Trust Issues: Why Your Local Diner is More Reliable Than Congress!

Trust is a tricky thing these days, and we’re diving right into who we really trust in this episode! Spoiler alert: it turns out we trust our local mom-and-pop shops way more than the folks in charge of running the country. Can you believe that about 70% of us have more faith in small businesses than in the military, science, or even Congress, which is barely scraping 10%? We’re talking about a world where we value competence and honesty over the grandiosity of institutions with marble columns. So, grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair, and let’s chat about what it means to trust the people who show up, get things done, and keep things running smoothly, even when no one’s watching. Stick around because we want to hear your thoughts on who you trust and why!

Trust is a funny thing, isn't it? We often find ourselves leaning more toward the familiar faces of our local mom-and-pop shops than the grand institutions that loom over us with their marble columns. In this lively discussion, we dive into the results of a Gallup poll that reveals a surprising trend: nearly 70% of Americans trust small businesses more than they trust the military, science, or even Congress – which, let’s be honest, barely scrapes a 10% trust rate! As we explore this phenomenon, we can't help but chuckle at the irony of it all. It seems that while we may have lost faith in the big, shiny institutions, our trust is now firmly placed in those who are actually on the ground doing the work. We admire competence and integrity, and we just want someone to get the order right and not pull a fast one on us. So, who do you trust? It’s a question that gets us thinking, and we want to hear your thoughts too!

Takeaways:

• We tend to trust local businesses like the mom-and-pop diner more than politicians, which is pretty wild!
• Recent Gallup data shows that 70% of Americans trust small businesses more than Congress, military, or science!
• While we claim to distrust institutions, we still value competence and reliability in those we trust.
• People want someone who can do the job right, not a hero; honesty goes a long way in building trust.
• Our trust is shifting to those who show up and fix things, rather than those with fancy titles.
• At the end of the day, it’s all about who you trust and why – so let’s talk about it!

Links referenced in this episode:

• jamesabrown.net

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Who we say we trust.
This is commentary from James A.
Brown.
Strange, isn't it?
We're at the point where wetrust the mom and pop running the
diner down the street morethan the people who run our country,
and not by a little.
Gallup asked Americans whichinstitutions they trust a great deal
or quite a lot, and smallbusinesses came out on top.

(00:23):
About 70% of us do.
That's more than the military,more than science, way more than
Congress, which barely cracks 10%.
We say we don't trustinstitutions anymore, but that's
not quite true.
We still trust some, just notthe ones with marble columns and
press secretaries.

(00:43):
Instead, we're putting ourfaith in the people who show up,
who fix things, who keep theplace running even when no one is
watching.
You've got science and themilitary in the top five, the police,
higher education.
It's a strange mix, but ittells you something.
We still value competence.
We still admire people whotake the job seriously.

(01:06):
No, we don't need a hero.
We just want someone who getsthe order right and doesn't lie about
it.
So what do you think and whodo you trust and why?
Let me know in the commentsand check out [e-mail]
that's jamesabrown.net on thatnote, I'm James A.
Brown and as always, be well.