That’s not how that meme works. You were treating trust as a binary “do not trust” or “trust”. They called you out on it because trust is obviously a multi-factor continuum. You might trust your coworker to do their job, but not trust them with your phone passcode. Meanwhile, you might trust a partner with your phone passcode (mileage may vary) but not trust them to make a doctor’s appointment because they’re anxious or something Obviously it depends on the person, but you get the idea. Trust isn’t just a binary “trust” or “not trust”.
That’s not even taking into account that “the government” isn’t actually one singular entity but rather a whole group of individuals who all have their own agendas, some for the better and some for the worse, and it’s the citizenry’s job to steer the group toward a desired outcome by electing people with similar ideals. For example, would I trust Donald Trump to have anyone’s interest in mind but himself? No. But I would trust Mamdani to have people’s best interest in mind. That doesn’t mean I trust or distrust “the government” but rather that I trust people in government who’ve shown they deserve it and distrust those who’ve shown they don’t. And I would trust neither with my phone passcode. Trust is not binary.
Man is unironically the meme and doesn’t see it. “Why aren’t they showering me with gratitude for throwing 20 cents at them? They must’ve just wanted drugs!”