart things in the past and will again. The British will have their moment in the sun, realize that the entire world doesn't care about them, and seek some way to integrate more strongly.
Both countries, like young siblings, are going through a temper tantrum. Yes, they're in it together, but when they realize that they've been sent to bed without their dinner they'll relent, mature and make smarter decisions.