These days, change is as much about identify shifts as habit shifts

You want to believe that change is about clear communication and repeated habits, both at a personal and professional level. And you want to believe that you can change the viewpoint of someone else by doing similar things — facts, clear communication, context, data, science, history, etc.

In reality, if you’ve ever tried this, you know that it’s not at all how the game is played. We supposedly have this deep belief in science, but look at the last 18 months. Do we really? And in the USA, did CDC and WHO and whoever else underscore that belief in science? I wouldn’t call a plumber and then ask him to give me a vasectomy, no, but I do think expertise is broadly on the decline as something we value. Science and data, however much we scream about them and put up lawn signs about them, factor right into that discussion too.

Now you look at something like Gwen Berry from yesterday, who came in second in a hammer toss at qualifying and turned her back on the flag during the National Anthem. That’s culture wars to the max — more on that in a second — so we start getting all the hot takes, including: