It would be a lot easier to trust the words of government if they didn't lie so much! The prevalence of conspiratorial thought is first and foremost a consequen

It would be a lot easier to trust the words of government if they didn't lie so much! The prevalence of conspiratorial thought is first and foremost a consequence of the well documented misbehavior of the US government and media. More philosophically, citizens of a democracy are not supposed to trust authority. They should be antagonistic, questioning, and never blindly accepting any statement. It is a civic duty to push back against anything questionable, even if you turn out to be wrong.