Umair, to attribute this phenomenon to “Anglos” only is too narrow. People of all kinds can be susceptible to the kinds of ignorance and folly that you describe, along with various kinds of chauvinism and low levels of self-awareness.

It is especially frustrating to deal with ignorant people who are proud of their ignorance and yet express positions of group supremacy for the groups they belong to (white, male, American or otherwise). My response to such people is, “You personally are not a supportive example of the position you espouse.”

The serious question that you raise is why people all over the world are being governed by, as you put it, “a tidal wave of ignorance, demagoguery, and self-inflicted catastrophe.”