Are we (Americans) to cynical?

Question

I am all for being cynical, untrusting and finding out the truth, but I feel that there is a large number of the population who has decided that all government is bad, all politicians are liars and no-one is doing anyone any good. I see this as Americans being lazy, not paying attention to what's going on because whatever Britany Spears, Paris Hilton and Lisa Lohan are doing is far far more important. Am I the only one who feels that we as Americans are all being to cynical? How do we change peoples perception of our government and it's leaders?

Answer 1

I think the cynicism you are describing goes all the way back to the war in Viet Nam. The government did lie to the American people. Many of us were horrified. We had trusted the government almost to the exclusion of questioning, and after 50,000 young lives lost, we felt absolutely betrayed. Then came Watergate. Our cynicism was justified.
But if we are honest with ourselves, there were also functions the government and only the government could perform, and they were performed routinely and honestly.
You are probably right that there is an element of laziness in the distrust of the government. It's easier to just badmouth everyone than to do the homework involved to sort the really bad apples out.

When Ms. Rice said, "What do you want, a mushroom cloud over Washington?" and Gen. Powell said, "This building is being used to develop WMDs" in front of the UN, I took them seriously. I trusted them to do the homework on behalf of the country. I do not have the resources to put boots on the ground to verify a WMD program. Again, I feel like these people betrayed us, and especially betrayed the men and women who are serving in the conflict that resulted.

All that said, I'm not ready to conclude that all the government is all bad. Cynicism is healthy as long as it leads to investigation. I hold responsible not only the people I named, but every news outlet that got on board and marched us off to war without doing any homework either.

Of course it's easier to be fixed on the stupidity of the rich and famous than it is to look into the real and serious problems that confront us. I don't object to anyone taking a break. I'm here at Answers instead of cleaning my house or paying my bills...but the important thing is that I will face and deal responsibly with the problems before me. I hope as a country we can do the same.

Answer 2

we need to get less corupt individuals into congress and get back our manufacturing and make some of these yuppies work in the factories and find out why me and u are upset at what the goverment does with our money. make people earn thier dollar and why we dont care about britney spears and paris hilton all the goverment is stupid and evil its the facts of life thwese people are sheep to the slaughter and they really dont care thats what they are. a wise man once told me we need these worker bees who shut up and do thier job the country fails without them this is life man people arent listening while men must fight and pay money they dont have to just see thier kids the country watches and see how long it took to even take brittneys kids and give them to the father welcome to the world with ur eyes open my suggestion to u is get a beer and drink till ur eyes close back up ull end up with ulcers if u dont oh and no i dont think were cynical i think we all know this is circling the drain and see the men who are in office now are the same men who were at woodstock with bell bottoms and face paint and go were doomed

Answer 3

Yes, we do tend to be cynical. I study history with a passion, but I no longer understand our country's role in the world or why we would become entrenched amid another civil war so far from home. The cost in American lives and money is beyond all possible justification.

Answer 4

Not everyone is. Many people here are though.