--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Americans have always evinced some…" description: "\"Americans have always evinced some distrust of government, but the current situation has exacerbated this to a degree that may be unprecedented.\" — Eri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/eric-alterman-10672_current-situation_americans-have-always-evinced-some-distr_2647437.jpg" --- # Americans have always evinced some distrust of government… ![“Americans have always evinced some distrust of government, but the current situation has exacerbated this to a degree that may be unprecedented.” quote by Eric Alterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/eric-alterman-10672_current-situation_americans-have-always-evinced-some-distr_2647437.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/eric-alterman-10672_current-situation_americans-have-always-evinced-some-distr_2647437.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/eric-alterman-10672_current-situation_americans-have-always-evinced-some-distr_2647437.jpg) > “Americans have always evinced some distrust of government, but the current situation has exacerbated this to a degree that may be unprecedented.” [Eric Alterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-alterman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Historical distrust of government is amplified by current events, potentially reaching unprecedented levels of skepticism. **In simple terms:** Current events heighten longstanding government distrust. Key Takeaway Critically evaluate sources of political distrust. Themes politics trust history public sentiment Mood skeptical concerned Type analytical critical When to use this quote - elections - policy debates - media analysis Key Concepts political science sociology Questions to Reflect On - What factors drive heightened distrust now? - How can trust be rebuilt? A Different Perspective Not all distrust is irrational; some is justified. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Americans Evinced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans-evinced-2321971/) [Current situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/current-situation/) [Currents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/currents/) [Degrees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degrees/) [Distrust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distrust/) [Distrust Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distrust-government-270209/) [Evinced Distrust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evinced-distrust-2321970/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situation/) [Situation Exacerbated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situation-exacerbated-2321972/) [Unprecedented](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unprecedented/) ## Related quotes > [At no time in the past century has public distrust of the government been so broadly distributed across the political spectrum, as it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-zimmermann/at-no-time-in-the-past-century-has-public-distrust-of-the-government/) [Phil Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-zimmermann/) > [Freedom rests on a rational distrust of government; government will always use its power to benefit the incumbent administration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-rees-mogg/freedom-rests-on-a-rational-distrust-of-government-government-will/) [Jacob Rees-Mogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-rees-mogg/) > [We are a nation founded on distrust of government power, and questioning that power is essential to promoting transparency and accountability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asha-rangappa/we-are-a-nation-founded-on-distrust-of-government-power-and/) [Asha Rangappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asha-rangappa/) > [I really believe there is something in the nature of a democracy that naturally leads people to distrust the government, to assume because a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/i-really-believe-there-is-something-in-the-nature-of-a-democracy-that/) [Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/) > [We live in a time of such great distrust in government, and I really do think that that poses a deep, deep concern and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-kim/we-live-in-a-time-of-such-great-distrust-in-government-and-i-really/) [Andy Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-kim/) > [“But how is that different from any other godforsaken stretch of coast half off the grid?” There were still dozens of them all across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/but-how-is-that-different-from-any-other-godforsaken-stretch-of-coast/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [No matter how deeply you distrust the government's judgment, you are too trusting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/no-matter-how-deeply-you-distrust-the-government-s-judgment-you-are/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [Distrust of government isn't baseless cynicism. It's realism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shapiro/distrust-of-government-isn-t-baseless-cynicism-it-s-realism/) [Ben Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shapiro/) > [Our country was founded on a distrust of government. Our founding fathers gave power to the people to keep an eye on government. