A lot of people stop believing in (or utterly reject) the opinion of experts. Political parties, institutions and individuals that once held sway lose their ability to influence even their most ardent followers. The economic divide between the haves and have-nots rips open a bottomless gulf that swallows the middle class. Those were some of the factors that led to Brexit. But they are hardly unique to the UK. WaPo’s Dan Balz on how the vote that shocked the world highlights a crisis in democracies worldwide. “The underlying factor is that many people no longer believe that, however imperfect things are economically, they will keep getting better.”

+ “I feel like I can barely look at them. It sounds melodramatic, but I feel so betrayed by it all.” The Guardian on how Brexit created splits among kids and parents. Thankfully parents instilled in me a strong sense of cynicism and hopelessness, and our positions remain in lockstep to this day.