Turning Strangers into Political Friends

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• Reader Comments (6)

  Page 1 of 1 pages

  Guess this explains why Iraq is such a mess. The Shiites don’t trust the Kurds or Sunnis, the Sunnis trust no one, and the Kurds are distrustful of the Shiites and Sunnis.

  Of course, given the propensity of the Sunnis to kill those that disagree with them, it is no wonder they are distrusted.

  Posted by perfect on Dec 22, 2004 at 7:28 PM

  I am not certain whether demonstrating trust is enough to earn it in return.  I think it depends on the stranger’s level of distrust.

  Posted by Trust Fund on Dec 22, 2004 at 8:26 PM

  Trust?  Democracy?  i don’t see how these ideas fit into the American political system.  People have good reason not to trust the government.  They lie, cheat, and steal elections.  Only when millions of Americans peacefully assemble on the streets and shutdown our corrupt governement will we have a chance at democracy.  We still have a constitutional right to peacefully protest.

  Posted by Jim on Dec 22, 2004 at 9:06 PM

  Jim, what part of:

  “John Hart Ely wrote in Democracy and Distrust that the continuance of democracy depends on the meticulous cultivation among citizens of distrust in government. We should all, he argues, be so many jumpy watchdogs. On one level he’s right. We citizens should cast a skeptical eye on all claims made by governing officials and hold them accountable for choices good and ill. But intellectual skepticism about policy is perfectly compatible with efforts to encourage citizens’ trust of one another, and, more importantly, their trustworthiness in the eyes of others.”

  didn’t you understand?

  Allen’s not telling you to trust the government, she’s saying trusting one’s fellow citizens is vital to the health of a democracy. Could it be clearer?

  My apologies is you’re actually super-smart, and your comment was a brilliant meta-critique in disguise: an intentional misreading of the article, the stupidity of which serves to highlight the main problem with trusting the citizens of (this) democracy.

  Posted by Daniel on Dec 22, 2004 at 10:38 PM

  The problem is not a lack of trust in government, and honestly and this is just MY anecdotal opinion…but unless this survey was taken TODAY…and I have serious doubts about the legitimacy of modern surveys anyway…any survey that says that the MAJORITY of people are SAYING that they distrust government is just WRONG.

  Our present problems exist because people trust government TOO MUCH. And yes, there is a function of “laziness” in there too…the whole…“people are too busy with their lives to pay attention” argument.

  Now, it IS possible that the majority DO distrust government, but are simply too afraid of speaking their minds out of fear of being labeled unpatriotic by their peers, and hauled off by the police state. Which leads to my next point.

  Yes, people DO mistrust one another in this society. That is quite apparent from the literally straight down the middle split vote in the last election.

  This situation will ultimately change as we move forward and coalesce into one of two different situations.

  Situation One is that Social Security and the war come back to SEVERLY bite this Administration in the ass, which will coalesce the MAJORITY of public opinion into a distrust of the PRESENT government…and honestly more than likely a distrust of big business and the REAL special interests which have gained most from this Administration to the detriment of the “common” man.

  Situation Two is that this Administration continues the “Rove strategy” of controlling public opinion through the media and taking advantage of the present inherent laziness of the public to actually THINK about big issues. This will coalesce into an even greater “trust” in government.

  I’ll leave it to all of you to consider where Situation Two inherently leads us.

  Posted by Liberal AND Proud on Dec 29, 2004 at 5:15 PM

  One brief point first. The survey Allen refers to is not about whether people trust “government” but whether they trust other people generally.

  I think Allen’s main point, about talking to strangers, can really be a useful tool in our personal life, as well as in our political one. Not only do we learn more about ourselves, and consequently our beliefs, values and fears, we also learn about those very different from us. As a result, we can be better citizens. If we are in the majority, we can craft better, more inclusive policies. If we are in a minority, we can craft our message in a persuasive, rather than combative way, if we trust our fellow citizens. I don’t think Allen means that everyone, everywhere is going to strike up a friendly conversation and then trust will be automatic. This is hard work, just as organizing a protest, writing a law or making a decision about who to vote for require time and hard work. I have found that purposfully facing difficult situations with the homeless, people of other races, religions and ethnicities, or people who are advocates of policies I disagree with helps me be a better advocate for myself and my own views. It also shows me that most people are rational, and have experiences and knowledge to share. And many times it has lead to friendship, or at least a moment of clarity and understanding. Very often, it is a positive and onjoyable experience, worth telling others about. As an example, I chose to sit up front with a cab driver who picked me up in the last really big snowstorm we had. I talked with him and learned that he was Iraqi and he had taken part in the uprising against Saddam Hussein in southern Iraq. Though I am against the war, he showed me how, from his point of view, Iraqis have more hope and options now than they did before. It didn’t change my mind, but it made me respect and understand the other side of the debate.

  Posted by Liz on Feb 25, 2005 at 9:36 PM

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• Turning Strangers into Political Friends