Green names a recurring internet tactic with unusual clarity: one of the fastest ways to gain attention is to tell people that some trusted system is lying to them. Once that suspicion lands, the accuser can reposition themself as one of the few remaining trustworthy guides.
This makes trust destruction profitable even when it is socially disastrous. The point is not only that people enjoy conflict, but that suspicion reorganizes authority. If I can convince you that the institution is corrupt, I can inherit the attention and dependence that used to belong to the institution.
That helps explain why attacks on shared knowledge systems feel so relentless. They are not only ideological acts; they are also audience-acquisition strategies. In that sense, cynicism is not just a mood. It is a business model.
Verbatim: “One of the best ways to get attention is to tell people that they are being lied to.”