ONCE LOST, TRUST IS DIFFICULT TO REGAIN: Biden Falls into the Trust Trap. “In the United States, government and health authorities must admit fault, take full responsibility, and tell the truth. The vaccinated must not harshly condemn the unvaccinated. Research on social norms suggests that shaming people can boost compliance with important social norms, but it can backfire when we shame those who believe they have done nothing wrong. Enforcing norms works when people accept them. Blaming people for violating norms they reject creates resentment, antagonistic behavior, and ongoing cycles of blame. Since the unvaccinated believe their mistrust of authorities is justified, they often respond to sanction with outrage. And the truth is, their mistrust is not entirely mistaken.”

Well, our health and political authorities lied a lot, got a lot wrong, never apologized for their mistakes, and kept getting caught flaunting their own rules.