Poll Reveals Americans Don't Trust Each Other Anymore

Huffpost reported on a poll earlier today that only 1/3rd of Americans trust one another. [1] The article describes how this has contributed to greater deadlock in Washington, and the larger amounts of paperwork attempting to stop lawsuits from getting off the ground. 

The article goes on to suggest that Americans should try to get children away from the electronics and back into the activities that supposedly made the older generations more trusting. 

However, it occurs to me that the real reason that Americans don't trust one another is because of growing diversity. 

As Robert Putnam discusses in his book 'Bowling Alone' as diversity increases social capital decreases.

Social capital is the amount of energy that citizens are willing to invest into their neighborhoods, communities, and government. A community with a high rate of social capital will have good schools, community events, clean neighborhoods, and a friendlier atmosphere over all. As social capital declines so does the quality of a community.

Trust is one of the all important elements in social capital. People don't trust each other if their share nothing in common.

Why would I trust a Muslim teacher to instruct my kid as a Biblical Christian? Why would I trust Mexican immigrants to continue celebrating the heritage of the Pilgrims for the Thanksgiving day festival? Why would I trust that an African-American inner city teenager who listens to violent rap music isnt going to use me as a prop in his latest 'knockout' video for YouTube?

You see, as diversity increases so does confusion. The threat becomes incalculable to the average person because they can't understand all of the factors that go into how each culture, ideology, and ethnic group poses its own threat... so the only logical thing to do is to become defensive towards everyone. 

If you grow up in a small town filled with white Christians that you've known since you were a child your going to know precisely who is dangerous, and what situations might lend themselves to explosive dangers. 

However, if a Muslim family moves into that town how can you be sure that htye aren'y terrorists? You cant! Until you get to know them the threat level increases. The unknowns multiply. 

In most cities around American today the unknowns are piling up fast. Millions of 3rd World immigrants, hordes of cultural cliques, and rising numbers devoted to bizarre religions.

No person could live enough lives to be able to accurately assess the risk each person they see on the street poses. 

Solution: always be on one's guard. 

Expect the political gridlock in Washington to continue for a LONG time... or until America breaks up into smaller more homogenous trusting groups of people. 

If Joe Smith is a devout Christian and wants 'In God We Trust' on his coins, and Bob Jones is an atheist and it 'offends' him, and Hussein Ali is a Muslim and he would prefer 'in Mohammed we trust,' and Betsy Johnson is a lesbian and wants the rainbow flag as the motto how are these four people going to  compromise? Compromise is entirely off the table. Only one person can have their way.

In the above scenario, most likely 'compromise' means getting rid of the motto entirely. 

Eventually, it also means getting rid of America.

NOTES:

[1] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/30/poll-americans-trust_n_4363884.html