Thinking again about trust. A definite change happened in the early 80s.
I don’t have enough ‘control variables’ to determine if this was a matter of national culture change or location. It could easily be culture by location, not culture by time.
With that giant disclaimer, here’s the observation.
In the ’70s, employers trusted me with money and property, and gave me responsibility. They treated me like a CITIZEN. I accepted the responsibility and kept the promise, never stealing or cheating.
After 1980, nobody seemed to grant trust or responsibility. I didn’t have keys to the buildings, I didn’t get to handle money.
The change was especially sharp because my own appearance and credentials changed in the OPPOSITE direction. In the 70s I was a sloppy hippie with no experience or skills. After 1980 I looked more like a responsible adult, and had considerable experience and qualifications.
The big confounding variable is location. I spent the 70s in Oklahoma, mostly Enid. In the 80s I was in the KC metro area, then Pennsylvania. After 1990 I’ve been in Spokane. The distrust was immediate and permanent here.
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Peculiarly, I started thinking about this again after learning the Safeway self-check a month ago. I had resisted it for two years because it seemed like a surrender of independence and trust, but in fact it’s the opposite.
First, it’s an increase of independence. I can go to the store any time it’s open, instead of waiting for 8AM.
Second, the self-check trusts me more than the human checker. Unlike most of the machines described in tutorials, it doesn’t force me to start the items on one platform and keep the checked items on another platform to verify weight. I can just move them from the cart to the scanner then back into the cart. It also trusts me to pick the correct item name when weighing produce. I could buy truffles and tell it I was weighing potatoes.
Third, mastering a new job skill at age 75 gives me pride of achievement, which is a key ingredient of self-sufficiency.
Polistra's Mill 