It’s a small world, and not all know it
The more the world becomes interdependent, the more chauvinistic a portion of humanity becomes.
The phenomenon is apparent in the rise of Donald Trump as a presidential candidate, but people manifest it across the globe. In the United Kingdom, these self-proclaimed patriots are calling for Great Britain to quit the European Union, something known as Brexit.
Unlike the laughable Texas Nationalist Movement, though, Brexit presents a real and present danger to the global economy, according to a new report from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development. And for that we should all be worried.
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron was
forced by the right wing of his Conservative Party to call the referendum for June 23.
Supporters complain that the EU is holding Britain back by requiring too much cooperation and collaboration, unfortunately through regulation. There’s also a fair bit of chauvinism, with the Independence Party made up primarily of white residents with multigenerational ties to the nation.
Cameron won key concessions from the EU last year, giving the U.K. greater autonomy on local issues. He says that was enough, and Cameron opposes Brexit. He even encouraged President Barack Obama to speak out against it during a recent visit to London.
Brexit supporters are not mollified. They share the same complaints as separatists and secessionists around the world and nothing short of a full break will satisfy them. They hate that the world is becoming more integrated, requiring greater cooperation and compromise. They can’t accept that sometimes you have to go along to get ahead, especially in trade and economics.
Separatists often complain about the little things as examples of tyranny. Sigmund Freud coined a term for it, “the narcissism of small differences.” People will always find something they don’t like about someone else and use that to justify their hatred and aggression toward them.
This narcissism is so powerful that some people will ignore the benefits of cooperation. These navelgazers are too busy feeling victimized to take advantage of the new opportunities created by working together.
In business and economics, Britain’s membership in the EU, Texas’ statehood in the Union and U.S. engagement in international trade have all led to an aggregate rise in living standards and income. There may be individual losers, but the societies as a whole are better for it.
The inverse is also true. The OECD estimates that a Brexit will knock 3.3 percent annually off the GDP of Britain and the EU. That would send a shock wave across the global economy and particularly hurt the United States, the EU’s largest trading partner.
Narcissistic movements like Brexit appeal to our basest instincts, and thoughtful people will reject them.