If you hold the view of human nature that everybody is selfish all the time--which is the Trumpian view of human nature--then what logically follows is that "ethics" is for fools: you should cheat if you can get away with it, because everybody cheats if they can get away with it. https://twitter.com/ThreeTwoEephus/status/1329182931777155081

And, so whenever cynics lose or get caught, they believe the other side cheated and got away with it, and so their losing or getting an unfair injustice. So that the irony: people who cheat are more likely to complain about cheating than anyone.

You see this in Trump. You see it in the defiance of the Astros, who were convinced other teams were cheating, too, and singling them out is unjust.

Here's the thing, though: cynicism is wrong about human nature. Not everyone is selfish all the time. Moral people exist.

I say, "Give people freedom in an environment of trust." Trust gives space for freedom to work its magic. But if people believe everyone else is cheating, they will, too, and then we get rules & enforcement, so freedom & prosperity die. That's why Trump's cynicsm is so dangerous.

Cynicism goes hand in hand with corruption and authoritarianism. Because if you believe everyone is selfish all the time, there are no ethics beyond what you can get away with. Strength and cunning are the primary virtues of cynicism. Other "virtues" are for fools and weaklings.

How do you beat cynicism? Well, in my mind, it's supposed to be religion: religions exist to teach the uncynical virtues, to promote ethics, to provide a foundation of morality. But when religions prop up cynicism instead of fighting it, the system can spiral out of control.