anytime someone identifies the moment when america lost its innocence, just snicker. it's absurd. and if what they mean by 'innocence' is that americans used to 'trust their institutions,' or love the authority exercised over them, or whatever, then just figure the person who's saying that for an oppression-enthusiast with no acquaintance whatever with american history. perhaps we can recover our innocence as we recover our subservience, or perhaps they meant the same thing right up til 1973. it's very biblical or edenic: innocence = enthusiastic self-subordination to arbitrary authority. and no one questioned that until march 3, 1989 or something.
look, did samuel adams and thomas jefferson trust their institutions? how about the whiskey rebels? did nat turner, william lloyd garrison, and john brown trust their institutions? how about victoria woodhull and emma goldman? did ambrose bierce, mark twain, and h.l. mencken trust their institutions? thoreau, emerson, and fuller? what do you think about tecumseh and crazy horse? john l. and sinclair lewis? richard weaver, milton friedman, and murray rothbard? w.e.b. dubois and malcolm x? anyone who ever testified before the house unamerican activities committee? and ask yourself this: should they have? dude, whatever.