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/our-country-was-founded-on-a-distrust-of-government-our-founding/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [To blindly trust government is to automatically vest it with excessive power. To distrust government is simply to trust humanity - to trust in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/to-blindly-trust-government-is-to-automatically-vest-it-with/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [Don't tell me I have latent sexism or racism that I need to confront. I don't believe that. I think we are so burned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/don-t-tell-me-i-have-latent-sexism-or-racism-that-i-need-to-confront/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [Historical analogy is the last refuge of people who can't grasp the current situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/historical-analogy-is-the-last-refuge-of-people-who-can-t-grasp-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As the president of Kosovo, I am more concerned about the current situation with the employment standing at around 70 % of the population,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibrahim-rugova/as-the-president-of-kosovo-i-am-more-concerned-about-the-current/) [Ibrahim Rugova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibrahim-rugova/) > [When I see Mario Gotze, his development does not go in the right direction. He has outstanding qualities, but he has not reached his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ballack/when-i-see-mario-gotze-his-development-does-not-go-in-the-right/) [Michael Ballack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ballack/) > [“You are not apprehensive, are you? I can't detect no trace of fear none whatsoever Roomy cranium all possible videos of all possible outcomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-are-not-apprehensive-are-you-i-can-t-detect-no-trace-of-fear-none/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## More by Eric Alterman > [As with almost every significant aspect of the Bush presidency, its handling of 9/11 was a catastrophe from start to finish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-alterman/as-with-almost-every-significant-aspect-of-the-bush-presidency-its/) [Eric Alterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-alterman/) > [Ever since Richard Nixon walloped George McGovern in the presidential election of 1972, political pundits have treated as a truism the proposition that liberals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-alterman/ever-since-richard-nixon-walloped-george-mcgovern-in-the-presidential/) [Eric Alterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-alterman/) > [This trend of reporting process over substance is unfortunate, if omnipresent. Even worse is the media's inability - or unwillingness - to fact-check Republicans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-alterman/this-trend-of-reporting-process-over-substance-is-unfortunate-if/) [Eric Alterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-alterman/) > [Most of the provisions designed to fix what ails our health system don't kick in until 2014, which, one wishes administration officials had noticed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-alterman/most-of-the-provisions-designed-to-fix-what-ails-our-health-system/) [Eric Alterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-alterman/) > [Whether one agrees or disagrees with the tactics of the Occupy Wall Street movement, it's easy to understand the inspiration for its anger as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-alterman/whether-one-agrees-or-disagrees-with-the-tactics-of-the-occupy-wall/) [Eric Alterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-alterman/) > [America's great newspapers have staffs that range from 50 percent to 70 percent of what they were just a few years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-alterman/america-s-great-newspapers-have-staffs-that-range-from-50-percent-to/) [Eric Alterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-alterman/) > [Trends in circulation and advertising - the rise of the Internet, which has made the daily newspaper look slow and unresponsive; the advent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-alterman/trends-in-circulation-and-advertising-the-rise-of-the-internet-which/) [Eric Alterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-alterman/) > [Warren Buffett pays taxes on a smaller percentage of his billions in income than his cleaning lady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-alterman/warren-buffett-pays-taxes-on-a-smaller-percentage-of-his-billions-in/) [Eric Alterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-alterman/) > [The myth of the liberal media empowers conservatives to control debate in the United States to the point where liberals cannot even hope for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-alterman/the-myth-of-the-liberal-media-empowers-conservatives-to-control/) [Eric Alterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-alterman/) > [While history never repeats itself, political patterns do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-alterman/while-history-never-repeats-itself-political-patterns-do/) [Eric Alterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-alterman/) > [Face it, the system is rigged, and it's rigged against us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-alterman/face-it-the-system-is-rigged-and-it-s-rigged-against-us/) [Eric Alterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-alterman/) > [The war on terrorism was a bait and switch operation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-alterman/the-war-on-terrorism-was-a-bait-and-switch-operation/) [Eric Alterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-alterman/) > [If bloggers are to improve our public discourse - helping busy and usually uninformed people make sense of the world - it is necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-alterman/if-bloggers-are-to-improve-our-public-discourse-helping-busy-and/) [Eric Alterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-alterman/) > [Americans continue to suffer from a notoriously short attention span. They get mad as hell with reasonable frequency, but quickly return to their families…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-alterman/americans-continue-to-suffer-from-a-notoriously-short-attention-span/) [Eric Alterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-alterman/) > [By the accusation of liberal bias ... the institutions that conservatives revere - the military, corporate America, organized religion, and the powerful conservative groups…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-alterman/by-the-accusation-of-liberal-bias-the-institutions-that-conservatives/) [Eric Alterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-alterman/) [Explore all 64 Eric Alterman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-alterman/) ## More Current situation quotes > [“You are not apprehensive, are you? I can't detect no trace of fear none whatsoever Roomy cranium all possible videos of all possible outcomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-are-not-apprehensive-are-you-i-can-t-detect-no-trace-of-fear-none/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [When I see Mario Gotze, his development does not go in the right direction. He has outstanding qualities, but he has not reached his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ballack/when-i-see-mario-gotze-his-development-does-not-go-in-the-right/) [Michael Ballack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ballack/) > [As the president of Kosovo, I am more concerned about the current situation with the employment standing at around 70 % of the population,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibrahim-rugova/as-the-president-of-kosovo-i-am-more-concerned-about-the-current/) [Ibrahim Rugova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibrahim-rugova/) > [Historical analogy is the last refuge of people who can't grasp the current situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/historical-analogy-is-the-last-refuge-of-people-who-can-t-grasp-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't tell me I have latent sexism or racism that I need to confront. I don't believe that. I think we are so burned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/don-t-tell-me-i-have-latent-sexism-or-racism-that-i-need-to-confront/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [“If you’re miserable in your current situation, chances are it’s because you feel like some part of it is outside your control—that there’s a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/if-you-re-miserable-in-your-current-situation-chances-are-it-s/) [Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/) > [“They have been fulfilled in Christ, so we must determine their theological purposes and apply them to current situations. We need holiness and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-r-osborne/they-have-been-fulfilled-in-christ-so-we-must-determine-their/) [Grant R. Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-r-osborne/) > [The current situation with regard to theory is odd and maybe defined by a paradox.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-critchley/the-current-situation-with-regard-to-theory-is-odd-and-maybe-defined/) [Simon Critchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-critchley/) > [Air pollution is my biggest concern right now. Maybe because I live in Beijing, and in this city we have such severe challenges due…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-bingbing/air-pollution-is-my-biggest-concern-right-now-maybe-because-i-live-in/) [Li Bingbing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-bingbing/) > [The current situation of the earthquake, tsunami and the nuclear plants is in a way the most severe crisis in the 65 years since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoto-kan/the-current-situation-of-the-earthquake-tsunami-and-the-nuclear/) [Naoto Kan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoto-kan/) > [If you have so much time of doing nothing,well I am not surprise of your current situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bishop-tshi/if-you-have-so-much-time-of-doing-nothing-well-i-am-not-surprise-of/) [Bishop Tshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bishop-tshi/) > [When you catch yourself slipping into a pool of negativity, notice how it derives from nothing other than resistance to the current situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-quesada/when-you-catch-yourself-slipping-into-a-pool-of-negativity-notice-how/) [Donna Quesada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-quesada/) > [“If you don’t like your current situation, career, or relationships, by envisioning a different reality and constructing a new life within your mind, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-huang/if-you-don-t-like-your-current-situation-career-or-relationships-by/) [Alvin Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-huang/) > [“One cannot exclude the possibility of a fascist period in Russia,” Staravoitova said on the radio station Echo of Moscow. “We can see too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/one-cannot-exclude-the-possibility-of-a-fascist-period-in-russia/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [“We must balance our desire for specific direction with an ability to be at peace in our current situation and the leading God has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wytsma/we-must-balance-our-desire-for-specific-direction-with-an-ability-to/) [Ken Wytsma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wytsma/) [Browse all 154 Current situation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/current-situation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Americans have always evinced some distrust of government, but the current situation has exacerbated this to a degree that may be unprecedented.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eric Alterman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-alterman/americans-have-always-evinced-some-distrust-of-government-but-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Current situation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-alterman/americans-have-always-evinced-some-distrust-of-government-but-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/eric-alterman-10672_current-situation_americans-have-always-evinced-some-distr_2647437.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/eric-alterman-10672_current-situation_americans-have-always-evinced-some-distr_2647437.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/eric-alterman-10672_current-situation_americans-have-always-evinced-some-distr_2647437.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Americans have always evinced some distrust of government, but the current situation has exacerbated this to…” — Eric Alterman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Eric Alterman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-alterman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Americans have always evinced some distrust...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-alterman/americans-have-always-evinced-some-distrust-of-government-but-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-alterman/americans-have-always-evinced-some-distrust-of-government-but-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```