UK Brexit, questions from an American

[abaris]

What's strange to me is how utterly extreme the two options are.

Why does that surprise you. There are strong factions desiring people to roll back to nationalism and simplistic solutions. Their instruments are fear- and hate mongering because that's what they feed on like vampires.

You see that with every country and I'm afraid there's no rolling back. The crisis of 2008 and the ensuing insecurity for many people, has opened the doors to a past that better had been stayed burried. Radical nationalism and radical right wing ideology.