On Brexit, Trump, and Anti-Intellectualism
As I write this, it seems that the electorate of the United Kingdom have decided to leave the European Union. This will undoubtedly have a number of drastic, negative consequences. Some we know, many are unknown. The people of Britain and the world will have to deal with the consequences.
The results are disappointing, but what is very troubling is that this is not the end. This is just the beginning of a rising tide of anti-intellectualism that is seizing control of our institutions and driving them off a cliff.
What bothers me is how this result came about, and how a campaign focused on xenophobia and devoid of facts could triumph over one of reason and logic. What bothers me is how closely this reflects the rise of Trump here in the United States. What bothers me is the hopelessness I feel when reason and facts lose to ignorance and outright lies.
Democracy and Reason
Representative democracy, as we know it today is a child of the age of reason. The founding fathers created a system that empowers the people (excluding non-white, non-male, non-elites), but they did so with the expectation that those people would engage in reasoned discourse and disagreement. There was an expectation that using factual knowledge in civic participation was to be the norm. Without this assumption, the system doesn’t work. The system and its policy processes do not generate the optimal outcomes that benefit everyone. This is where we find ourselves today, democracy without reason.
The Brexit Campaign
First off, let me go ahead and say that I do have some background on European politics as well as an economics degree, and that I’m not (entirely) talking out of my ass. I studied the European Union as a political science major and my senior thesis was on Supranational governance of the EU vis-a-vis the Federal system of the United States.
I understand better than most Americans, how cumbersome and regulatory the EU can be. This became especially true after Maastricht and its subsequent treaties. Therefore, I am somewhat sympathetic to the perception of European overreach and questions of national vs. supranational sovereignty that the pro-brexit camp has.
However, I am also very understanding that regulations are required for participation in a common market. A common market that by most expert accounting has far more benefits to the U.K. than costs. For succinctness, here’s John Oliver’s excellent summary:
This campaign was not a debate about sovereignty and policy implications. This wasn’t a campaign about legitimate concerns on the erosion of the Westphalian compromise. (such a debate, I could probably live with) This campaign boiled down to a simple xenophobic, anti-immigrant “argument” on one side and a well reasoned, but complicated case for the benefits of EU membership on the other. The very troubling thing is, too many people chose to believe the simple lie, vs. the complicated truth.
Trump
Across the pond, we have our own problems with Donald Trump. He runs a campaign completely devoid of facts, based on xenophobia, racism, misogyny and is getting away with it. Many think he doesn’t stand a chance of winning, but today’s result only reinforces my belief that he’ll come close if not outright win. Well reasoned and educated individuals underestimate how much ignorance is out there and how tempting racism and xenophobia is as an alternative to complex reasoning.
Anti Intellectualism is a Threat to Democracy
A democracy cannot function when people fail to even acknowledge facts. Republicans brazenly ignore facts on climate change. The CDC isn’t even allowed to gather data on gun violence in this country to maybe inform some good policy decisions. The presumptive Republican Presidential nominee routinely lies and makes up so called “facts” and his supporters don’t punish him for it.
A government based not on fact and reasoned debate becomes a government run on emotion, on shouting matches and coercion (more sit-ins and filibusters to come). Such a government will not endure. Complexity is not a sin, science does not have an agenda. If we don’t turn back this tide of thinking or lack thereof, there will be far more dire consequences than the impending pain the world economy will feel tomorrow. Part of me feels like it is too late, and we’ve already gone past the point of no return. For all our sakes, I hope I’m wrong.
