When the voters of the United Kingdom chose to leave the European Union (52%-48%), they likely did so for a variety of reasons. Some of these wishes - like taking more control over the decision making within the country - are things that most people would desire. There was also a feeling of disconnect with many voters between themselves and the current status quo. Fair enough, really.
Clearly though, immigration concerns also played a role. Voters stated this in exit polls, and media and Twitter reports are consistent with the reality that there has been a rise in hostile behaviors toward immigrants since brexit. Now, you can frame this as nationalism, or something more sinister (xenophobia, scapegoating of immigrants, out-right hate, racism). In the end though, the outcome is really the same. While I am in no way suggesting this was an issue for all voters, or even most voters, it would be naive to conclude that it did not play a major role in the election results.
Now, there are several sides to everything, each with people with stories to tell who deserve love and respect. So I am not, in anyway, trying to limit the perspective of any of those people. But, this is some of what I have seen since brexit happened.
In the interest of full disclosure, I am an American living in the United Kingdom with my Dutch (European Union) wife, and our currently citizenship-less 8 week old baby girl. I moved here four years ago to work in the School of Psychology at the University of Kent. Two years ago, a new lecturer from the Netherlands moved into the office across the hall. I could literally hop into her office (if the door was open; I'm not a superhero). Two years later, here we are! I miss the States, but life here for all of us is pretty darn good. I am thankful to live here.
That being said, my life is quite full of people (mostly academics) who have immigrated to the UK, both from within and outside of the EU. They come from places such as Germany, the Netherlands, the States, Canada, Greece, China, Japan and Portugal. To a person, they have all expressed being deeply hurt by the decision of UK voters to leave the EU. A few have even stated that they were nervous to speak because they did not want people to realize they are immigrants. Some have expressed their desire to no longer live here. Basically, these people went to sleep feeling welcomed in the place where their children play, where they work, where their partners live. They woke up feeling a lot less welcomed, angry, and even scared.
None of us have done anything but be model citizens. We work, we play, we love, we eat and we dream, just like everyone else. And none of us are even from arguably the most reviled groups of EU immigrants here (people from places like Romania and Poland, for instance). I can only imagine how those people are feeling. (in one part of the UK, signs were left on people's doors urging "Polish vermin" to leave the country, for example). Yet, each of us represents a division within the UK as a result of this decision.
I can understand the causes, from an intellectual perspective. As a psychologist, I can study them. But as a living, breathing person I will never be able to fully comprehend why people favor a person over another simply because of where they happened to be born. How is that a fair way to evaluate whether a person deserves the same rights as another? It just doesn't sit right with me, and it never did.
I would urge people out there who might be reading this to imagine what it is like to be on the other side of a tidal wave of people not welcoming you in a country, simply because of where you happened to be born. It's awful. And it happens all over the world, all the time.
We are all people. Some day I hope we all get that.
from Psychology Today - Relationships http://ift.tt/294Uae2
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