> It’s a nudge here and a push there. They do not stop “progressing”. <
That’s a fair point. Society works best when there is a pendulum effect. Go too far in either direction, and mechanisms kick in to move things the other way.
But as you noted, that mechanism is now gone. That’s mainly because the free exchange of ideas is now gone. Thirty years ago, teachers would have spoken up against allowing boys in the girls’ locker room. It would have been a major topic at faculty meetings.
But speak up now and you’re gone, having changed nothing. And your 20-something replacement would make things even worse.
Proverbs 22:15
Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child;
but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.