DH explanation of referendum result to 12 year old?

[margewiththebluehair]

DS was completely distraught this morning watching the news of the result. Mortified and inconsolable. He just kept saying why? over and over. He has been keenly following the referendum and insisting to DH and I that we vote remain for a myriad reasons.

DH tried to reassure him that UK is still a global power and that while things will be difficult, it is nothing to worry too much about (of course both DH and I were equally mortified - and we ARE worried - but didn't want DS to know that).

But DS went on and on about why would people be so dumb - So DH just explained that a lot of uneducated people voted and since the uneducated outnumber the educated - they won. DS accepted this as a reasonable explanation. I am not convinced it is true.

It is silly and overdramatic to react in such a way. We've left the EU not declared world war 3 so there's no need for histrionics.

Also, people are not 'dumb' for voting leave. they have a different opiniont I you. When ds said why are people dumb you should have explained everyone has opinions and neither is right or wrong, instead of telling him that people who think differently to you are dumb and uneducated. What makes your dh right, who has decided that it was stupid to leave the EU? There's no right or wrong answer. And I hate how MN has been taken over by this, thread after bloody thread. It's done now and there's no point people moaning or demanding another referendum because they didn't get the answer they want. Just accept its done and there's nothing to be done now. It's hardly deserving of bloody tears, like I say it's leaving the EU not announcement of ankther world war or something that loses hundreds of lives. Get a bit of perspective, no one has flipping died! if you want something to cry over turn on the news and watch what other people in other countries are suffering through - but dint waste your tears over something like this. There's far more worthy things to get upset over in this world than the referendum!

Reeling them in op

Well sounds like you need to get your husband to parenting class...

He's so beautiful!

That Tom Hardy gif needs to get a LOT more use around here

11:55 Reapwhatyousow

margewiththebluehair I'm sure you are highly educated. Can you, without looking it up, describe the political map of Europe before the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, before WW1 and after; the lead up to WW2, post WW2 and at the end of the Cold War? Along side the reasons for the changes? The winners and the losers.
That is highly educated.

I can do all those things. I voted Leave.

I can't bare those obnoxious kids who think they know more than adults.
I would never tell mine that they know more than 52% of adults in the country.

Can I just point out 52% of adults in the country did not vote Leave.

28% of adults did not vote at all. This means around 37% of adults voted Leave and 35% Remain.

So he was only saying 37% of the population was stupid...

shovetheholly has hit the nail on the head. I knew it would be brexit early on in the vote and told my husband (who thought remain) that he was seriously underestimating the number of secret leavers. The intellectual and wealthy elite seem to forget that everyone has an equal vote, no matter age or education.

Most people I spoke to thought it was going to be remain. I thought from the moment Cameron mentioned a referendum back in 2013 (?) that we were up the swanney.

As for the uneducated comment - it's worth noting that quite a few cities with very poor populations (I'm thinking Liverpool and Manchester) voted to remain. On the whole I think it is the case that younger uni-educated people would have been more likely to vote to remain. But my mother voted to remain and she's not had an uni education and she's over 70. So there will always be exceptions.

My son is on a school trip until later today so I've not discussed it with him yet. I'm not really sure what to say to him. I was upset after the shooting of Jo Cox last week and I am worried about what we might be sliding into. As several people have said today: nationalism and economic problems are not a great mix.

purplevase4 - do you possess a dictonary? Please look up the definition of Nationalism. It does not describe the UK.

This exit poll was interesting. Apologies for the length of the quotation - from a broadsheet website newsfeed..

"A private exit poll conducted on Thursday by the businessman Lord Ashcroft showed that there was no difference between male and female voters – but very sharp differences between voters according to age, ethnicity, education and personal wealth.

Most of those working full- or part-time voted to remain, for example, while most of those who are not working wanted to leave. More than half of those on a personal pension voted to leave, a figure that rose to two-thirds of those on a state pension. Some 55% of those who own their homes outright voted to leave.

The older the voter, the more likely they were to vote to leave: 60% of those aged 65 or more voted to leave, while nearly three-quarters of 18-to-24-year- olds voted to remain.

A large majority of those whose formal education ended at secondary school level voted to leave, while 67% of those with a university degree and 64% with a higher degree voted to remain. More than four-fifths of those voters still in full-time eduction voted to remain.

Among those voters describing themselves as white, 53% voted to leave. More than two thirds of Asian voters and almost three-quarters of black voters wanted to remain. Some 58% of voters who described themselves as Christian voted to leave, while 70% of Muslims voted to remain.

Analysis of voting patterns according to occupation showed that the so-called AB voters – people engaged in professional and managerial work – voted 57% to 43% in favour of remaining in the EU, while C1s – clerical and junior managerial workers – were divided evenly and C2DEs - skilled or unskilled white-collar and manual workers and those receiving benefits - voted overwhelmingly in favour of Brexit.

Ashcroft’s poll also showed that the majority of voters thought the remain campaign would win, including among those who voted to leave."

I am so releived that our future is not decided by the age group 18-24!!