General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWell Brexit just got a bit personal for me
One of my friends in the UK just got verbally harassed for being Romanian.
But nope, it's not about racism and xenophobia. Totally just a means to strike a blow at the neoliberals!
TubbersUK
(1,439 posts)But, sadly, I'm not in the least bit surprised.
KPN
(15,642 posts)At the same time, to assign all of the discontent to xenophobia is mistaken ... and leaders would do well to recognize the legitimacy of discontent with the current economic model.
Lucinda
(31,170 posts)I'm really sad to hear this.
pampango
(24,692 posts)and less constrained by that dread liberal 'disease' political correctness.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)It's a disease that is spreading. In the U.S. even Sikhs have been targeted by people who don't like Muslims.
Brexit is the result, not the cause, of something that extends far beyond the UK.
Shebear
(29 posts)... but extremists will try to exploit people's real concerns and suffering. We shouldn't be helping them do it by branding anyone who has concerns about de-industrialization, job loss and loss of democratic process as racist.
I just came back from the UK and there is (no surprise) a different perspective than we have here. Even among immigrants, there is a divide - those of non-EU backgrounds (Pakistanis, Indians, etc.) feel less favorable treatment than EU immigrants, for instance. Most of the EU immigrants are Caucasian.
The local BBC town halls showed the fault lines are not along traditional left-right boundaries. There is a very strong feeling of national independence - not adopting the Euro has spared Brittain the worst of the austerity measures, for instance. There wouldn't have been this mood to exit if the EU had concentrated its policies on the welfare of citizens, rather than making the banks a priority.
Much of this was publicly discussed... particularly being more sensitive to the plight of the bulk of the middle class that has not fared so well as the upper classes in the so-called "recovery".
fleabiscuit
(4,542 posts)Rex
(65,616 posts)nt
Bernardo de La Paz
(48,988 posts)Even DU can't always agree on what it means.
Yes, it was about xenophobic fear-of / anger-against immigrants on the part of the shrinking whites (esp. males).