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| 'If I didn't laugh, I'd cry': Brexit humour from the Remain camp | 'If I didn't laugh, I'd cry': Brexit humour from the Remain camp |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| As the United Kingdom reels after the result of the referendum, the reaction in England appears to be falling into two camps. A picture is emerging of an older, more rural, demographic, many of whom chose to leave, and a younger urban electorate who mostly voted to remain. | As the United Kingdom reels after the result of the referendum, the reaction in England appears to be falling into two camps. A picture is emerging of an older, more rural, demographic, many of whom chose to leave, and a younger urban electorate who mostly voted to remain. |
| The fallout from what is perhaps the most seismic political event in the country since 1945 is apparent across social media, which is resounding with fury and hurt. | |
| "65+ and voted to leave? Any thoughts of what kind of country your grandchildren will grow up in? Or a purely selfish, single-minded, insular decision? For once I truly understand what 'I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed' means." | "65+ and voted to leave? Any thoughts of what kind of country your grandchildren will grow up in? Or a purely selfish, single-minded, insular decision? For once I truly understand what 'I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed' means." |
| "Don't kid yourself - if you voted for 'independence' you voted for fear and isolation and racism." | "Don't kid yourself - if you voted for 'independence' you voted for fear and isolation and racism." |
| "We don't have a problem with immigrants, we have a problem with imbeciles." | "We don't have a problem with immigrants, we have a problem with imbeciles." |
| Of course, it's not as simple as "all people under 40 voted to remain and are disappointed with the result", as these comments - often posted with an image of a union jack or Winston Churchill - demonstrate: | Of course, it's not as simple as "all people under 40 voted to remain and are disappointed with the result", as these comments - often posted with an image of a union jack or Winston Churchill - demonstrate: |
| "Wow! Exciting times! C'mon Britain!", "We have taken our country back - BRITAIN FOR THE BRITISH!!" which are certainly enthusiastic, if not nuanced. And naturally, there will be many a rural baby boomer who is distraught at what's happened. | "Wow! Exciting times! C'mon Britain!", "We have taken our country back - BRITAIN FOR THE BRITISH!!" which are certainly enthusiastic, if not nuanced. And naturally, there will be many a rural baby boomer who is distraught at what's happened. |
| That said, a by-now-viral blog-post lays the blame for Brexit firmly at the door of those born in the mid-1940s to early 1960s. | That said, a by-now-viral blog-post lays the blame for Brexit firmly at the door of those born in the mid-1940s to early 1960s. |
| "They took the secure corporate and government jobs with the guaranteed pay rises and final salary pension schemes and benefitted from property they bought cheap and sold dear. | "They took the secure corporate and government jobs with the guaranteed pay rises and final salary pension schemes and benefitted from property they bought cheap and sold dear. |
| "They burnt the bridges behind them by colluding with the dismantling of the very things that had brought them prosperity. Their last act will be to burn the economy before they die." | "They burnt the bridges behind them by colluding with the dismantling of the very things that had brought them prosperity. Their last act will be to burn the economy before they die." |
| So, as the pound crashes and shares plummet, is there anything that can raise a smile for Generation Ex-(European Union)? | So, as the pound crashes and shares plummet, is there anything that can raise a smile for Generation Ex-(European Union)? |
| Of course there is. As one Facebook user puts it: "If I didn't laugh, I'd cry". Here are some ways the pro-EUers have reacted. | Of course there is. As one Facebook user puts it: "If I didn't laugh, I'd cry". Here are some ways the pro-EUers have reacted. |
| So, is it the end of the world as we know it? Will we live to rue the day we were allowed to choose? Some think so. | So, is it the end of the world as we know it? Will we live to rue the day we were allowed to choose? Some think so. |
| Zoe Davies posted on Facebook: "To those who acted upon the advice to 'follow your heart rather than your head'. The head is designed for thinking, and the heart is merely a pump. Common sense suggests that we should have chosen to remain. | Zoe Davies posted on Facebook: "To those who acted upon the advice to 'follow your heart rather than your head'. The head is designed for thinking, and the heart is merely a pump. Common sense suggests that we should have chosen to remain. |
| "The consequences could be terrible. We have pressed the self-destruct button." | "The consequences could be terrible. We have pressed the self-destruct button." |
| Many agree with her - a crowd of people gathered around Boris Johnson's home in north London to boo him and shout "Shame on you" - and much, much worse. | Many agree with her - a crowd of people gathered around Boris Johnson's home in north London to boo him and shout "Shame on you" - and much, much worse. |
| But, on a brighter note, that British get-up-and-go (which we've obviously just deployed) should hold us in good stead. | But, on a brighter note, that British get-up-and-go (which we've obviously just deployed) should hold us in good stead. |
| Mike Irons put in his online penny's worth: "What matters now is how we walk through the fire. The 'leave' vote was not the end of the fight, but the beginning. Racism and fascism are not certainties. | Mike Irons put in his online penny's worth: "What matters now is how we walk through the fire. The 'leave' vote was not the end of the fight, but the beginning. Racism and fascism are not certainties. |
| "But honestly. What the hell have we done?" | "But honestly. What the hell have we done?" |