If you ask a Libertarian what the government has ever done to earn their contempt, they will be happy to industriously explain, oftentimes without end, how they arrived at such a conclusion.
They will list off dozens of times those in power have been caught in lies; how they've manipulated the people and stolen from them. How they have broken contracts, passed frivolous and insidious laws, jailed and murdered innocent people, and so on.
They will even point out the pile of conspiracy theories that were once ridiculed and mocked but turned out to be true.
If you ask them why they have no trust in the government, you are in for a lengthy and perhaps laborious conservation that might upend your entire reality as you know it.
Tread carefully and make sure you have the time to spare.
Now, on the other hand, if you ask a loyal statist what those in power have done to earn their trust, you will not be prompted to an in-depth analysis of why government authorities are so worthy of trust.
In fact, you will more than likely hear crickets.
Typically they will deflect for some reason why you cannot trust conspiracy theorists or even intelligent skeptics who simply question what the government tells them. They will go on a tirade about how everyone is wrong except for those in power.
Yes, just because the government is full of shit doesn't mean that conspiracy theorists are right. We already know this.
We stay on the path of reason and logic, science, and critical thought. We do not believe random nonsense just because it is different from what the government says. We do not make assertions without evidence nor do we cast doubt without reasonable suspicion.
However, this is an evasion of the question. The question is left abandoned, but it still waits to be answered.
Again we ask the statists, what has the government ever done to earn your trust? That is the question at hand. Without wiggling out of it or going off on a tangent about something else, try answering it with bold, scrupulous honesty.
Prepare yourself for some ruthless introspection and give yourself a chance to be humbled. It doesn't make you a crazy conspiracy theorist to discover that those in power are not to be trusted.
We completely understand the reticence to give the question an honest look. It is an uncomfortable experience letting go of the illusions that provide safety and stability in your life.
The idea that there is some objective, infallible arbiter of truth and justice; an entity that moderates us like loving parents referee children brings many people joy and ease. So much assurance they have in big brother that they willingly surrender their rights and freedoms without a shred of reason to do so.
Government is the ultimate grifter. They assume special privileges that no individual gets to possess on their own. This is why powerful people and groups align themselves with the political system - not because they want justice, but because they want to evade it.
We're not asking you to believe anything that we say or to accept our ideas. All that we ask of you is to have the intellectual honesty, consistency, and integrity to question the system the same way that you question those who reject the system.
If you enjoyed this thought-provoking inquiry, check out What is Authoritarianism?
