Sometimes The Act of Judging Is A Good Thing. Like This Essay.
Social trust is a barometer for the health of society. A trusting society is more energetic, more collaborative, and more hopeful. America, unfortunately, is going in the wrong direction. Only 1 in 5 Americans trust governing institutions, and only 1 in 3 trust other people. America is now in a downward spiral of distrust, defensiveness, and polarization. And it’s been getting ugly. Social distrust is a kind of cancer, causing gears to grind ever more slowly. David Brooks , in his farewell New York Times column, connected Americans’ “loss of faith” in each other with their loss of hope for the future — over two-thirds of Americans say they no longer believe in the American dream. How does America pull out of this downward spiral of distrust? Accepted wisdom is that America is just too diverse. But America has thrived with diversity since the latter half of the 19th century, and surveys suggest that Americans of diverse backgro...