It’s the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine)

The classic REM song was uploaded by an incredulous friend on Facebook this morning as the world was jolted out of its sleep to discover that a misogynistic, narcissistic, serial liar had been elected president of the so-called land of the free. It is not the end of the world, but there are worrying seismic shifts spawned by what we call democracy. The majority of Americans have opted for a man who steered one of the most amateur campaigns in history by attacking minorities and building walls while doing little to spurn endorsement by xenophobic factions and white supremacy.  Of all the post-result analysis I watched and read this morning, one remark by a CNN commentator hit the nail on the head: "I tell my son to show respect towards everybody, especially minorities, I tell him to be a good citizen and integrate with people of all colour and creeds. How can I expect him to obey me now that our president is constantly breaking all these basic respects?" There are several reasons why Trump won or why Hillary Clinton lost. The billionaire managed to sell the hoax that he was anti-establishment, that he wasn't like "the others", that he'd stop illegal immigrants, that he'd build a...