JSFiddle - React, Tailwind, and code Playground

HTML

<ul class="Interface" data-role="Container">
    <li class="title">Some title</li>
    <li>
        <article>Message content</article>
    </li>
    <li class="vote controls">
        <button class="up" data-role="VoteUp">1</button>
        <button class="down" data-role="VoteDown">0</button>
    </li>
    <li class="social controls">
        <button class="up" data-role="ReplyButton">Reply</button>
    </li>
    <li class=" NESTING HERE ENDS AT LINE_28 ">
        <ul class="Interface" data-role="Container">
            <li class="title">Re: Some title</li>
            <li>
                <article>Another Message content</article>
            </li>
            <li class="vote controls">
                <button class="up" data-role="VoteUp"> <i class="fa fa-caret-up"> 1 </i> 
                </button>
                <button class="down" data-role="VoteDown"> <i class="fa fa-caret-down"> 0 </i>

                </button>
            </li>
            <li class="social controls">
                <button class="up" data-role="ReplyButton">Reply</button>
            </li>
        </ul>
    </li>
    <li class="Interface SomethingElse"> <span> Meaningless Heading </span>

        <div data-role="SuperContent">I could put stuff in here and let the controls <span class="controls">Inherit their role <a href="#">Click</a></span>

            <div class="controls" data-role="special">
                <button data-role="Command">or define them</button>
                <button>In different ways</button>
            </div>
        </div>
    </li>
</ul>
<!-- This should work even when '.Interface' is nested in itself: $('.Interface').each( function(){ $(this).findExcept('.controls','.Interface').on('click',func) ); Sometimes not required when .each is unneeded (in normal chaining), still works with chains. -->

JavaScript

// Find-like method which masks any descendant
// branches matching the Mask argument.
$.fn.findExclude = function (Selector, Mask) {
    var startTime = new Date();
    var result = $([]);
    $(this).each(function (Idx, Elem) {
        $(Elem).find(Selector).each(function (Idx2, Elem2) {
            if ($(Elem2).closest(Mask)[0] == Elem) {
                result =  result.add(Elem2);
            }
        });
    });
    console.log(new Date().getTime() - startTime.getTime());
    return result;
}


var Interface = function (Markup) {
    $elf = this;

    $elf.call = {
        init: function (Markup) {
            $elf.Interface = Markup;
            $elf.Controls = $(Markup).findExclude('.controls', '.Interface');
            $elf.Controls.on('click mouseenter mouseleave', this.events);
            return $elf;
        },

        ReplyButton: function () {
            console.log('Reply clicked');
        },
        VoteUp: function () {
            console.log('Up vote');
        },
        VoteDown: function () {
            console.log('Down Vote');
        },

        events: function (e) {
            var role = $(e.target).data('role');

            if (e.type == 'click') {
                CurrentControl = $(e.target).closest('.controls')[0];

                if (typeof $(e.target).data('role') !== 'undefined') role = $(e.target).data('role');
                else role = $(e.target).closest('[data-role]').data('role');

                // Call any defined role action, alternative to switch(role)
                if ($.isFunction($elf.call[role])) $elf.call[role](e);

                // No function found matching role name
                else {
                    console.log('');
                    console.log('No ' + e.type + ' handler for "' + role + '" on: ', e.target);
                }
            } // End click listener
        } // End call.events function
    } // End $elf.call

    return $elf.call.init(Markup);
}; // End Interface...