[Sirizarry]

You believe your government? The track record on transparency for most western governments has been so bad the last 25+ years that trusting them is kinda psychotic honestly

[toyg]

Actually, I think the opposite is likely true: the track record has been exemplary compared to previous periods, precisely because now we get to see through lies almost instantly.

Until the mass-internet made this possible, governments actually got away with it pretty much all the time. In some cases we got to know decades later, as documents were declassified or people confessed on their deathbeds. In most cases, we likely never got the truth. That's really not possible now, as long the internet stays up.

(Also, big shout out to FOIA laws. With all their limitations and imperfections, they were a massive step forward towards transparency in government. They would arguably have become a historical necessity at some point, but the anglosphere - Clinton, Blair - was definitely at the forefront of that shift.)

[throwaway290]

If "government lied" is news in a country with free media then automatically the government doesn't lie enough that it can be a default assumption.

[Sirizarry]

It’s a fair point that the internet and in particular civilian watchdogs on said internet have given us great tools in the fight for transparency but it can also be argued that the internet and its anonymous nature has created a whole new kind of misinformation/propaganda problem which governments are exploiting other (and many times their own) citizenry. This lessens the impact of the previously mentioned transparency boons and imo strengthens the idea that you can never trust government.

[hulitu]

"Mother, should i run for president ? Mother should i trust the government ?"

Pink Floyd

[throwaway290]

Pop culture is certainly a good source of trustworthy information. Let's quote sex pistols next.