I have been thinking a lot about trust lately. Not trust in people, but trust in things – systems and processes.
Today, the local newspaper, which is part of USA Today, posted a front-page article that said, “96% of seafood restaurants in Florida cities falsely labeled shrimp.” The headline was misleading because the issue was only identified in the Tampa Bay area. The article describes allegations of false labeling made by the Southern Shrimp Alliance, a nonprofit organization focused on “preserving the long-term viability of one of our nation’s most valuable fisheries…throughout the Gulf and Southeast regions.”
But the veracity of the headline, while common practice these days, is not what I want to address. I see a relationship here to trust.
When I first read the article, I thought, “Who cares?” Shrimp are shrimp, right?
As I read more, it struck me that I trust that, when I go to a restaurant to eat, the food they serve will not harm me.
Why do I have that trust?
I have never lived in a place where I had to worry about the water I drink or the food I eat. I have been lucky to live in a place where there are regulations that ensure quality and safety.
I am not sure how I would react if I had to be concerned over the dangers in my water or food. That would certainly get my attention.
I trust that the appointed regulatory body will ensure food and water safety.
The need for trust is everywhere
Then my attention went to another article on the front page of our local paper. A commercial jet collided with an Army helicopter, went down in the Potomac, and 67 lives were lost.
Time Magazine reported, “Just days before the crash, President Donald Trump enacted a sweeping shake-up of the federal agencies responsible for aviation oversight, removing the administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), David Pekoske, and eliminating all the members of a key aviation security advisory group.”
Doubtful that there is true cause and effect here, but it reminds me that we are safe to fly in the skies because skilled people are following evidence-based procedures to ensure our safety.
Where else do we blindly put our trust?
I have long been skittish when crossing bridges in my car. I think about the amount of rivets and bolts that keep the bridge together and wonder if the constant traffic might loosen them. But then I drive past a crew of technicians inspecting a bridge and realize that there IS a process to make sure the bridge remains safe. But there’s more….
- How about our roads? Somewhere people are conducting research, analyzing data, and creating processes whereby we can generally proceed safely.
- What about elevators in tall buildings? Anyone read John D. MacDonald’s Condominium?
- How about automobiles?
- How about financial institutions?
- How about the US Government?
- And we can’t forget the media, in terms of trust.
All of these have some oversight to provide a level of trust to citizens that when we venture out in our car, fly on an airplane, and put our money in the bank, we can trust that we’ll get where we’re going, and our money will be safe.
When you think about it, we – the American people – are so very lucky that we have an infrastructure that is created to preserve trust. Aren’t we?
Footnote:
The reported issue of shrimp is not one of safety, but one of unfair practices. Here is the Purpose of the Southern Shrimp Alliance, and why false labeling is a problem: “Founded in 2002, the SSA works to ensure the continued vitality and existence of the U.S. shrimp industry. The livelihoods of U.S. shrimpers are threatened by cheap, unfairly traded imported shrimp. The U.S. market has become a dumping ground for shrimp that are turned away from other major seafood-importing countries. Proposed restrictions on shrimp fishing and rapidly increasing costs of doing business also loom over the industry.”
That’s a whole different issue and one worth pondering.
