The pandemic, or rather the handling of the pandemic, IS the reason. People lost confidence in a lot of institutions during the pandemic.

Nobody cares about crying unless you cry about stupid things. If a toddler cries because they can’t have an entire pack of oreos, it’s normal, but if an adult cries for that reason then they should grow up. If a child cries because they skinned their knee it’s understandable, but if an adult does, then they need to grow up.