I can't give a rat's arse what our American cousins want to cheer. As a Brit I think Europe is severed best long term but closer political union.
Why does political and economic union = loss of cultural identity? It doesn't, that's small minded thinking. We can and should celebrate our cultural differences while at the same time working together to improve everyone's life's.
The current EU problem is cultural or language disparity. It's economic disparity. And now we're acting like the spoilt rich kid who doesn't want to share he's toys with his poor neighbours. Only now, that's economically backfiring as the pound and FTSE 250 do a Tom Daley impression.
It is illuminating to consider for a second that the result was made up of votes. Are you saying the our American cousins are smaller minded than the average Brit? Because to an American, going across the border to Mexico or even Canada is pretty similar to most Brits going to Paris or Poland. Foreign language: check, different food: check, different incomes: check. Different holidays, working hours, companies and paperwork. It isn't like going from Maine to New York State.
Now consider that trump had apprently impressed half of the country by saying he wants to build a giant wall, and Clinton impresses the rest by promising to keep funding border control, and not let foreigners in that are not approved under narrow visas attached to guaranteed jobs, and fully vetted by the FBI.
So I don't particularly find 50% of Brit voters any more embarassingly small minded or racist than any other country, under a similar situation. Many of the people here, outside the uk, saying what on earth has Britain done? are living in a country that is doing or would do exactly the same thing and probably with a greater majority too.
Saying well you shouldn't think that way because it's economically damaging raises the question of at what point did they get to vote on going down that particular one way street.
It's a failure of communication. A failure of participation. And past decisions made by those who benefit most, or are most comfortable with a super-state, and applied to everyone. All coming home to roost. Of course since those people are mostly still in charge they still get to frame the debate that dodges any responsibility.