Most recent headlines are all focused on the Brexit vote. The voter turnout was 72.2%. They collectively voted that the 64 million people in the U.K should to leave the European Union. Afterwards, it became apparent that many people voted in protest because they didn’t think it would happen. Many didn’t even know what the European Union actually was.

Google reported a spike of searches for “European Union” right after the results were announced. Also, people googled for instructions to emigrate to Canada.

It sure looks like the people of the U.K. voted for something that they didn’t really want. Why?

Apparently the Brexit lobby was well funded, well organized and powerful. People vote for what they are told to vote for.

Young people in the U.K. overwhelmingly voted to stay in the Union.

Click on the chart above that links to a BBC article for a treasure trove of more statistics and information about the vote. This chart shows that the younger the people, the more likely they wanted to stay. But the old ones edged them out.

Bitter with the reality, they protested, and they won. The world lost 2 trillion dollars in value in the market. Even though the United States has nothing to do with this, our markets plunged and lost $800 billion overnight. The world is obviously connected. We here in the United States care about what happens in other countries and we know it affects us. The young people in the U.K. knew that, and they wanted to stay. After all, they have their entire lives in front of them. They are the ones that have to deal with the fallout of what their country has just done. The 65+ crowd won’t be here in a decade or two or three.

In the United States, the young people overwhelmingly chose Sanders as their candidate. Unfortunately, they did not prevail in the end. The message to young people is:

Get out in force and vote for what you believe in, because if you don’t, the old, the bitter, the disenchanted, and the stupid will overwhelm you and keep you down. Huge votes, like Brexit, or the upcoming U.S. presidential election, matter big time. You, the young, own the world and own the country. You, the young, have to live here for a long time. Don’t let the old, who have poisoned your environment, heated up your planet, installed reckless financial policies, set the legacy that you need to live with for all your lives. Take charge and make it your world, because it’s your world now.