On trust and deference

On the subject of the seemingly endless series of scandals, Andrew Rawnsley observes:

What is often called the decline of trust is really an evaporation of deference. Where once there was a reflexive respect for authority and a willingness to give it the benefit of the doubt, there is now a default to distrust.

While we do need to be wary of descending into cynicism, the evaporation of deference is undoubtedly a good thing.