Indeed, it is ironic that the British, who have invaded, colonized, murdered and exploited resources from the majority of the world for several hundred years, are now suddenly aboard the isolationist train. In the wake of the results of the Brexit referendum, people all around the world are freaking out about the implications of the United Kingdom (UK) choosing to leave the European Union (EU). The decision to leave won 52 percent to 48 percent, causing the value of the British Pound to plummet to 30-year lows, sparking volatile and possibly calamitous ripple effects in global financial markets due to widespread uncertainty among investors. No one is quite sure of what is next to come.

Following the shocking results, hundreds of disgruntled young Brits staged a protest outside of Parliament, expressing their discontent about the fact that it will be them, not the older generations that will have to bear the brunt of the outcome of this referendum in the decades to come. They have essentially lost the right to live and work in the 27 other countries comprising the EU, and will be forced to live with the referendum's unexpected and wide-reaching economic consequences—including those related to existing and future trade agreements. Many of the protestors were 16 and 17-year-olds who were angry that they were not eligible to vote in such a consequential referendum.

The hashtag #NotInOurName and others began trending on Twitter, highlighting the overwhelming dissatisfaction among young people all over the UK. Many of them believe that that their futures have been robbed by the likes of right-wing racist xenophobe Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-immigrant United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), who has publicly advocated against anti-discrimination laws on the basis of nationality, race or color.

Their complaints and social media outrage come too little, too late, because when the time came to vote, younger voters, who were statistically far more likely to vote in favor of the UK remaining a part of the EU, were either unregistered or decided to Netflix and chill instead of heading to the polls.

London born humanitarian, environmentalist and primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall once said, "The greatest danger to our future is apathy." In the UK, an estimated 1.5 million young people between ages 18 to 24 who are eligible to vote are not even registered, and another eligible 2 million 25 to 35 year olds are not registered either. About 1,269,501 votes separated the Brexit supporters from those who wanted the UK to remain in the EU, meaning that just over 36 percent of them voting in favor to remain could have swayed the results.

Unfortunately, there is no way of calculating how many of these unregistered voters became impassioned Twitter activists overnight, following the referendum results.

According to YouGov polling, around 75 percent of young voters in the UK voted to remain in the EU, however, due to their low turnout, their voices were drowned out by older voters who wanted out. Only 44 percent of voters aged between 50 to 64 and 39 percent of people aged over 65 wanted the UK to remain in the EU.

This begs the question: Will the results of the Brexit referendum be a wakeup call for young people in America to stop being so damn politically apathetic? Sadly, probably not. Americans cannot ignore the parallels in the strategies used by Brexit campaign leader and HXIC (Head Xenophobe In Charge) Nigel Farage and the white supremacist populist nationalism that garnered widespread support from the conservative "silent majority" that solidified Donald Trump's ascendency as the de-facto leader of the Republican Party. GOP party leaders such as Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, former Vice President Dick Cheney, and several other high profile members of the Republican rank-and-file have fallen in line to endorse Trump as their party's presumptive nominee despite any reluctance they may have formerly had to do so. This sends a clear message around the world that Trump's blatant racism is not only acceptable for the highest office in the land, but is emblematic of Republican ideals. Surprise, surprise. That is not to say that racist policies are not promulgated by the Democratic Party as well, only that they are usually a lot more subtle, as the democratic voter base is more diverse than that of the Republican Party in nearly all demographics, including racially. Either way, both parties have implemented policies that where, even if not purposefully racist, have had lasting disparate negative effects on non-white communities.

The point is that younger voters, who tend to lean democratic and are generally less racist than their elder counterparts, have the power in numbers to mobilize and vote them all out of office, and change the course of America. But here's the problem: American voter turnout is consistently among the lowest in comparison to most other democratic nations, and just like the younger voters in the UK, younger voters in the United States also are apathetic and do not turn out to vote. Where is the sense of agency?

According to exit polling data conducted by Edison Research, Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 comprised only 13 percent of those who voted in the 2014 midterm elections, lower than the 19 percent in the 2012 presidential elections. Additionally, a Pew Research report shows that younger millennial generation voters (ages 18 to 35) consistently have the lowest turnout in comparison to older voters in America.

The results of this Brexit referendum should be a lesson to all young people everywhere who are politically apathetic that if they do not participate, they surrender their autonomy to others and unfavorable, potentially devastating consequences will ensue.