Change My Mind
The values we hold today shape the world we will live in tomorrow. This is not just because our values affect the growth or progress of our economic conditions, but more importantly, because our values can be an entrenching influence on our society for generations.
Values are like cement – they’re malleable when wet, but hard to alter when solidified. For this reason, a society should take note of the ideals it promotes, because those values are likely to persist for some time. This longevity exists, in part, because human beings are hardwired to hold onto our personal beliefs. Clinging to our opinions is just part of our DNA, whether we like it or not.
According to research, the human brain actually processes opinions we disagree with at a slower pace than opinions we do agree with. Media outlets have long reported on academic studies that illustrate this phenomenon. For example, research shows that if an individual is given a list of factually incorrect sentences, they will take longer to identity grammatical errors than if the statements are actually true. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that the same effect is true for opinions. Their study revealed that people take longer to identify grammatical errors in a statement, if they disagree with the opinion revealed in the statement.
With the human brain’s natural inclination toward currently held beliefs, it is logical than that people are generally hesitant to change their minds on a given issue. This assumption is supported by many studies which show that only a small percentage of people change their mind when faced with new facts or differing opinions. For example, even in the age of social media, with more information available than ever, few individuals ever change their opinion due to something they saw online. A Pew Research study revealed that only 14 percent of Americans have changed their mind due to something they saw on social media. Of course, algorithms that feed users their own preferences likely exacerbate this trend.
What then does change the pulse of public discourse? Some thinkers contend that it is not typically shifting ideas that greatly alter public opinion, but shifting generations. While I have personally witnessed large shifts of opinions within my lifetime, it is undeniable that generational attitudes play an enormous role in the trajectory of thought within the public sphere. Ideas don’t really die; generations do.
This concept is important to understand. If we don’t grasp it correctly, we can waste our time and our efforts.
Timing does matter. Ideas can last a long time but change generally takes place quickly. Recent history proves that even the most embedded ideas can be completely altered in a matter of a years. For instance, while the woke movement seems extraordinarily sudden, these ideas have been developed over the course of decades. Their dramatic rise to prominence within our academic, media, and cultural institutions just feels spontaneous, because they were cultivated within the fringes of the progressive movement, out of the mainstream public eye. As conservatives, we too often confuse a slippery slope with a cliff. The road to tyranny is typically a gradual decline.
Thus, we cannot expect to win generational battles in the public sphere when we only have months or days to engage. Sadly, in the democratic process, altering opinions generally only occur on the margins. Political alignments may shift, but underlying opinions within individual populations generally don’t. That’s why turnout and engagement with voters is crucial in any election, regardless of party or position.
To secure prosperity for future generations, we must be able to win short-term victories and to make long-term investments toward the continuation of our ideals.
If we understand how difficult it is to change someone’s opinion, then we can grasp the importance of it. Recent political alignments in the news highlight how alliances across ideological boundaries can help parties and candidates win races. Time will tell though what these new alignments mean for our movement in the long run. It is far easier to change someone’s vote than their belief.
The Left appears to have generally understood the impact of generational change far more than conservatives have understood this concept. The progressive movement has always focused on the next generation. As conservatives, we are lucky to be focused on the next election.
To be clear, persuasion does still occur in today’s public discourse. Technology makes it easier than ever to get a message out and despite all the noise, it is still possible to change hearts and minds. However, I would contend that, as a movement, we should focus our efforts on influencing values rather than just votes. As the famous saying goes, “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”