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An Unincorporated Division of The Anonymous Anything Society    December 4, 2013


LOSING TRUST

    Gfk Public Affairs and Corporate Communications is one of the world's largest research companies, employing some 13,000 poll takers and statisticians in more than 100 markets.

    Recently, they were commissioned by Associated Press, a leading worldwide news service to determine if we Americans had greater or less trust in our ourselves and our institutions that we exhibited in similar polls in the last four decades.

    Conclusion: We might trust in God, but not each other. We are more suspicious of each other and have less trust in both everyday encounters and government than ever before.

    I was motivated to read more about this depressing report by a copyrighted store in the local morning newspaper, so I googled GfK for further insight.

    For example, 14 percent of the respondents answered "Not so much," when asked if they trusted those who prepared their meals when they eat out.

    So I wasn't surprised when people were asked if they believe that they can trust their Federal Government to do the right thing 81 percent answered, "Some of the time."  Only two percent chose "All of the time." (The pollsters neglected to include either "Hardly any of the time," or "Never" as an answer to this question in their massive survey).

    Naturally, one has to ask why the trend line on the "Trust Me" scale keeps sinking?

    One factor is isolation. Being "tribal" meant being together to hunt. It took a lot of resolute hunters to bring down a Wooly Mammoth and keep another tribe from taking it away from them. Being ostracized was a death sentence.

    I see the converse in my neighborhood. Only a handful of homeowners turn out for property owners' functions. Some do not know the names of their next door neighbors.

    The 24-hour news cycle and the World Wide Web bring us unending stories of mayhem and natural disaster. One is discouraged from venturing outside the cave.

    I'm sure that TV and the Internet contribute to our desire for isolation. I watched Steve Bezos, the founder and head of the marketing giant "Amazon" on TV this past Sunday. He is building a fleet of tiny drone helicopters able to bring products, including groceries to our doorsteps.

    One day, we can expect to remain permanently in front of our 3-D TVs. The big problem that I can foresee with this is that one day, descendants will emerge from the cave to find that the jungle or another tribe, headed by another Bernie Madoff, has taken over.

Phil Richardson, Observer and Storyteller. 

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