1 - Distrust, Cynicism, and Indifference
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
Summary
I worry no matter how cynical you become, it's never enough to keep up.
Judy Wagner, In Search of Signs of Intelligent Life in the UniverseIt has become commonplace for editorialists and social observers to despair over the degree to which Americans have become cynical about politics and public institutions. On the second day of the new century, nationally syndicated editorialist David Broder, for example, worried that “the reputation of elected officials in general – and of legislative bodies in particular – has rarely been lower than it is today … more Americans say they cannot trust the people they elect to look out for the national interest – or even to represent the views of those who chose them.” Political philosopher Michael Sandel, for another example, introduces his widely discussed book, Democracy's Discontent, by observing that “at a time when democratic ideals seem ascendant abroad, there is reason to wonder whether we have lost possession of them at home. Our public life is rife with discontent. Americans do not believe they have much say in how they are governed and do not trust government to do the right thing.” The views of Sandel and Broder are shared by a great many political observers. They are supported by decades of opinion surveys tallying the pulse of the American people's disillusionment with government.
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- Doubt and the Demands of Democratic Citizenship , pp. 16 - 44Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006